Making College Count

LAST WEEK THE MEDIA CARRIED A FOLLOW-UP STORY on a January investigation about bogus degrees used by a dozen metro-city firefighters to meet academic requirements for promotion. The follow-up article reported that (a) the employees were fined by the organization and (b) the employees subsequently took the appropriate academic coursework required for their promotions. The employer initially accepted the diplomas, a subsequent investigation in 2006 revealed that the academic institution was bogus. One of the diploma mills, St. Regis University, was based in Liberia and was the featured in a December 2005 CNN feature on the link between terrorists and diploma mills.

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ACADEMIC ACCREDITATION

Academic accreditation rivals the fire service in its quirkiness and rules. There are three types of academic accreditation:

1) Programs that meet a specific profession or vocation. For paramedic programs, it is the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services http://www.coaemsp.org/

2) Educational and training organizations that meet federal or state requirements for TUITION REIMBURSEMENT. Truck driving schools, computer training institutions as well as colleges and universities.

3) Educational institutions that meet voluntary ACADEMIC accrediting requirements in order to issue degrees and academic transcripts that are acceptable to other educational institutions.

There are eight regional accrediting organizations that handle the ACADEMIC issues:

• Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Middle States Commission on Higher Education
•  New England Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on Institutions of Higher Education
•  New England Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on Technical and Career Institutions
•  North Central Association of Colleges and Schools The Higher Learning Commission
• Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities.

For an academic institution to issue credit that will be accepted by other academic institutions, they need to have accreditation from one of the eight regional accreditation organizations.

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DISTANCE EDUCATION

Some, but not all, distance education academic programs have regional accreditation. When I was part time faculty at the community college I asked my dean about the difference between getting a master’s degree from an all-online university or a traditional university.

My goal of getting a graduate degree was to teach at a traditional university. Dean B. strongly discouraged me from going the on-line route, indicating that a degree from Capella or Phoenix “would not be accepted by the academic community.” So I spent four years driving to evening classes at a traditional masters program, at one point paying others to cover my fire department shift on nights I had to be in class and could not get leave or an exchange.

Meanwhile, a colleague in a nearby city was encouraged to get a PhD so he could assume a leadership role in a proposed university program in “emergency management.” His academic employer saw no problem with an all on-line accredited university and accepted his doctorate from Capella University. Capella has both DETC and regional academic accreditation.

It is fitting that I run an all-online BSHS program and my colleague runs a traditional face-to-face program.

The only recognized accreditation program for all-distance programs is the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC). DETC scope of recognition: “… the accreditation of postsecondary institutions in the United States that offer degree programs primarily by the distance education method up through the first professional degree level ?”

The Distance Education and Training Council website http://www.detc.org/

You may have a problem when taking courses from a college or university that just has DETC accreditation. From the best independent source of non-traditional education:

Mariah P. Bear with Thomas Nixon (2006) Bear’s Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning. 16th edition. Berkley; 10 Speed Press.
Chapter 8: Accreditation, page 39

“… while most schools with regional accreditation will recognize credits and degrees issued by other schools with regional accreditation, less than half will recognize a student’s achievements from a DETC-accredited school, even though both accreditors meet CHEA standards, …”

This includes my university. I cannot accept academic coursework from Columbia Southern University. While it is DETC accredited, it does not have regional academic accreditation.

So, what should you do? Pick the program that best meets your needs. Check with your employer to see what coursework is accepted. The method that provides the maximum use of your academic investment is taking courses from a regionally accredited college or university.

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