Columbia Southern University
| StudentsReview ::
Columbia Southern University - Graduate (MS/PhD) Ratings | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Total Grad Surveys | 39 |
| Females | 12 |
| Males | 27 |
| Avg years at University | 2.4 |
| Research Quality | B+ (7.9) |
| Research Availability | A- (8.2) |
| Research Funding | A- (8.4) |
| Graduate Politics | A (8.9) |
| Not Errand Runners | A (9.0) |
| Degree Completion | A- (8.3) |
| Alternative pay [ta/gsi] | B+ (8.0) |
| Sufficient Pay | A- (8.1) |
| Competitiveness | A- (8.5) |
| Education Quality | A (9.1) |
| Faculty Accessibility | A (9.0) |
| Useful Research | A (8.9) |
| "Individual" treatment | A (9.3) |
| Friendliness | A (9.3) |
| Safety | A- (8.5) |
| Campus Beauty | B+ (7.9) |
| Campus Maintenance | A- (8.2) |
| University Spending | A- (8.7) |
| Extracurriculars | B- (5.9) |
| Scholastic Success | A- (8.6) |
| Surrounding City | B+ (7.6) |
| Social Life/ Environment | C+ (5.6) |
As for CSU, I LOVE THIS SCHOOL! The support staff and professors are wonderful. The coursework in my Master?s program has the rigor one would expect from a university that has these specializations. CSU is not Harvard Law School, nor is it Yale University but it IS a fine university that primarily focuses on public safety related coursework and programs. For an ?online? university they are very involved with their local community. From what I have seen online (youtube) their graduation ceremonies have local, state, and federal politicians presiding. You don?t see that with many virtual universities.
I chose this university because it is very well represented and endorsed in the public service community fire, Police, Military, Occupational Health and Safety as well as several others. They are also learning partners with many fine organizations. CSU is not trying to be something that it is not. The few (one or two) negative reviews CSU has on this board appear to be grudge related and not based in overall fact. If one has a bad experience it is great to hear for about future reference but in general does not get the message out to the perspective students nor do ONE sentence reviews.
I spoke with several CSU students and graduates prior to applying. The National Accreditation through DETC was a minor issue for me at first as a PHD from another university is NOT in my future. I am done after the Master?s Degree!! (maybe)
As far as the DETC accreditation is concerned, it is approved/endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education and accepted by many other universities, but not all. Quite a few universities and colleges are now obtaining DUAL accreditation -- regional and National. One just has to ask the registrar of the school they are interested in as to whether they accept national accredited semester hours, 70% will accept them in one form or another. "ALL" the credits I earned from NYIT were NOT accepted at all other regionally accredited schools that I applied to either. Some transfer and some don?t that is just the way it is. The reason I address this issue is the first post for this school looked like a five year old wrote it AND made a few uninformed statements about national accreditation and its acceptability. Research EVERYTHING before you take a single review as gospel.
I have 19 semester hours at this school so far and I could not be happier. The great thing about a school that is nationally accredited is the course work is very focused on the major. This is in stark contrast to my regionally accredited bachelor degree where I had to take tons of liberal arts courses to graduate (Blah!). At this level (Master) subject focus is key for success and that is the best part for me! At CSU I am writing (a lot), testing (weekly), and learning my major, ACTUALLY learning it and I love that.
At the end of the day the choice is yours, there are hundreds of colleges and universities out there to choose from. Research every option and make an INFORMED decision when it is choice time. Read all the online reviews then talk to the schools directly and decide.
Also, this school is very military friendly! They give the respect and support you (and I) deserve for our service.
Good luck
I will finish up my MBA in a couple of months and move on to retirement at the end of 2012. In my recent job search not once did someone ask WHERE my MBA came from, they were just excited that I had one... I think that says it all.Thanks Columbia Southern University!
Very inexpensive, gives you all the textbooks (which can costs hundreds) for free when you take a course. Courses are easy. I have a perfect 4.0. Anyone can ace through it and get a DETC accredited degree (nationally recognized) while managing jobs, family and even kids.
