http://easterncollege.us/

I am very interested in their Masters in Music, but am unsure about their accreditation in general.

Their coursework looks quite normal, but there seems to be a religious affiliation that is somewhat vague underneath it all, as well, not that being a religious school is a bad thing at all, it's just that their mission seems ambiguous.

Just not sure.

Thoughts and insights welcome.

Thanks

__________________
Mary

80 Traditional credits
45 testing

9 CLEPS
Freshmen Comp- 71
Analyzing & Interpreting Lit -72
Human Growth & Development -73
Ed Psych -67

CLEP Humanties- 7/11/06 -74
CLEP American Lit- 7/18/06 - 65
CLEP US History I I 7/18/06- 63
CLEP American Government 8/8-57
CLEP US History II 8/8 -68


2 DSSTs- 8/11
Here's to your Health 69
Fundamentals of Counseling 64


Indiana University School of Continuing Studies
B.G.S-Done!
125 credits 10/20/06 -

It looks like they are neither RA or NA......

__________________
ShotoJuku +
A.S., B.S., M.S.

Always be ready to release your mind and be willing to listen to the advice of others. Remain flexible. - Gichin Funakoshi

What does that mean? Is that a type of accrediting?

Sorry not up on the lingo... I do appreciate you checking it out.

Sadly, I called and the phone was disconnected....not good.

__________________
Mary

80 Traditional credits
45 testing

9 CLEPS
Freshmen Comp- 71
Analyzing & Interpreting Lit -72
Human Growth & Development -73
Ed Psych -67

CLEP Humanties- 7/11/06 -74
CLEP American Lit- 7/18/06 - 65
CLEP US History I I 7/18/06- 63
CLEP American Government 8/8-57
CLEP US History II 8/8 -68


2 DSSTs- 8/11
Here's to your Health 69
Fundamentals of Counseling 64


Indiana University School of Continuing Studies
B.G.S-Done!
125 credits 10/20/06 -

Regional Accreditation or National Accreditation.

__________________
Thomas Edison State College alum: BA in Liberal Studies, 06. Considering other school/career options... Working on sciences.

Ahh...

Good thing that wasn't a CLEP question!

__________________
Mary

80 Traditional credits
45 testing

9 CLEPS
Freshmen Comp- 71
Analyzing & Interpreting Lit -72
Human Growth & Development -73
Ed Psych -67

CLEP Humanties- 7/11/06 -74
CLEP American Lit- 7/18/06 - 65
CLEP US History I I 7/18/06- 63
CLEP American Government 8/8-57
CLEP US History II 8/8 -68


2 DSSTs- 8/11
Here's to your Health 69
Fundamentals of Counseling 64


Indiana University School of Continuing Studies
B.G.S-Done!
125 credits 10/20/06 -

This web page talks a little about the accreditation of the college you're looking at: http://www.degree.net/guides/non-gaap_listings.html

(which is "Southeast Accrediting Association of Christian Schools, Colleges and Seminaries" from the website you gave)

It looks like that college is purely religious in nature and won't give you an academically acredited music degree. Like someone else mentioned above, you want to look for a regional accreditation (national is NOT better).

__________________
CLEPS:
Social Sciences and History
College Math
English Composition (no essay)

DANTES:
World Religions
Civil War and Reconstruction
Drug & Alcohol Abuse
Management Information Systems

Excelsior:
Organizational Behavior
Ethics: Theory and Practice
World Conflicts since 1900
World Population

All done! 42 credits by exam

Hahahahaha - good one!!

__________________
ShotoJuku +
A.S., B.S., M.S.

Always be ready to release your mind and be willing to listen to the advice of others. Remain flexible. - Gichin Funakoshi

__________________
ShotoJuku +
A.S., B.S., M.S.

Always be ready to release your mind and be willing to listen to the advice of others. Remain flexible. - Gichin Funakoshi

Yep, I would say RA is more ideal for many because it is accepted in more situations (biggest is landing teaching jobs-- NA is generally frowned upon there). However, NA is accedited by the US Dept of Education, so many (if not most) private employers, government jobs, and military jobs also consider it accredited. Personally, I have my eye on an NA grad program because it suits my needs, plus my Fortune 500 employer considers it accredited and reimburses tuition for it. I may also go into government work later on, and I know that my field accepts it as well. It is situational: some jobs and state licensures do require a masters that is RA. Best to check into that before diving in.

__________________
BS Liberal Arts, Health Prof. & Psychology
Excelsior College - 2007
MS Psychology
California Coast University in progress (2009)

This is also true, but not always.

Some legitimate schools provide an excellent education, but simply do not have regional or national accreditation.

This applies mostly to religious and/or vocational type schools. A diploma mill is a "school" that merely hands out a diploma to anyone willing to pay their fees, without requiring any actual work or learning.

Some schools fulfill a need to edumacate people for a specific position. The music school Criticalthinker mentioned might actually be a legitimate attempt to provide a good solid music education for potential religious ministry, without the student having to jump through the same hoops that RA or NA would require.

Then again, it might truly be a diploma mill.

One thing is certain though, a diploma from this school would NOT be sufficient to get accepted into RA/NA graduate studies, or to teach in the mainstream etc.

But, if someone intended to become a Minister of Music and work full-time in a church setting, it might actually provide that person with a strong foundation in music.

I studied full-time for three years in residence at a bible college that is highly regarded within related ministry circles. At the end of the three years, I received a respected diploma in Theology and Music, which opened doors for me to become a minister. It wasn't RA or NA, but the school required three years of INTENSE full-time theological study, internships, practicum, and a solid GPA in order to graduate. I certainly came out of the experience three years older, three years wiser, and much better prepared for ministry.

I earned 90 credits in the process, but obviously NONE of those credits could be used once I began studies for an RA degree.

Was it RA/NA? No!
Was it a dilpoma mill? Far from it!
Did it meet my specific needs? Absolutely!
Was the degree legitimate? Yes (within my specific field).
Are the credits generally accepted in mainstream academia? No!
Was it worthwhile? Totally!
Would I do it again? Definitely!

As you can see, even when a school does not have RA/NA accreditation, it doesn't automatically fall into the "diploma mill" category.

Most diploma mills are INSTANTLY recognizable, because they openly declare a price that you must pay to receive the degree. Pay X fee, get X degree! However, where such obvious "buy a degree" language is not immediately visible, further investigation might either prove, or disprove that the institution is truly a diploma mill.

Where a school is a diploma mill, it should be avoided at all costs. Where a school is legitimate but not RA/NA, extreme caution is advised. You would need to ensure that it will fulfill your specific educational and occupational needs, and you should fully understand that the degree may not be widely accepted outside of the field, and the credits may be worthless if you intend to pursue RA studies down the line.

Hope that helps,
Snazzlefrag

__________________
My name is Rob
So far, I have earned 142 credits (12 not used).

Excelsior College
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____________
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