Topic: Is a degree from Mission College worth the paper it is printed on?

[certified]

Anyone from anywhere with a third grade education can "earn" a Masters degree in less than a year. What happened to the Graduate Record Examination, and a GPA above 3.0, and undergraduate transcripts from a recognized institution. And their teacher's certification is a bigger joke. No transcripts needed, no GPA of 3.0 or above is necessary, no references submitted, no FBI checks, no state examinations, and the list continues. In western countries you must be formally invited into the college of education after meeting certain high standards. After being admited you have 2 - 3 years of hard work in that college which finally culminates in a half year of supervised student teaching. Finally after completing the university's educational program, your paper work is sent to the state board of education. Once your qualifications are processed you are then given a letter of invitation  to try to pass the state examinations which last 2 days. If any of the tests and  sub tests ( about 35 - 40) fall below a 70% the aspiring teacher can not become licensed. The tests themselves include one day off your elective type college courses, chemistry, biology, calculus, history, English, earth sciences, etc., while the second day is 8 - 10 hours of tests within your discipline. The testing rooms are filled with hopeful to be educators who sometimes have flunked the examinations 2, 3, maybe 4 times. This doesn't sound like Mission College does it? Incidently, your classes at Mission College...are non-transferable.

[hero]

Link?

[Geekboy]

http://www.missioncollege.edu/

It's a 7th Day Adventist college so yes I do believe it is worth the paper it is printed on. When it comes to the nursing field in particular, there is nothing better than an Adventist University. I'm sure you've heard of Loma Linda University, right?

Mission College programs are also accredited internationally by the Adventist Accediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities based in Washington DC, USA and by the Commission of Education at the Southern Asia-Pacific Division of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in the Philippines. The College is one of more than 90 universities and colleges in the international network of private Adventist colleges operated worldwide.

It has better accreditation than just about any Thai university.

Formal service agreements of academic cooperation between Mission College and American universities and colleges have been signed covering the areas of professor exchange and joint research programs, curriculum and course development, transfer credit arrangements and the benchmarking of academic standards.

 These agreements involve the following institutions:
    * La Sierra University, Riverside, San Bernadino, California, USA
    * Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, San Bernadino, California, USA

You can transfer your credits to a very major American university with ease, can you do that with any other Thai university?

[certified]

This "Mission College" was sold and bought in 1996. They are not part of a recognized educational system. Being a "Mission College" for the Seventh Day Adventists does not give it any further credibility. Last year I worked with 2 guys who got what they call a  teacher's certification from there, and one of the guys informed me his credits were non transferable to any college or university in Canada or America. The other guy got his certification diploma or whetever they choose to call it, and he had no undergraduate degree from anywhere. They never checked. He just filled out the admission forms and paid his money. This is just one step up from Khosan Road.

[Geekboy]

I'm not going to argue, all I know is that they say that they are accredited by the Thai government. They are and have been under the control of the Southeast Asia Union of SDA churches. Credits are transferable to accredited universities in the US and Australia. That's more than I can say for most degrees.

Is there a reason why you are attacking this university so much?

[snottgoblin]

Geekboy.

Whilst I am not disputing your comments could you confirm that the accepting colleges/unversities are within the state framework rather than a religious framework in the countries mentioned ?

Certainly the course is accredited by the Thai goverment which is not the most flattering accolade one could desire from a country that is indeed somewhat flexible in its approach to law and order and the prevention of corruption amonst other things.

A friend of mine recently returned to the U.K and presented the degree paper he had obtained from Mision College to the local authority he had applied to for a teaching position with some rather amazing results.

The laughter can still be heard .

Not disheartened he applied to a school linked to the S.D.A movement in the U.K. They were not impressed and explained that in essence the degree document would make a wonderfulk conversation piece if framed and hung up on the wall however as regarding its value one may be well advised to use it as up market wrapping paper or as material to light a fire.

Methinks an expensive time wasting exercise for a worthless degree document.

[certified]

    Bingo!
Another co-worker I know is from Texas U. He sat down with his admissions officer in Texas and they discussed Mission College. The officer told him that the credits and programs they offer are not part of the State, or Federal Education programs.

[Geekboy]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loma_Linda_University

Loma Linda is one university that accepts it and LLU is accredited in the US. They are accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Again, I have no real knowledge of the school, but if I was confronted with a degree from the university, I'd accept it more than any other Thai university. Maybe that's the problem your friend is having...that the degree is from Thailand.

