The Online Degree Dorm Room

online degree programs psychology | Oh my gosh, were has the time gone??

Posted by bposton on August 15th, 2007 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

Sorry everyone, but it’s WAY to long since I posted to this blog.

I sincerely apologize, but many, many, many other things got in the way, both personal and otherwise. I know it’s no excuse, but…

I’m BACK

And I really hope to “resurrect” this blog. I may not be posting as much as I was before, but, I’ll certainly try.

Thanks for your patience:

So, off we go again:

Here’s a very recent press release from Cappella about some new online degree programs they are offering

Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) August 2, 2007 — Capella University, an accredited online university based in Minneapolis, today introduced a new Education Specialist (EdS) online degree program, as well as a Master of Science in Public Health. Twelve new graduate and undergraduate specializations are also being launched in such fields as emergency management, retail management, school counseling, educational leadership, health information management, human resource management, information security, and project management. Enrollment is now open, with classes beginning fall quarter 2007.

“With the addition of the EdS degree, Capella can offer teachers and administrators an intermediate degree between our master’s and PhD degree programs,” said Harry McLenighan, dean of Capella’s School of Education. “We think it’s important to provide an EdS option for people who want education beyond their master’s degree, but currently don’t want to pursue a doctoral degree.” Specializations available within the EdS program include Curriculum and Instruction, and Leadership in Educational Administration. Capella is one of the few online universities to offer a state-approved specialization in Leadership in Educational Administration.

 We think it’s important to provide an EdS option for people who want education beyond their master’s degree, but currently don’t want to pursue a doctoral degree.  
Capella’s new MS in Public Health is designed to meet the growing need for public health workers, a field in danger of losing a substantial percentage of its work force to retirement. A 2004 report by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and the Council of State Governments (CSG) predicted public health retirement rates as high as 45 percent over the succeeding five years and noted public health vacancy rates of up to 20 percent in some states. New specializations offered as part of the MS in Public Health degree include Health Management and Policy, and Social and Behavioral Sciences. The MS in Public Health program is part of Capella’s School of Human Services, which is also launching a new School Counseling specialization within its MS in Human Services program.

Capella’s School of Business and Technology is launching five new specializations, including a Human Resource Management specialization within its Master of Business Administration (MBA) program, and a Health Information Management specialization within its MS in IT program. The school’s PhD in Information Technology program has two new specializations, Project Management, and Information Security, and the PhD in Organization and Management program also has a new Project Management specialization. Capella now offers six Project Management specializations, allowing students at the bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD levels to choose either a business or IT project management focus.

Capella’s School of Undergraduate Studies has announced two new specializations. A new Emergency Management specialization is part of Capella’s BS in Public Safety program. Capella University is currently one of only a few online universities to offer BS, MS, and PhD degree programs in public safety. Capella is also launching a Retail Management specialization within its BS in Business program, designed to address the increasing desire among retailers for college-educated candidates to fill in-store and corporate management positions.

Capella is now accepting enrollment applications for these new specializations. For more information, please call 1-888-CAPELLA (227-3552), option 3, or e-mail info@capella.edu.

Review of the MS in Human Services, School Counseling specialization is pending in AL, AZ, FL, GA, KY, OH, SC, and WA. Review of the MS in Public Health program and the Education Specialist (EdS) program is pending in AZ, FL, GA, KY, MN, SC, and WA. Review of the PhD in Organization and Management, Project Management specialization is pending in AL, AR, AZ, FL, GA, KY, SC, and WA. Review of the PhD in IT, Information Security and Project Management specializations, is pending in AL, AZ, FL, GA, KY, SC, and WA. Review of the BS in Business, Retail Management specialization; BS in Public Safety, Emergency Management specialization; MBA, Human Resource Management specialization; and the MS in IT, Health Information Management specialization is pending in AL, AR, AZ, FL, GA, KY, OH, SC, and WA.