Again, this is the most inexpensive for the value of their degree. I don?t know if other schools accept credit from this school or not, but the degree will land you a solid career for sure. It has for me, and I am almost graduating.
I love CSU, for the helpful staff and teachers. The courses are easy. The degree is solid in the eyes of employers. Very inexpensive. If you thinking about coming back to school after many years, for that pay raise, or just a better career, this school is it! Do it now, in just a one and half years you will come out with your degree as new person. Really, don?t wait... just do it!
Sincerely,Michael.
The Falculty could have enged more to ensure that students captured all the requirements of the course. Also, the courses were cookie cutter in some aspects, but I find this to be the case at most online universities with mostly Adjunct professors. The content is provided, they just grade off of the content. All in all, it was a good experience and I would reccommend this university to other peers looking for a career boost or change in careers.
Presently, I have completed 7 Graduate courses at CSU in the MS Criminal Justice Program as well as 5 graduate courses at the University of Kentucky (Social Work)program and 1 graduate course at the University of Louisville (Criminal Justice). I can comment with the greatest confidence, that a degree at CSU is worth just as much as a degree from any other accredited institution. Rote memorization can just about get you through most collegiate exams, but at CSU, there is a strong integration of both open book exams, section essays, an research papers that aid in the learning and retention factor needed to carrying learning forward.
Most of my non CSU courses only required exams and periodic papers in the undergraduate pursuit. However, at CSU, nearly every class has required a scholarly paper in addition to section essay exams and open book exams. I would add that one would think that open book exams would be simple, but most of the exams I have taken required a thorough reading of the texts prior to taking the exam. The mere fact that CSU is accredited by DETC should eliminate the "Regional Accredation" factor as reports indicate DETC to be a tougher accreditor that most regional accreditors.
I have greatly enjoyed my experience at CSU and am greatly looking forward to completing my Masters in June 2008 and attending the 2008 graduation ceremonies.
If I can every be of assistance to anyone contemplating academic coursework at CSU, please do not hesitate to email me at ""
Kindest Regards,
Chad T. HockensmithKentucky State Probation/Parole Officer
Before attending CSU, I consulted with my employer about their accreditation and whether or not my firm would assist financially and accept a degree from them. They replied that CSU is completely acceptable and accredited to their satisfaction. I then compared their courses and curriculum against a couple other distance education schools and one traditional school.
I concluded they were all comparable but CSU provided the better value. Between VA benefits and financial assistance from my employer, I did not pay one cent out of my pocket for what will soon be two degrees. Actually, because CSU was founded and designed to be a distance education school, I feel their course structure and staff superior to a traditional school that recently started offering online classes.
I also think the regional versus national accreditation situation is slowly changing as well. Everyone knows that transferring credits game is about money in the long run, and more “regional” schools are accepting “national” credits because they don’t want to lose a student (customer).The accreditation and transferring credit situation in the education arena are convoluted “smoke and mirror” games. Besides, maintaining healthy profit margin can sway arrogance!
If a school is recognized by American Council on Education (ACE), the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) along with the US Department of Education (USDE) then it is of no real concern. I advise not getting too caught up in the “accreditation” dilemma if a school’s accreditation is recognized by all of the above.
See: http://www.chea.org/pdf/CHEA_USDE_AllAccred.pdf
I live in Europe and have also inquired with a few German and British firms who replied that they and their governments recognize DETC accreditation and any schools under them is completely acceptable. There were absolutely no concerns or questions about CSU as a school, its quality of education or accreditation. Actually, one manager considered attending CSU when he converted the exchange rate to the USD.
The greatest difference between a “brick and mortar” and “distance education” is that distance education requires a little more self discipline, motivation and time management. I have attended “traditional” classes and like on-line learning better, because of the lack of distractions that transpire in a class environment. Summarized, CSU is a fine school with a great staff and a good value providing a quality education.
CSU is accedited with the United States Department of Education and has many other accreditations just like, Yale, U.C. California, U.C. Berkley etc. and all other accredited Univerities in the United States.
Sinerely,
Dr. Gregory Vilner
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