The importance of college accreditation, especially “programmatic accreditation” (the accreditation that ensures a specific degree will open doors for your desired profession) has been a topic of many of my articles over the last year or so. The real issue is that a loophole in federal financial aid laws allows accredited schools to provide offer degree programs that are not recognized by state licensing or programmatic accreditation. This lack of licensing or programmatic accreditation can make it impossible for college graduate to actually work in the career field in which they hold a degree.
Some examples of programmatic accreditation include, physical therapy, paralegal, and nursing all require some form of programmatic accreditation.
Earlier this month Senator Jeff Merkley and Senators Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) introduced the Protecting Students from Worthless Degrees Act (S.3474). If passed the bill would require college degree programs to meet any state licensure requirements and programmatic accreditation. Programs that don’t meet the criteria would no longer be eligible for Pell Grants, Stafford Loans, GI Bill benefits, or DoD Tuition Assistance funds.
“Higher education should be a path to the American Dream, but that dream is shattered if when students graduate, they find that their degrees are worthless,” said Merkley. “A college that claims to prepare a student for a specific job should have the accreditation needed so that those degrees are actually worth something in the job market. It’s common sense to say that taxpayers have no place funding programs that hurt students more than they help.”
According to Sen. Merkley’s August 1st press release, schools that offer these non-accredited programs, often target veterans with GI Bill benefits. This makes it critically important for veterans and servicemembers to be very careful when selecting a school and even more so when selecting a degree program or career path that requires licensure or specific accreditation to get a job.
This bill is currently in committee.
Let your elected officials know how you feel about this legislation.
If your state university won't accept the credits, be very careful before enrolling.
Well said Chief…but many universities won't accept credits from each other anyway. I had a niece that transferred from an accredited Jr. College to the state university and they refused 12 of her credits even though both were accredited and in the same state. A letter from our lawyer cured that nonsense!
Coordinate your credits between your choice of junior college and state university in advance. Forego getting an "Associate of Arts" from the junior college and you can avoid taking courses that will not be accepted at the higher college. "Introduction To College Life", etc. are useless to your degree. Your senior college will usually tell you in advance what not to take and/or what they will accept.
Be careful with this statement as it is not always true – a student can enter a 2-year degree and after taking only 3 courses with a 2.5 or better (4.0 is best) the student may be placed in a coop program offering on the job training for college credit. After graduation there is a great chance that the company will hire the student.
The thrust of the article is that some colleges offer degrees in fields where the kids will not be able to work because of state licensing requirements. It also depends on what you want to do. If I were wanting to be a welder, I would go to Del Mar and get an Associates Degree. If I wanted to get a BA/BS in science, history, or political science, etc. I would take the AA requirements to my choice of senior colleges and ask, "What will transfer from this AA to your school?" Then, I would tell my junior college counselor that I did not want an AA, I just wanted to take courses that the senior college would accept. That way, I could save a bit of money the first couple of years and not have to throw away a semsester of courses.
That would require the individual to actually do some research.
This bill is excellent and much needed. Education needs to be reformed, and this is a positive step towards reformation. Hope it goes through..
Maybe this will light a fire under University of Phoenix's butts. The courses there are so easy and don't provide much of a challenge to anyone with a little common sense. If you're looking for colleges that offer online degrees, I suggest you only apply to not-fo-profit universities. Arizona State, Marist College, and Florida International University are just a few examples of military-friendly schools that provide good online degree programs.
I possess much common sense and some courses at UOP are challenging. Many whom have graduated have found lucrative employment because of his or her degree from UOP.
I have found lucrative employment after graduating from UOP in 2006 however, I didnot take any online classes.
I am currently taking MBA classes at UOPX and can say that some were challenging. Others were easy, but that was due to my background and experience. I could relate to the material better than a 20 year old. Experience helps. I will tell you that I have seen people with degrees from IVY league colleges who lack common sense. That can make the difference between a productive department and high retention or the opposite. I hope your husband, Captain Savea, recognizes that a degree doesn't equal a good leader.
Chief,
What do you do if your school will not let you graduate or complete your student teaching until you pass the state certification?
Time to get Corporate America out of higher education. We are students – not profit margins!!
i wonder if this will light the same fire under ITT Tech? ugh….
Right now I am going to westwood college located in midtown ga, I wonder what would this law say about t is because the school suck but the one problem I have right now is that I have alreAdy spend a year there I don’t want to just leave so I won’t lose time, energy, and money. If those school aren’t offering what suppose according to the degree why keep them open
Right now I am going to westwood college located in midtown ga, I wonder what would this law say about t is because the school suck but the one problem I have right now is that I have alreAdy spend a year there I don’t want to just leave so I won’t lose time, energy, and money.
Reading your reply, you have more than that one problem.
It is about time !!!! Something should have been done about this a long time ago. Our military veterans serve our country, and what do they get when they get out of the service, "RIPPED OFF", with the help our Federal Government with these unaccredited bogus schools, that call themselves a college, and the degree is not worth the paper it written on. This is how our government welcome us home, after all the hard knocks we have already suffered. These schools should be investigated, and SHUT DOWN!!! They should be sued, and made to give these students their money back. Our federal government should be a SHAMED of themselves. MONEY, MONEY, MONEY the root of all evil, that is what this country is founded on.
It is important for students to seek out community colleges with established articulation agreements with 4 year universities for the program they are interested in. Articulation agreements provide a clear pathway to ensure credits and benefits aren't wasted.
stg2 i am now informed and tweeked up to speed on this programatic accredidation mater involving us vets ,however i realy need to know if a substance abuse counselor certification would be considered worthless?