By Dr. Richard J. Hoyer
Laypersons
and professional alike have been brainwashed to think that to have a legitimate
college or university degree, it must be accredited. The average person and
most professionals have no idea what accreditation is, they believe or have
been told through out the years, that accreditation equals a legitimate degree.
This is not true! In fact it takes four years for a college to become
accredited, making it technically impossible to disallow unaccredited schools.
With this mindset, no new college or university could ever open.
Myth 2: The
degree must be a
This
falsehood is where people believe a degree must be recognized by the
Myth 3:
Foreign degrees are not valid in the
This
falsehood is actually funny, that a degree earned outside of the United States
are not as good, or not as legitimate as a regionally, national or professional
“accredited” US degree. Not true! Most foreign countries require that all
colleges and universities be licensed, registered and/or accredited by the
Ministry of Education (a government agency), which in most cases, is much more
stringent that our non-governmental accrediting process. Foreign university
administrators laugh at our regional accreditation process.
Myth 4: If
the college of university is not listed in my guidebook, it’s not legitimate.
Everyone and
their brother has written their version of guidebooks.
Just like my book: ''A College Degree in your Spare
Time Through Distance Learning'' is my opinion
and based on my research, so are the other guidebooks that are on the market.
Again, not true!
Myth 5: A
state licensed college or university is not legitimate without accreditation.
Not true!
Many colleges and universities throughout the
Myth 6: An
accredited college or university is just as inexpensive as non-accredited or
foreign degree programs.
The average
for regional, national or professional accreditation can cost from as little as
$4,000.00 to as much as $100,000 a year. Who do you think pays for that great
privilege of having a degree from an accredited college or university? You do!
The cost of being accredited is hidden in your tuition fees. One school I used
to list in my book went from a $5,000.00 total tuition to a whopping $27,000.00
for the same four-year program after obtaining their accreditation. Not true!
Myth 7: If an
education evaluation firm says the degree is not equal to a US accredited
degree, it is not.
Educational
evaluation firms or agencies are private companies. The opinion that they
provide in a written report is just that, an opinion. These firms or agencies
are not the
Myth 8:
Accreditation is the only true mark of obtaining a quality education.
Well, let’s
think about that for a minute. All of the
One man, who
worked for me while I was in hospital administration, had a four-year degree
from
Myth 9: If my
college or university belongs to several professional organizations, it makes
my degree legitimate.
Any college or
university can join professional and educational organizations simply by paying
the necessary membership fees. It has absolutely nothing to do with
legitimizing your degree. A perfect example is my membership in the American
Bar Association, yet I am not a practicing attorney.
Myth 10:
State Professional Licensing Boards and Professional Registrations Will Only
Accept Regionally Accredited Degrees.
In many
states this is true, however, there are exemptions from this requirement in
some cases, and those with foreign and non-accredited degrees may only be
required to obtain an educational evaluation from organizations like NAHE to satisfy the state requirements.
Contact your state licensing board to get their exact requirements before
enrolling in any degree program.
Myth 11: Any
accreditation not recognized by the
Actually any
third party review of a college or university is a good thing. But just
remember, it is an opinion not a requirement and based on the peer review of
self-established standards of a non-governmental, non-profit agency. It should
not be confused with making that college or university legitimate. Reputation
speaks volumes for the quality of a college or university. Many foreign
Ministers of Education I have spoken to actually laugh about the
Accreditation
in the
A
non-governmental peer process of evaluation of post-secondary educational
institutions and programs was established, developed and administered by
private educational associations and commissions of regional or national scope.
The purpose
for this short writing is to provide human resource managers and various other
professionals with the cold hard facts about the accreditation myth that has
been prevalent in our society. The findings from my research are not intended
to belittle the importance of any third party quality review of a college or
university program by any means. In fact, I am an accreditation evaluator for
three such organizations. My only intention is to educate the general public.
Since 1972, he has been working in such diverse areas as law enforcement
supervision; safety, health, industrial hygiene and environmental management;
security management; and chief of an industrial fire department and hazardous
materials emergency response team. He developed, trained and managed a
proprietary police force consisting of 48 employees. He has worked in the area
of criminal justice client behavioral health management of persons on
probation, parole and work release programs and worked with county, state, and
federal inmates at community based correctional facilities.
Dr. Hoyer is the former Chair of the Environmental and Safety
Engineering Department at Kennedy-Western University; an Adjunct Professor for
the MBA program at Newport University; an instructor at Corning Community
College, for their safety (OSHA) and environmental (EPA) compliance programs;
and he has taught the Educational Methodology course as an Adjunct Instructor
at the New York State Academy of Fire Science. He is the former Associate Dean
of Rochester Business Institute, a private business college in
His community involvement includes being a volunteer Director of Safety
and Health Education and an Instructor/Trainer for an American Red Cross
chapter for five years. He has taught medical students, nursing students, and
hundreds of emergency room medical personnel. He has conducted courses in
Dr. Hoyer holds national and state credentials as a Certified Clinical
Psychopathologist; Diplomat in Environmental Sciences; Certified Law
Enforcement Firearms and Defensive Tactics Instructor through the Bureau of
Criminal Investigation; New York State Certified Fire Instructor; New York
State Certified Fire Investigator; State Certified Concealed Firearms
Instructor; New York State, Certified Search and Rescue Volunteer; and a Fellow
of the Business Management Association (London).