Met with some banking HR people on campus today.

[videogamesrock]

So I took the opportunity to ask these HR people if they care about RA vs NA and does it matter what your degree is in?

They both said they do not know the difference between NA and RA and it only matters if the degree is accredited. They prefer degrees in Management or Business Administration. However if you are going into accounting or finance they would then prefer some sort of BA/BA in Finance or Accounting or at least a concentration.

Just some food for thought.


And this is not a NA vs RA thread. Just sharing some information that is all.

[KittenMittens]

So I took the opportunity to ask these HR people if they care about RA vs NA and does it matter what your degree is in?

They both said they do not know the difference between NA and RA and it only matters if the degree is accredited. They prefer degrees in Management or Business Administration. However if you are going into accounting or finance they would then prefer some sort of BA/BA in Finance or Accounting or at least a concentration.

Just some food for thought.


And this is not a NA vs RA thread. Just sharing some information that is all.

90% of the time for most desk jockey gigs, they don't know or care what you did for undergraduate, that said, it will matter for state and federal jobs, and there will be some employers typically mid-large companies that may care about that.

The RA and NA distinction definitely matters though as practically all NA degrees have something deeply flawed with them, and/or have a bad rep from what I've seen (i.e. Devry, ITT, Kaplan, etc.).

If I ever saw someone with a degree from any one of these, I would likely toss it in the bin due to the low standards.

[hightecrebel]

Yeah, from what I've heard from hiring managers at the companies I've talked to, very few seem to care. A few of the big .mil/.gov contracting firms seemed to care, but with them it was mostly 'can you find a follow on graduate degree with it?'. Academia and non-computer STEM are the only ones I've talked to who care. Honestly, it seems like the requirements and rigorousness of the more reputable NA's are steering it that way.

[Old Guy]

The RA and NA distinction definitely matters though as practically all NA degrees have something deeply flawed with them, and/or have a bad rep from what I've seen (i.e. Devry, ITT, Kaplan, etc.).

If I ever saw someone with a degree from any one of these, I would likely toss it in the bin due to the low standards.

Aren't Devry and Kaplan RA

Kaplan U is but Kaplan Colleges seem to be NA

[sanantone]

So I took the opportunity to ask these HR people if they care about RA vs NA and does it matter what your degree is in?

They both said they do not know the difference between NA and RA and it only matters if the degree is accredited. They prefer degrees in Management or Business Administration. However if you are going into accounting or finance they would then prefer some sort of BA/BA in Finance or Accounting or at least a concentration.

Just some food for thought.


And this is not a NA vs RA thread. Just sharing some information that is all.

Most private employers don't know the difference between RA and NA. The federal government does not distinguish between the two for jobs. Some state and local agencies, however, will require RA. NA vs. RA becomes more important when it comes to transferring credits, applying to graduate school, and qualifying for a license.

90% of the time for most desk jockey gigs, they don't know or care what you did for undergraduate, that said, it will matter for state and federal jobs, and there will be some employers typically mid-large companies that may care about that.

The RA and NA distinction definitely matters though as practically all NA degrees have something deeply flawed with them, and/or have a bad rep from what I've seen (i.e. Devry, ITT, Kaplan, etc.).

If I ever saw someone with a degree from any one of these, I would likely toss it in the bin due to the low standards.

Kaplan University and Devry are RA. Kaplan College is smaller and NA. University of Phoenix is also RA and has one of the worst reputations of any college. What all of these colleges have in common is that they are for-profit and well-known by the general public.

[clep3705]

When Roseanne Barr had her TV show Roseanne, John Goodman delivered a line that going to DeVry might be a good way to acquire job skills. RA and endorsed by Roseanne, it doesn't get any better than that.

[cookderosa]

I've got a dollar that says they don't know, and that it does matter.

[Tedium]

I've got a dollar that says they don't know, and that it does matter.

I'll bet once you get deeper into the HR process stuff like RA, AACSB, etc. matter more. It might get you past the first hurdle though. A lot of that also depends on how big the company is that your trying to work for. I'm sure a small mom and pop operation would care less. That is all based on nothing, by the way. I have no experience with that or inside information. I do really hope it doesn't work that way, for what it's worth.

It is a really interesting experience, though. I'm glad you took the opportunity to ask and to share it with us.

@KittenMittens - Just out of curiosity, how would you view a candidate with a Penn Foster degree or certificate. Many of their certificates are RA and they have been in business a lot longer than their competitors. How would any of you view them?

ETA: I asked about Penn Foster because so many people on this board advocate using their courses. I'm even re-thinking my opinions on taking a few or getting a certificate, maybe. The ability to pay a small monthly fee is really appealing. For 125 years they've been doing what they do, and many people in years past would not have thought twice about one of their credentials. Should they be treated differently than other for-profits, or are they just to be accepted as collateral damage in this bad media frenzy?

I think the RA vs. NA debate comes into play because some jobs care, others don't. If you get an NA degree, you limit your choices to only those that don't care. With RA, at least, you have a bigger pool to choose from. In the business/banking world, I think there are several other factors that come into play.

[sanantone]

I'll bet once you get deeper into the HR process stuff like RA, AACSB, etc. matter more. It might get you past the first hurdle though. A lot of that also depends on how big the company is that your trying to work for. I'm sure a small mom and pop operation would care less. That is all based on nothing, by the way. I have no experience with that or inside information. I do really hope it doesn't work that way, for what it's worth.

It is a really interesting experience, though. I'm glad you took the opportunity to ask and to share it with us.

@KittenMittens - Just out of curiosity, how would you view a candidate with a Penn Foster degree or certificate. Many of theircertificates are RA and they have been in business a lot longer than their competitors. How would any of you view them?

ETA: I asked about Penn Foster because so many people on this board advocate using their courses. I'm even re-thinking my opinions on taking a few or getting a certificate, maybe. The ability to pay a small monthly fee is really appealing. For 125 years they've been doing what they do, and many people in years past would not have thought twice about one of their credentials. Should they be treated differently than other for-profits, or are they just to be accepted as collateral damage in this bad media frenzy?

I think the RA vs. NA debate comes into play because some jobs care, others don't. If you get an NA degree, you limit your choices to only those that don't care. With RA, at least, you have a bigger pool to choose from. In the business/banking world, I think there are several other factors that come into play.

Penn Foster is only regionally accredited for non-degree granting, postsecondary programs (and high school). It basically means that they are not approved to offer college credits under the Middle States Association accreditation. Their career diplomas and career certificates aren't really undergraduate certificates consisting of college courses. They are just postsecondary training. At that level, RA vs. NA really doesn't matter. Most of these programs are designed to prepare someone for a certification or license in an occupation that usually doesn't require a degree.

[cookderosa]

I'll bet once you get deeper into the HR process stuff like RA, AACSB, etc. matter more..

Exactly. I'm only basing my assumption on my general knowledge about how much most people know about accreditation, which isn't much. This board is deceptive, because the people here have an extra-ordinary amount of knowledge about very specific college things - like accreditation. Most folks don't know the difference between RA / NA which is why they said "accredited" while someone here (or with understanding about such things) would never make that statement- they'd be precise and say "national" or "regional" because it's very different.