Featured Are all ua degrees, mills?

Let me put it this way. For a theological degree to not be of the "mill" variety, SUBSTANTIAL research and writing needs to be included. Also, SUBSTANTIAL reading requirements. If all one does is listen to CD's, and take tests, for the entire degree, then it is most definitely a mill.

For example: my M.Div. from Liberty, which is a 90 Credit degree, required somewhere betwee 600-800 pages of academic writing, and about 50,000 pages of reading (not counting research for the writing!), along WITH probably 400-500 hours of lectures, and countless tests/quizzes.

This would be a typical course load for one 3 credit class:

2-4 texbooks, averaging 400 pages each
24 hours of lectures
8 quizzes
2 exams (midterm and final)
1 Book Review or Critique of a book in the related field
4-8 Forum posts, discussing issues with classmates(If Online/Distance), or in class discussion if Brick and Mortar
1-2 Writing and Research assignments, totaling no less than 15 pages, Double spaced

Much less than that per class, is a mill. Some might have a little more of one, or less of another. But the workload should not be much less than this, and should ALWAYS including READING and WRITING assignments. Lectures, quizzes, and tests may or may not be used.

 

Never had that work load my first year of College of course I was on the football team way back then. Studying to be a coach, then changed my major second semester and finally quit. I had a 2.6 GPA that first semester.

Now my home study english rheotoric, had a test book, had to write 10 papers go into class for a spelling or vocabulary test and a final. That was at a community college. Received a "B" for it.

Then my home study for my 32 hours to complete my B.A.
entailed

2 units of history
each course with a text book about 10 papers 3 pages each, a syllabus with about 350 questions and a final exam,

2 units science each with a text book a syllabus again about 300= questions and about 6 papers plus a final,

2 units of social stusdies same as the first two units and

2 units english one a lit course with 4 book reports. Then english comp with a syllabus 6 or 8 papers vocabulary words to get down and a final.

With the final course being an elective with a syllabus, papers and final.

2 hours credited for orientation which most schools do now. Then I had to finish by going graduation week to the school and attending 4 each 3 hour seminars for the final 3 hours. That was a full load that I completed in about 3 months.

 

Well, a higher standard than issuing a degree to a cat and a dog, which they have. If you had bothered to read the site, you would see there is no course work. You send in several hundred dollars, choose your major, choose your level of degree, write a resume for evaluation. Within a few days, you get a degree, transcripts complete with grades, an 800 number to verify that you went to the university, and a bogus accreditation agency. It takes no work or study, none. How can you justify paying for a Doctorate of Divinity when others who did it honestly took years of dedication and work.

 

Then many talk about schools which do have course work and whcih do require the test to be sent in and papers written, yet many call them a degree mill, that is what I am trying to ask? I know that if you send money and resume' that is a degree mill, but many schools that require more than just that are considered by many on here to be a degree mill.

So how much work is too little and what level of work is considered enough?

 

Because the level of work is not up to snuff. If they are going to confer DEGREES (not just certificates), then the amount of work required needs to be equivalent to their accredited counterparts.

 

How do you see schools "A", "B" and "C" in my example? In post 20

 

In many cases some of these schools level of work are equivelant to many aaccredited counter parts. The Affiliate schools for instance meet the same standards as the accredited schools but for reasons such as trying to keep cost down, or feeling accredidation is Government intrussion they have not sought accredidation. The ones who are accredited by an non-government recognized accrediting agency meet the standards of the other schools withing that accrediting agency. The accrediting agency may have the same reasons for not seeking government recognition, yet since they don't then folks find them as not up to par when in fact they may very well be up to par with other schools that offer independent study courses.

 

One of the schools considered a diploma mill on here I did a quick internet search for the school name and found.

11 Pastors listing degrees from. 2 College Faculty members other than the schools Faculty one a former tax attorney.

1 SBC DOM listed as receiving his thD.

As for the Schools Faculty one has the following. B.S. Faith Baptist College, ThM Slidell Baptist Seminary, MM Andersonville, Doctor of Philosophy Grace Baptisit College.
The Founder of the school has General Bible Degree Libeerty, B.A. Bible Open Bible College, ThM Andersonville, ThD Andersonville.
Another receiced his thD from the school.

One faculty member was granted research grants from U.T. Houston and U. Mich. in Ann Arbor.

I know 3 people who have received degrees from school and recommend them to others.

One of these men holds degrees from several schools and a DD just recieved from another and a pastor and counselor for a hospice facility, he highly recommends this school.

They are accredited by: American Accrediting Association of Theological Institutions, Inc.


This was just a short pass through the intenet. They have accrediation but not from U.S. Dept of Education or regionally recognized agency. So they are listed by some as being a Degree Mill. Yet as the internet reveals and again I didn't conduct a thorough search but they seem to be recognized by many churches and schools as legitimate.

 

None of the three are particularly great. B and C seem to be mills (C in particular). A, is not very good, either, due to the credit transfer policy. All courses should not be transferred. Only those which are of sufficient rigor, and from accredited or approved schools, and which fit into the degree program, should be granted.

 

"A" is a school in the Texas University circuit, they allow and disallow as the credits fit from an accredited school. They also will give life credit based on either the experience or a clept test. After accesssing my credits from other accredited schools I was about 64 course hours from my BA. They said they would assess the balance of my life experience after I began my studies, I didn't buy into that one due to not knowing exactly how far I would be away from my degree.

They didn't take some computer courses that were electives at another state school but did apply some others. The balance of studies would have been individual studies and internet classes.

 

I tried to get an answer to that way back, I asked what the top 10 Christian schools were and could never get a direct answer. I would say you need to narrow the question to secular and Christian.

 

Of course I am not the one to ask, I think the top school in the nation academically is Rice University, followed closely by probably MIT, but what do I know?

 

According to US News it's actually Harvard and Princeton tied for first. Then Yale and Columbia. MIT is 5th, Rice (17) doesn't even make the top 10.

The problem with rankings is it's all opinion. Even US News which many people and universities seem to quote and go by is subjective in the way that it weights it's criteria.

 

Not really sure how they rank or who ranks them. I know that in BBFI cirlces Louisiana Baptist is one of their top schools in a lot of their upper ranks of their Fellowship. Not sure what number 2 and 3 are not sure if Baptist Bible is accredited but that is considered their top school. Then I think they look at Dallas Baptist but not sure.