[Andy]

    Bingo!
Another co-worker I know is from Texas U. He sat down with his admissions officer in Texas and they discussed Mission College. The officer told him that the credits and programs they offer are not part of the State, or Federal Education programs.

First off, dudes, there ain't no Texas U. Secondly, why the hell would a foreign university be part of a state or federal education program? It ain't their ball game. If ya got a foreign degree and ya go to the states, you gotta apply to an specialized agency that evaluates foreign educational programs.

Which specialized agency are ya gonna use? It's up to  the university or government office in question to decide which evaluators they're gonna accept. So if podunk linda uni wants to accept podunk college degrees, then it's all cool.

I gotta ask the same q though. Why ya dudes ragging on this college? Certified, you're over on another thread ragging on Niva. That school sucks...and you don't like that it's 7th Day Adventist. Hey, that's cool. But now you are attacking another 7th Day Adventist institution and claimin' a lot of stuff. I'm just a casual observer, but it sure makes me think ya got an agenda.

[certified]

Let the buyer beware.

What kind of credible institution has no admission standards?
No graduate record examination?
No previous degrees or course work is checked?
Transcripts are not asked for?
The course work is questionable?
It's takes just a year or less, with any gpa average, to get their degree.

[los_teacher]

I'll give you several reasons why I am considering this school.

1) Credits are accepted by the Thai Ministry of Education.  Subject teachers at private Bilingual and English Programs in Thailand technically must have 15 education credits to teach any subject other than English.  This program provides 18 education credits, thus meeting the requirement.

2) It is wise to have all the i's dotted and t's crossed and be perfectly legal when working in a foreign country.  Existing rules can be enforced at any time at the whim of school or government officials.

3) With these credits teachers qualify for positions at top Thai schools in BKK - with starting salaries of 65-70k per month.  With 3-5k annual salary increases a person can make between 80-95k per month after only five years.  A person can have a very high quality of life in Thailand on this salary. 

4) Classes are Monday and Tuesday from 6-9 pm held locally in BKK.  Very convenient for working teachers. 

5) There is a supervised practicum component.  This is a very nice aspect of the program.

6)  The total cost is around $1200.  Compare this to the $12,000-20,000+ it would cost stateside or through distance learning.

7) Having spoken to two recent graduates I have been told that the curriculum is challenging and the knowledge they acquired useful and worthwhile.  Even if the credits don't transfer the knowledge will remain with you - it's called professional development.

If one is planning to remain long-term in Thailand and doesn't have the means to pay for an expensive US certification, or perhaps is in a situation where returning to the US isn't viable (supporting a family in Thailand for example) then this program is a nice alternative. 

Personally, I have no intention of returning to the USA.  I have a wife, and we are thinking about having at least one child.  I can't afford to have months where I am not working, nor can I afford to support two households.  I don't want to work illegally, even if it is an unenforced technicality.  I am now at the point in my teaching career where I feel that I could benefit from a sound grounding in pedagogical theory.  The cost of the program is more than reasonable.  I can accept that credits likely won't transfer anywhere in the west.  So what's the problem?   

[bawpenyang]

Mission College is about professional development. Teachers working here for the long haul would benefit by attending Mission College. However, the degree/certificate is worth nothing. There is no statue in Thai law that requires a teacher of English to have a degree. What we are talking about are the policies of the MOE.

[RobRoy]

los....good on you...anything you can do to better yourself is a good thing....I'm not a papered teacher either, but have attended many classes to help me improve my teaching techniques.  

Don't you just love it when some posters get "holier than thou".  Rather than try and help you better yourself or support your efforts, they remind you that your paperwork will never look as pretty as the paper they have.  So what!  At least you're improving and asking questions rather than bragging.  

Oh, and I would be willing to "CERTIFY" not to mention names that you probably have a nice life rather than being frustrated over the lack of pay some peoples paperwork and/or personality have warrented.

Just my guess...Good luck dude and let us know how the course goes
 

[certified]

Obviously someone is part of the family. 

[RobRoy]

You're right certified...I'm part of the family of teachers here wanting to help each other.  Thats what this forum is about.  The big question is...what family are you part of and if you're not wanting to help fellow teachers out, why are you here?