vent- Ashford U

[sanantone]

I would think that, if one wanted more credibility, that person would just get a masters at an accredited school and study other theories of nutrition on the side.

I think this topic is fascinating.

Allow me to throw something in; I think some of you are viewing it through a different lens than the original poster.

IF she is not doing this to appease the state licensors, then... the only opinion that really counts is her peer group. A group that may not be as focused on academic rigidity and custom as they are other points.

My mind is mushy... let me take another run at the last part. I don't know her world. Maybe they all think that the university that is torturing her so is the, ah, Harvard of holistic health. Viewing it through that lens, it makes perfect sense to do what it takes to obtain that credential. It makes no sense to a medical doctor, or an academic - both measuring different metrics.

She needs a credential that enhances her validity in her peer group and among the followers of holistic health. Whatever that might be doesn't necessarily have to pass muster with state officials or people in other disciplines; it just has to work in her field. And, part of that has to be name recognition in the degree. A person might not have a clue what a Master of Interdisciplinary Study might be, but I guarantee you they'll understand Doctor of Wise Traditions Nutrition (I don't, I stole part of that from one of the links).

Now, if she wants to subsequently parlay all that work into something credible to academics or more conventional medical fields... she's going be be SOL, but from reading her posts, I think she's acutely aware of her plight.

Am I reading this right, or am I way off base? I feel like education should track your needs, instead of you being shoehorned into a degree because that's what's available.

I wouldn't know if that school is needed to be seen as credible among her peer group because I don't follow any particular school of thought when it comes to nutrition. I just follow the general alternative/complementary medicine field which has practitioners who are licensed healthcare professionals, people with unrelated degrees, and people with no degree at all who have learned through self-study. It was my understanding that the OP wanted to go to that school because they teach what she believes, not because it would make her more credible than ACHS or HCHS; but, I could be wrong.

[a2jc4life]

//But, if the OP wants at least one accredited degree, then NA should be fine. Even an RA program won't qualify her for licensure, so it really doesn't matter.//

Exactly. None of these are mainstream enough to have any impact on the legality of...nomenclature, really. (That's really the only difference -- what I can call myself.) But my current AAS from ACHS and the masters program at Hawthorn are both qualifying prerequisites for the holistic nutrition board exam, which is a credential my target clientele will appreciate. (I honestly don't think many people will recognize any of the schools themselves, or care, although some will recognize that Hawthorn teaches Weston A. Price Foundation-approved courses, and that will mean something to them.)

And WOW, some of you have good memories. Sanantone is correct that I don't care for ACHS's approach to nutrition. It's somewhat true that it's because they "don't teach what I believe," but that's a bit overly simplistic. In my estimation, their perspective is simply not evidence-based; it's status quo for the sake of not making any waves. If I want to read more, "fat is bad, because the USDA says so," I don't need to spend thousands of dollars to do that; I'll just grab a magazine from the checkout stand.

Liberty may have alternative benefits, though. My husband is ordained Southern Baptist. Not currently employed by a church (he works for a non-profit), but those are the circles we're in. And we live in Virginia, to boot. Liberty will have name recognition in the circles we move in, for other reasons.

So now it's just a matter of waiting to see who will take what.

(Thanks for the heads-up about Excelsior and Study.com. That could definitely make a difference!)

[a2jc4life]

Oh, good grief. Why does it seem like competence is too much to ask for?

Now that the long weekend is over, my advisor at Ashford was able to get an answer from the registrar's office about some of what seemed to not be right with my evaluation. Among other things, the registrar said flat-out that "we don't have an articulation agreement with ACHS." Um, yeah, you do. It's blatantly published on your site and theirs, with a whole PDF file supplying the details.

Meanwhile, APU has asked me to upload a copy of my ID on their "secure documents site," where ID is not an option in the drop-down and the help link specifically says that it's broken, and asked me to forward certain other documentation to a special documents email address -- which bounced because the inbox is full.

At this point, I'm about ready to just make an enrollment decision based on which school has someone who can manage to competently do his/her job.

[RANSOMSOUL]

At this point, I'm about ready to just make an enrollment decision based on which school has someone who can manage to competently do his/her job.

Whatever you do, don't make a selection off of job competency What each of these schools lacks in customer service talent (some to more degrees than others) they all makeup for in degree completion value. Admission seems to be tough for a lot of students on the board but once in, most of the schools balance out in their CS performance and are separated (some in wide margins) by the ability to assist a student getting a good degree fast & at a solid price. During these early growing pains, I would encourage you to work through the weeds to select the best school for what your end game goal is.

Hang in there - this part will be over soon enough.

[dfrecore]

At this point, I'm about ready to just make an enrollment decision based on which school has someone who can manage to competently do his/her job.

Whatever you do, don't make a selection off of job competency What each of these schools lacks in customer service talent (some to more degrees than others) they all makeup for in degree completion value. Admission seems to be tough for a lot of students on the board but once in, most of the schools balance out in their CS performance and are separated (some in wide margins) by the ability to assist a student getting a good degree fast & at a solid price. During these early growing pains, I would encourage you to work through the weeds to select the best school for what your end game goal is.

Hang in there - this part will be over soon enough.

I'm going to second this advice.  Although it is a painful process in the beginning, do not let it get to you!  I've heard far fewer complaints about people actually working through the degree process than the admissions process.  For whatever reason, they are terrible at this (or other parts) but seem to get the other stuff right.

[a2jc4life]

You guys rock! Although I still have to hammer out the details of exactly which courses are/are not covered, Liberty is accepting 83-86 of my credits (my TECEP hasn't been evaluated yet) without *any* pushing on my part. The only ones that didn't automatically transfer over are my challenge course credits (and they still might, if I push for it and provide the necessary documentation, but if they don't I'm still WAY ahead of the 61 Ashford was going to take). Plus I may be eligible for more financial aid because it's in-state for me. AND they've been super-helpful when I've called to ask questions.

So far this is looking like a major win, and I would have had no idea Liberty would consider nationally-accredited credits without you all, so THANK YOU!

[RANSOMSOUL]

Awesome - Talk about getting great news! We'll keep an eye out for you on tv during one of Liberty's football games because it's official, you're a Liberty Flames student in waiting

[a2jc4life]

Ooh. It just occurred to me that I could actually walk for graduation. That's kind of exciting.

[bjcheung77]

It’s great! I am so happy for you, I hope it’s going to work out well in the end. Do you know what courses are missing and if you can take those courses with their cheaper “credit by exam” method? I recall reading that Liberty required 30 credits to be residency requirements. Keep working on it... you’re almost there.

[a2jc4life]

I don't know for sure what's missing. They did tell me their exams don't count toward the residency requirement; they're counted as portfolio assessment. I think I'll need to take around 36 credits' worth of classes through them, but that would have been the case anywhere I went. This way I'm pretty sure ('though not positive yet) that most, if not all, of them can be courses I'm actually interested in taking and not just "check the box" classes.