Why American Sentinel?

[brasda91]

So the only problem with the accrediation is if you're going to transfer to another school?  If you complete your degree through American Sentinel, does an employer care if the degree is accrediated?  Is it more important to the employer that you simply have a degree?

[James Shaw]

So the only problem with the accrediation is if you're going to transfer to another school?  If you complete your degree through American Sentinel, does an employer care if the degree is accrediated?  Is it more important to the employer that you simply have a degree?

It is important to make sure the school is accredited. You do have to look for their accreditation and make sure they are legit. There is a school Kennedy Western who has all the looks of a great online school but they do not have any accreditation throug the DOE. Research into the school is very important.

[star1151]

So the only problem with the accrediation is if you're going to transfer to another school?  If you complete your degree through American Sentinel, does an employer care if the degree is accrediated?  Is it more important to the employer that you simply have a degree?

My employer requires a degree for most positions.  And for some positions, yes, they require a degree from an accredited university and that is posted in the job description.  Do they care for other jobs?  Who knows, probably on a case by case basis.  I don't know why anyone would do the work for a degree that may be useless.

[TankerT]

I beg to differ on the National VS Regional Accreditation. I have attended both types of schools and have been accepted to a Regionally Accredited college with a Nationally accredited Under Grad degree. The National level accreditation hasn't been around as long as the regional but is still recognized by the DOE as an accrediting body the same as the regional schools. If you look at some of the Regional colleges they accept the National accreditation. Not all but some. They just passed a law in congress that would require regionally accredited colleges to accept national accredited schools transfer degrees that have been completed.

The information is available from the web.

http://www.ellis.nyit.edu/difference/accreditation.php (accepted undergrad degree)

http://www.detc.org/about.html (DOE recognized thed same as regional)

The military does recognize DETC degrees, the licensing department for the state of GA recognizes my under grad for licensure as a counselor that I earned through my DETC school, and my employeer is one of the hardest companies to get to recognize distance education degrees Procter and Gamble for reimbursement. I would personally pit my knowledge of Human Resources Management against any Regional program.

I'm not trying to say that you can't get a quality education from a DETC program.  And, as I mentioned, many federal jobs recognize a DETC degree as being accredited.  This includes the military. However, anyone considering a DETC degree should look at their future goals before enrolling in such a program. 

For example, ALL of the University of Wisconsin System Schools require a regionally accredited degree, as does nearly every private College in Wisconsin for admission into their graduate programs.  Having a DETC degree is useless for admission into these programs. 

And, it is important to note that when it comes to federal aid programs, there are some restrictions when it comes to DETC programs.  (I.E. not all DETC are created equal when it comes to getting federal education money... where all regionally accredited schools are.)

Accreditation is something that people should be careful about when picking a school.  Most employers will accept a DETC degree as being accredited, depending on the field.  However, if it's not DETC or Regionally accredited... and is "accredited" by some other place... or "licensed to issue a degree in a state" does not equal accepted accreditation.  The Government only recognizes certain accrediting bodies.... those being the 6 regional entities, and DETC. 

Contrary to popular belief, the government doesn't actually accredit postsecondary programs.  Independent organizations do.  It's just that the DOE recognizes the accrediting body.

[0]

My only issue with the American Sentinal is that they don't offer too much.  I mean there are graduate degrees I'd love to pursue but they dont' offer them.  And it's stuff that usually is offered any where you go. 

[James Shaw]

The best advice I would have is that the person really needs to look at what they want to do with the degree as well. You may find some Engineering Technology Degrees online (mainly undergrad) that have all of the same requirements as a brick and morter school but the program is not recognized as an engineering program to test for a PE (professional engineer). They can be very tricky in their wording on their websites to lead to believe they are completly legit.  I almost feel into that trap many years ago when I started on my Associates. The school had a great website and the cost was good but it was State certified and neither Regionally or Nationally accredited and therefore my company say no.

I feel the quality of the education is also something you really need to look at before you invest alot of money. The course I was taking cost $550 for a 3 credit hour class and I was taking 2 at a time. That can be an expensive mistake.

My employeer requires.

The school has to have a website with the course cost per credit hour listed on the website.

They have to be either regionally or nationally recognized by the DOE and listed on that website.

They must offer financial aid for those who need it and proctored exams if it is an online school.

We must also be enrolled in a degree program and show our progress with every class.

They will pay for 100% tuition and books plus normal fees for each degree level up to Masters.

You have to make atleast a C in the class to get reimbursed.

[James Shaw]

New York Institute of Technology offers a 44% discount to military members and veterans. They are regionally and nationally accredited and accept degrees from the DETC. I just finished speaking to a counselor about this.

[0]

New York Institute of Technology offers a 44% discount to military members and veterans. They are regionally and nationally accredited and accept degrees from the DETC. I just finished speaking to a counselor about this.

But do they offer the same to us?

[DrJbdm]

For those who want to read about accreditation and learn about what it really means can read this article. Dr. John Bear, who is probably the formost expert in non-traditional education wrote this about accreditation:

   http://www.degree.net/guides/accreditation_guide.html


   It is my belief based on the facts of what is acceptable as transfer credit to major Universities and most State Universities; National Accreditation is really next to worthless. True many employers will accept a Nationally accredited degree, but those same employers really just care that the school is "accredited" but they seldom care by whom. I have seen many companies accept degree from completely unaccredited schools simply because the school claims to be accredited.

  The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education requires that any degree or college hours that an Officer has, must be accredited by any of the 6 regional accrediting bodies. Officers have lost their jobs because they have claimed a degree from a non accredited school. a DETC degree is worthless in Texas Law Enforcement.

   Bottom line, maybe for your goals a DETC school will work for you, and if so then great. however my thought is if you are going to invest the time and the money in getting an education you would be better off just going with a regionally accredited school. After all, it's the same cost and the same time investment.

[M.S.]

Simply explained there are six regional accrediting agencies --- one for each region of the US... they are: Middle States, New England, North Central, North West, Western & Southern.   If your school isn't accredited by one of them you should expect to have regular problems taking your degree and/or credit elsewhere.

Maybe your current employer will accept the diploma.  Maybe your next employer won't.  Do you really want to waste your time pursuing credits or a degree from an institution wherein you'll need to constantly battle and justify your coursework for the rest of your life?  Or hope your employer doesn't care or doesn't know the difference between only-nationally-accredited and regionally-accredited?   Or hope your next employer will accept your degree as real?   Or hope your local community college or wherever you go will accept the credits?

If your degree is regionally accredited pretty much everyone from Harvard and Cornell to your local community college will recognize it as being legit.  If your degree comes from some place not regionally accredited you'll always have to wonder and be ready to justify your degree or just hope nobody looks into it.  Does that sound like something worth your time and effort?  Probably not.

Avoid for-profit companies like "american sentinel" and stick with non-profit academic institutions.  You'll have much better luck, less heartache and less worry at night that people will think you've padded your resume.

[O-Rex]

For those who want to read about accreditation and learn about what it really means can read this article. Dr. John Bear, who is probably the formost expert in non-traditional education wrote this about accreditation:

   http://www.degree.net/guides/accreditation_guide.html

 

I read John Bear some years before web-based college was available, and his books actually helped me piece together a degree program from a hodge-podge of courses I had taken from different colleges at different military installations.

It's alot easier now than it was 10-15 years ago, and as the median age of our adult population gets older, I see the trend continuing.

Getting back to accreditation: it all depends on what you are ultimately seeking, but I think it would be best to invest one's time, effort and money in pursuing a degree program through an institution that no one will question.