University Accreditation Bodies In Ireland, UK, US

[Darren Lim]

University Accreditation Bodies In Ireland, UK, USA and Australia

As long as the University or Institution is recognized by these bodies, you can be assured that the degrees they offered are genuine and not a useless piece of paper.

Please note that accreditation can only certify that the degree you have is real. But whether an employer accepts that degree to employ you or not is entirely up to the employer's discretion.


A) For Universities, Institutions and Colleges in the United Kingdoms

The web site lists down the degree-awarding educational institutions in UK that are recognized by the UK Government, the Department for Education and Skills (DFES).

UK Government - Department for Education and Skills Recognized Degrees (http://www.dfes.gov.uk/recognisedukdegrees/wcoukd.shtml)


B) For Universities, Institutions and Colleges in the United States of America

There are 6 Regional Accreditation Agencies, each in charge of the educational institutions within their respective regions in the USA. Accrediatation by any of these 6 Regional Agencies is considered recognition by the United States Government. The exception to these regional accreditation bodies is DETC, which accredits schools, colleges and universities that deliver their courses primarily through distance educatuon.

1) Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

2) New England Association of Schools and Colleges

3) North Central Association of Schools and Colleges

4) Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges

5) Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

6) Western Association of Schools and Colleges

7) Distance Education and Training Council


C) For Universities, Institutions and Colleges in Australia

The web site lists down the educational institutions that are recognized by the Australian Commonwealth Government.

Australian Qualifications Framework ( www.aqf.edu.au/register.htm )

Here is a link in the Austarlian Commonwealth Government Department of Education website on how to differentiate between the real Australian Universities and the bogus ones.

www.dest.gov.au/highered/alert/

D) For Universities, Institutions and Colleges in Ireland

The Higher Education Authority is the equivalent of the Ministry of Education in Ireland.

In the website you can find a list of the Irish universities and colleges.


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Accreditation for USA, UK and European Business Schools and MBAs.

For the benefit of those who're looking for a MBA or an undergraduate education in business and management.

A) For UK and European Universities:

There're two types of accreditations - accreditation for the MBA courses, and accreditation for the Universities' business schools.

1) For accreditation for their MBAs courses, it comes mainly from AMBA (Association of MBAs).

Examples of accredited MBA programs of AMBA are:

Bradford University School of Management
Imperial College Management School
INSEAD The European Institute of Business Administration
University of Bath School of Management
Judge Institute of Management - University of Cambridge
Henley Management College
Warwick Business School

2) For accreditation of their business schools, it comes from EQUIS (European Quality Improvement System).

Examples of accredited business schools of EQUIS are:

Bradford University School of Management
Henley Management College
INSEAD
Open University Business School
Stockholm University, School of Business
Rotterdam School of Management - Erasmus University Rotterdam
London Business School

B) For USA Universities:

There's two types of accreditations - regional accreditation for Universities, and accreditation for the Universities' business schools.

For regional accreditation of the Universities, there're 6 regional accrediation associations, all are considered equal to one another.

1) Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
2) New England Association of Schools and Colleges
3) North Central Association of Schools and Colleges
4) Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges
5) Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
6) Western Association of Schools and Colleges

For accreditation of the Universities' business schools and programs, there are 2 main accrediting bodies ->

1. AACSB (Association To Advance Collegiate Schools of Business).

2. ACBSP (Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs).

Both organizations had received recognition from CHEA (Council for Higher Education Accreditation).

AACSB is for the large national-level universities with focus on research, and courses from Bachelor up till Doctoral degrees.

Examples of accredited universities of AACSB are:

Arizona State University
University of Arkansas
Harvard University
California State University, Fullerton
Yale University
Univerity of California, Los Angeles
University of Chicago

ACBSP is for the small and mid-size universities and 2-years colleges with focus on teaching, and courses from Associate up to Master degrees and in rare cases, Doctoral degrees.

Examples of acceditated universities and colleges of ACBSP are:

California State University, Dominguez Hills
Texas A&M University, Kingsville
State University of New York, Morrisville
Oklahoma City University
University of Indiana
Orange County Community College
Virginia Western Community College.

Note: Being a member of these 2 accrediting bodies do not means that the university or college had achieved accreditation.