About Capella University:
Founded in 1993, Capella University is an accredited,* online university that offers graduate degree programs in business, information technology, education, health, human services, public safety, and psychology, and bachelor’s degree programs in business, information technology, health, and public safety. Within those areas, Capella offers 101 graduate and undergraduate specializations and 15 certificate programs. The online university currently serves more than 19,000 students from all 50 states and 56 countries. It is committed to providing high-caliber academic excellence and pursuing balanced business growth. Capella University is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Capella Education Company (NASDAQ: CPLA), headquartered in Minneapolis. For more information, please call 1-888-CAPELLA (227-3552).

Capella University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA),
Capella University, 225 South Sixth Street, Ninth Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55402, 1-888-CAPELLA (227-3552)

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Engineering Degree Online | A Three Part Primer about Online Degrees - Part 1

Posted by bposton on November 8th, 2006 — Posted in engineering degree online

Someone stuck their head in the online degree dorm room last night and asked:

So, Ben - can you give me a quick primer on taking online courses or getting a
degree online?

Well, it’s going to take a few posts to complete it but here’s the first part:

Part One - Make sure your program is legit:

Ok, so I hope you know by now that taking courses online is a great way to further your
education while keeping your day job.

But how do you separate the reputable programs from the diploma mills that are just out there  to
make a profit from giving you a worthless peice of paper?

If you’re considering getting an online degree, the most important point to research
is the school’s reputation. The first thing I’d do it I were looking in to an online program is its accreditation:
If the school has not been properly reviewed, your diploma could be meaningless in the eyes of potential employers.

Here’s the thing - Online colleges and graduate programs are expected to meet the same standards
as traditional institutions. so they should be reviewed by one of the six regional associations that are
recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

You’ll probably see this accreditation somewhere on the home page of the programs’ website.
If you can’t find it, here’s what you need to do:
Locate the school’s physical headquarters through its website, and
then check with the accreditation association that covers that region.
You also can search the Department of Education’s list.

The next thing you should do is find out how long the college or university has been offering online
courses and/or degree programs.

Even if it’s an established and reputable traditional colleges or grad schools, if they’re first starting
out with online programs then they might not have their act together just yet, and their fumbles can hamper
your learning. I mean, who wants to have to deal the technical difficulties when you’ve got a paper to write?

OK, that’s about it for part 1. In my next post I’ll discuss the type of PC skills you need
Ben

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Engineering Degree Online | Your tax dollars at work??

Posted by bposton on November 7th, 2006 — Posted in engineering degree online

Here’s a statistic that just burns me up…

Back in September of 2004, the Government Accountability Office released a report that found federal
agencies had spent at least $169,000 for their employees to obtain degrees from two so-called “diploma mills,”
California Coast University and Kennedy-Western University.

The GAO report defined diploma mills as “non-traditional, unaccredited, post-secondary schools
that offer degrees for a relatively low flat fee, promote the award of academic credits based on
life experience, and do not require any classroom instruction.”

That’s $169,000 of YOUR tax dollars going out to diploma mills, my good friend.

In the report, however, it was also mentioned that no “uniform verification process” exists for such institutions,
particularly online degree programs.

Don’t you think we need a verification process? Otherwise this number will just get higher, and probably already has.

At there are some states who have taken the initative. These include Oregon and California,
who have refused to recognize Kennedy-Western degrees.

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engineering degree online : New - an Alternative Medicine Doctorate Online Degree Program

Posted by bposton on November 1st, 2006 — Posted in engineering degree online

I was googling through the internet the other night when I came upon a news release I thought you might find interesting.

It seems that there’s an online Doctorate program for Alternative Medicine that is just getting started over in the U.K.

It’s the very first Doctor of Science program of it’s kind, and it’s open to anyone in the traditional medicine field who wants to upgrade their current Qualifications in Alternative Medicine.

By anyone, the list is pretty long - physicians, Surgeons, Pharmacists, Dentists, Osteopaths, Chiropractors, Opticians, Wellness Consultants, Herbalists, Acupuncturists, Naturopaths, Healers, odiatrists, Chiropodists, Scientists, Healers,Therapists, Homeopaths, Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Nurses

It will require an intensive 12 - 36 month period of study, and while it’s primarly done online it will also require a few Residential Study Weekends at selected UK locations and all candidates will still be expected to make the usual Doctoral Presentation, backed up bye solid supporting case reports, of course.

Yep, is over in the UK, but hey, why let that stop you?

Ben

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