Columbia Southern University

Date: Dec 31 1969
Major: Business - Management and Administration (This Major's Salary over time)
I received a BS in Computer Sciences / Information Systems from Columbia Southern University and am in the last term of my MBA in Project Management with them. I have had a pleasant experience attending this university and have no criticism about it at all.

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.

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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.