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University Rankings

A) USA:

U.S. News America's Best Colleges ( www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/rankindex_brief.php )

B) UK:

The Sunday Times University League Table ( www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8405-814110,00.html )

The Times Good University Guide ( www.timesonline.co.uk/section/0,,716,00.html )

C) Australia:

The Good Guides ( www.thegoodguides.com.au/ )

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More Information On UK Universities

The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA):

Established in 1997, QAA was formed as an independent body to assess the quality of the various UK unversities and the degree programs they offer. You can even find audit reports of distance-learning UK degree programs that are offered in Singapore.

Higher Education & Research Opportunities in The United Kingdom (HERO):

HERO is the internet portal for showcasing the diversity and quality of research and higher education in the UK. Its member oirganisations consist of various governmental and private education & research agencies.


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Recognized Engineering Degrees From Overseas Universities by PEB, Singapore ( www.peb.gov.sg/ )

The Professional Engineers Board, Singapore has a list of qualifications from UK and other countries that're recognized by the Government of Singapore for registration as a Professional Engineer in Singapore.

Professional Engineers Board, Singapore (PEB) is a statutory board in the Ministry of National Development. PEB was established since 1971 under the Professional Engineers Act.

Look here for the list of recognized engineering qualifications:

Professional Engineers Board Singapore


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Career In The Singapore Civil Service

For those who are interested in getting a job in the Civil Service. It is stated that as long as the educational institution is recognized by its home government, it is considered as being recognized by the Singapore Government as well.

Singapore Civil Service


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The Differences Between A Franchised Degree and A Validated Degree

1) Franchised Degree:

Some degree programs are available both through distance-learning and on campus. These are called franchised degrees, because like the McDonald's franchises, the Big Mac (in this case the degree program) are the same anywhere in the World.

The titles of the degrees and the syllabus are virtually the same (although sometimes there are slight modifications in syllabus to cater to local conditions) as the ones awarded on-campus. These are the degrees directly awarded by an university.

2) Validated Degree:

Others degree programs are only available in local or overseas partner institutions and not on campus. The reason is because the partner institutions designed the syllabus and send it to the university for approval.

The university will then assess if the syllabus is up to the university's standard (i.e. validation) and grant the partner institutions approval to offer the programs under the university's name. The degree titles from such programs may not be the same or available as the ones on campus. These are the degrees validated and awarded by an university.


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[Darren Lim]

Recognition of Distance-Learning Degrees in the Singapore Civil Service

Reply from the Ministry of Commmunty Development and Sports, Feedback Unit on the above issue:

app.internet.gov.sg/data/mcd...feedback316.htm

"Recognition of distance-learning degrees

Your Feedback:

Dear Sir/Mdm,

The government is seriously planning for Singapore to be the hub of education in this region, and has been encouraging our citizens to pursue life-long education. I applaud and support these initiatives.

However, the paradox is that the encouragement is not backed by deeds. The government has not indicated which distance learning degrees are recognised and which are not. By making a stand on this issue, the government would put to rest speculations on the worth of these degrees.

Reply from Ministry:

Dear Sir,

I refer to your suggestion that the govenment should recognise distance learning degrees in order to show its commitment towards making Singapore an education hub and encouraging Singaporeans to take on life-long learning.

There is no central authority in Singapore that assesses or grants recognition for degrees obtained from overseas universities, either via distance learning or otherwise. This is because the employer is best placed to decide whether a degree-holder has the qualities desired for the job and the qualification most relevant to his needs. The employer is also in the best position to decide how much value he will assign to a person's qualification.

Our policy has always been that degrees from a University accredited by the home government of the country where the University is located is acceptable for employment within the Civil Service, regardless of whether it is a full-time or part-time degree, or whether it is obtained via distance learning. In addition, for professional qualifications such as law, and accountancy, the degrees obtained from foreign institutions must be recognised by the relevant professional bodies in Singapore to be considered for appointment in the Singapore Civil Service. If you wish to check on the accreditation status of your degree, you can call the relevant education centres or professional bodies.

The contact numbers of these centres can be found at www.gov.sg/career/entry2.htm and www.gov.sg/career/entry3.htm. Alternatively, you can refer to relevant guidebooks, like the Commonwealth Universities Yearbook, available from the National Libraries.

We thank you for your feedback.

Yours sincerely,

Public Service Division/Prime Minister's Office
Website: www.pmo.gov.sg/feedback.htm

Public Affairs Division/Ministry of Education
Website: www.moe.gov.sg
Email: [e-mail]"


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The following is the kind contribution from MADdancer. Please note that MADdancer's real name and email address have been edited away.

