Cheap, Accredited Online Degrees... Where are the windfalls?

[TalentlessOlympian]

Hello DegreeForum!!
I'm back with questions after completing my AA in Engineering. Not through online means, but community college.
I'm interested in hearing some feedback about two different online, accredited schools.
1) Ashworth College
2) Penn Foster College

I've read the wiki over a year ago. Neither of these were mentioned. But for the price of $708/cert that's DEAC, NC-SARA, CHEA accredited at Ashworth College, that's a damn steal! The same can be said from Penn Foster College which is also ACE accredited along with the prior mentioned for the same program for $649.

So why is it that these two accredited schools aren't mentioned? Am I missing something malevolent in the fine print? I mean, the way the system is set up seems pretty solid. Certs ARE different from Degrees. But they also have degrees which aren't overpriced.

Let's use both online school's Finance Associate's Degree as an example...
Penn Foster College, Finance Associate's Degree: $1,099/Semester x 4 Semesters = $4,396
Ashworth College, Finance Associate's Degree: $1,099/Semester x 4 Semesters = $4,396

Okay, all well and good, same pricing. Quality of education?
Penn Foster College Curriculum:

Code:

[b]Semester 1[/b]
Business Orientation
Information Literacy
Introduction to Business
Art Appreciation
Mathematics for Business and Finance
Financial Accounting
[b]Semester 2[/b]
Computer Applications
Managerial Accounting
English Composition
Principles of Management
Arts and Humanities Elective
Economics 1
[b]Semester 3[/b]
Intermediate Accounting 1
Financial Management
Business and Technical Writing
Intermediate Algebra
Intermediate Algebra 2
Science Elective
[b]Semester 4[/b]
Cost Accounting
Business Statistics
Business Law 1
Computer Applications in Accounting
Speech
Social Science Elective

Ashworth College Curriculum:

Code:

[b]Semester 1[/b]
EN110 - Achieving Academic Excellence
SP180 - Principles of Public Speaking
EN120 - English Composition I
C10 - Introduction to Computers
C01 - Introduction to Business
[b]Semester 2[/b]
EN130 - English Composition II
General Education Elective (Science 100-200 Level)
C09 - Principles of Finance
C13 - Microeconomics
A01 - Introduction to Accounting
[b]Semester 3[/b]
General Education Elective (Behavioral/Social Science 100-200 Level)
General Education Elective (Humanities/Fine Arts 100-200 Level)
F01 - Money and Banking
F02 - Financial Institutions and Markets
F03 - Financial Statement Analysis
[b]Semester 4[/b]
C17 - College Mathematics or MA240 - College Algebra*
SO245 - Social Impact of Technology
F04 - Investments
Elective (100-200 Level)
Elective (100-200 Level)

Personally, I am more interested in their trades, e.g. Carpentry, than anything else. Not that getting a degree in it means anything for my future. I'm really only after some insight and starting my own woodworking hobby. It's not a practical application on my part for future employment in the field.

BUT! I am seriously wondering why these schools aren't mentioned here. I think they're pretty great at first glance. Reading into them they have some value. What am I overlooking?

[dfrecore]

I know that Penn Foster is not Regionally Accredited, so that's a definite downside. I wouldn't spend the money to get a degree at a non-RA school under almost any circumstances.

No idea about Ashworth.

But for the prices you show here, you can almost get A BA at one of the Big 3 - they're all about $7k or less for a BA degree.

Also, mostly on this forum, we discuss schools that will accept 114-117 ACE/NCCRS credits.

[jsd]

Ashworth is also not regionally accredited, just DEAC. Hard pass.

They're also both for-profit, fwiw.

[icampy]

Wow. Thats pricey. Especially for an associates...even moreso for a non RA one.

[TalentlessOlympian]

I'm a bit on the lost side of this. What's the defining difference between Regionally Accredited vs. Nationally Accredited?

Edit: Found this snippit.
Regional accreditation vs. national accreditation. Regionally accredited institutions are usually academically-oriented, state-owned or non-profit private institutions. Nationally accredited schools are usually career-oriented and for profit.

So my question then would be, which helps more in a job-seeking setting?

[jsd]

If you're planning on transferring credit in the future, National Accreditation (NA) severely limits what schools you may be able to transfer to.

For other schools (and employers that care about accreditation specifics), NA is seen as inferior because the standards are more lax and the education is typically less rigorous and is tied in most people's mind with for profit online schools.

That being said, most employers aren't too concerned with which type of accreditation your school has, as long as it is accredited. There are some obvious exceptions (you'll never be a professor, even NA schools don't want profs with an NA degree).

At any rate, the Big 3 are cheaper, more flexible, and have more respectable accreditation than any NA school you'll find, so it's not really worth spending more for less.

[harrypotter]

Just an FYI - if you take & pass a minimum of two semesters in any associate degree program with Ashworth you get one semester (15 credits) for free.


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[TalentlessOlympian]

If you're planning on transferring credit in the future, National Accreditation (NA) severely limits what schools you may be able to transfer to.

For other schools (and employers that care about accreditation specifics), NA is seen as inferior because the standards are more lax and the education is typically less rigorous and is tied in most people's mind with for profit online schools.

That being said, most employers aren't too concerned with which type of accreditation your school has, as long as it is accredited. There are some obvious exceptions (you'll never be a professor, even NA schools don't want profs with an NA degree).

At any rate, the Big 3 are cheaper, more flexible, and have more respectable accreditation than  any NA school you'll find, so it's not really worth spending more for less.

Thank you for the perfect response to my question! May I also challenge your knowledge with more questions?
Seeing as you've taken courses at 2/3 of the big 3. Which institution was more to your liking?
Also, for those seeking trade skills online, where should someone look?
As I mentioned previously, I was thinking about taking ashworth's carpentry course. (I'd personally prefer to take the classes in person but I'm moving around too much for a brick and motor class)

[jsd]

The Big 3 are TESU, COSC, and Excelsior. WGU isn't one of the three, but it's Big 3 adjacent, I guess. Not as flexible accepting transfer wise, but it's pretty darn close. And can be done just as quickly (or sometimes quicker) for cheaper or around the same amount as the Big 3 -- So they are often discussed here as they are almost in that same league. And for some paths, namely IT degree programs, they can't be beat by the Big 3, particularly for industry certification reasons.

Anyway, having said that, I would say that I enjoyed my efforts more at WGU than I did TESU. I didn't dislike TESU though. it's hard to compare the two, since I transferred all but two courses in to TESU and did the rest by ACE credits and prior college credits, but for WGU I actually completed 72 credits with them. So of course I felt more involved with the school and part of the school community, with real support and involvement from the school. But that's the nature of testing out of degrees with the Big 3. It's not TESU's fault, that's the choice we make when we transfer everything in.

At any rate, both of my degrees are important to me, and I enjoyed earning both of them.

Honestly I don't know anything about trade skill training. We don't really discuss it much around here. I'm sure someone else more knowledgeable with the topic will chime in to help out though.

[Life Long Learning]

The Big 3 are all RA.

Regionally Accredited (RA) is what I needed to be an Army Officer.  RA is the gold standard.  An NA degree was worthless in my field at the time.  Much more risk with a NA degree.

Excelsior College let me transfer in 116 of the 120 credits.  That's why it is a Big 3 college and its RA.  Other colleges make you take 30+ credits from THEM.