"To: PSD Career/PSD/SINGOV@SINGOV
cc:
Subject: RE: Qualifications and Salary enquires.
28/07/2003 15:33

Hi there,

I'm interested to find out some information because i intend to join the civil service sector to pursue my career after i complete my degree through distant learning.

Current Situation:
I am going to ord late october.My qualifications are all from a private education instituition in singapore (MDIS) I am currently holding onto an Diploma and by Jan 2004, Advanced Diploma in Mass Communications. I will be starting my Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Communications awarded by Upper Iowa Univeristy (USA) with Auston ( another private instituition) by distant learning. This University degree is accredited by North Central Association of Schools and Colleges (US)

Query 1:
I have heard rumours that the civil services does not recognize degrees from universities studied through distant learning. How true is it?

Query 2:
I have heard from my friends that there is a preference of fresh-graduates from local universities then that of foreign universities, is it true?

Query 3:
Doing degrees through distant learning, does not warrant more recognition than those done directly overseas, is it true?

Query 4:
The salary of a graduate from a local or foreign university ( those students who study on-campus) will be more than those who pursue education through private instituitions and distant learning. How true is it?

I really need to know and confirm these queries as it is important in the decisions that i will take in furthering my education after my ord. Thanks!

Regards,

----- Forwarded by PSD Career/PSD/SINGOV on 30/07/2003 16:55 -----

From : [e-mail]
To :
Subject : RE: Qualifications and Salary enquires.
Date : Fri, 1 Aug 2003 14:50:03 +0800

Reply Reply All Forward Delete Put in Folder...InboxSent MessagesDraftsTrash Can Printer Friendly Version

Dear,

Our replies to yr queries are as follows:

Query 1:
In general, degrees from a University accredited by the home government of the country where the University is located are acceptable for employment in the Civil Service. This applies to degrees obtained full-time or part-time, via distance learning or twinning programmes, etc. If you wish to check on the accreditation status of your degree, you are advised to call the relevant education centres or professional bodies, whose contact details can be found at www.careers.gov.sg/entry2.htm and www.careers.gov.sg/entry3.htm. Alternatively, you can refer to relevant guidebooks, like the Commonwealth Universities Yearbook, available from the National Libraries.

Query 2:
It is not true that the Civil Service prefers local graduates to overseas graduates. We are interested in recruiting committed individuals who have the skills and competencies that we are looking for and are willing to contribute to the nation. Our recruitment process is an open one based on merit - the best person for the job. In assessing candidates, we typically look at factors like relevant work experience, academic qualifications and performance, and personal qualities such as leadership, initiative, and communication skills.

Query 3:
As mentioned above, foreign qualifications are acceptable so long as they are from accredited Universities, whether they are done on-campus overseas or via distance-learning.

Query 4:
There is no distinction in the starting salary of graduates who pursue full-time degrees and those who obtain their degrees through part-time or distance-learning, assuming they have the same qualifications. This means that all other factors being equal, all graduates with a pass degree will be paid the same salary.

We hope this clarifies.

Regards."


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How The Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) In American Universities And Colleges Works?

Most (not all) American universities and colleges use a 4-points CGPA system; GPA means Grade Point Average (for a single course or module), and CGPA means Cumulative Grade Point Average (overall GPA for entire degree program). The grades available and their respective GPAs are:

A -> 4 (90% ~ 100%)
B -> 3 (80% ~ 89%)
C -> 2 (70% ~ 79%)
D -> 1 (60% ~ 69%)
F -> 0 (0% ~ 59%)

Most institutions have some forms of plus (+) and minus (-) grades, which are usually 0.25 or 0.33 points more or lesser than the base GPAs e.g. if B = 3.0, B- = 2.75 or 2.66, and B+ = 3.25 or 3.33. It is also possible for the A+ grade to have a GPA higher than 4.0 i.e. 4.25 or 4.33, although the maximum possible CGPA on a 4-points scale is still 4.0/4.0.

To calculate CGPA, take the course's GPA and multiply by the number of credit hours of that course, then divide by the total number of credit hours attempted. For example:

Subject A -> B-, 3 credit hours
Subject B -> C+, 4 credit hours
Subject C -> A, 2 credit hours

CGPA = [(2.75 * 3) + (2.25 * 4) + (4 * 2)] / 9 = (8.75 + 9 + 8) / 9 = 2.806.

The minimum CGPA needed for graduation purpose for an undergarduate (Bachelor) degree is 2.0/4.0; for post graduate (Master and Doctor) degrees, it is 3.0/4.0.