If you've ever searched for a college, you've probably come across various offers that may seem too good to be true financially, for example. You may have asked yourself how to tell if it is a real college or rather a venture that smacks of a scam. A proven way not to fall for it is to easily check a few facts before you decide to apply and pay for a course or tuition.
Accreditation
The first fact to check is the accreditation of the school as well as the level of the institution that granted the accreditation. Accreditation is the process of approving colleges by independent accrediting agencies and is used to assess the quality of the college's educational programs and standards. Accreditation is very important because it confirms that a college meets certain quality standards and that its diplomas are recognized by other educational institutions and employers. If you encounter a college that is not accredited, you should be very careful and think about the relevance of such education. It may be a company that is involved in education, but the diploma received will be of no value to the employer. The number of dubious online schools, especially at the MBA level, is rapidly increasing and it is therefore necessary to be cautious.
International accreditation for universities is like a golden shield on the throne of quality education. It's like a token for the credibility club, or the "Real College" label on the chancellor's office door. And if you're looking for this prestigious accreditation, we've got some tips on how to find it.
The first way is to visit the Wikipedia page for a list of recognized accrediting agencies: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_recognized_higher_education_accreditation_organizations. This page contains a list of accrediting agencies that are recognized in different countries and that provide accreditation for colleges.
Other accreditation agencies worth mentioning are QAHE (Quality Assurance in Higher Education), INQAAHE (International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education) and EAIE (European Association for International Education). These agencies are focused on international accreditation of higher education institutions and provide accreditation for higher education institutions that meet high quality standards.
Whether you're looking for accreditation for a college in the Czech Republic or a college abroad, it's always a good idea to shop around among reputable accrediting agencies to make sure you're on the right path to a quality education and a truly successful career.
Compliance with the Bologna Process
In your search for a university, you have probably come across the term "Bologna Process".
The Bologna Process is an international initiative to reform higher education in Europe and create a single European Higher Education Area. The aim of the process is to create comparability and transferability of education between European universities and to allow students to better compare study programmes and travel to other countries to study.
A quality university offers study programmes that are in line with the Bologna Process. This means that the college must have a clearly defined curriculum and provide quality education that meets European standards. It is therefore very useful to check the above when choosing a school.
Credits
If you're interested in going to college, you've probably come across the term "credits".
Credits are units that are used to measure student participation and to determine how much study is required to earn a degree. Each degree program has a certain number of credits that students must achieve in order to earn a diploma.
According to the "Bologna Process", universities must report the same number of credits for their degree programmes. This means that colleges must use the same credit scale in order to be able to compare study programmes with each other and to allow students to travel to other countries to study.
For reference, we list the number of credits for each level of study.
BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration) is a general Bachelor's level degree programme focusing on business science and management. This program usually takes 1-4 years to complete depending on the student's pace, with a minimum of 180 credits required for graduation.
MBA (Master of Business Administration) is a master's level degree program focused on senior management and entrepreneurship. This program usually takes 1-2 years to complete, with 120 credits required for graduation.
MPA (Master of Public Administration) is a master's level degree programme focusing on senior management in public administration. This programme usually takes 1-2 years and requires a minimum of 120 credits to complete.
LL.M. (Master of Laws) is a master's level programme of study focusing on law. This program usually takes 1-2 years to complete and requires a minimum of 120 credits.
MSc. (Master of Science) is a master's level programme of study focusing on management in technical fields. This programme usually lasts 1-2 years and a minimum of 120 credits is required for graduation.
Necessary content published on the website
Every trusted school publishes essential information about its existence and operation on its website. This is like a "CV" of the school, allowing you to find out more about how the school works and what it offers.
For example, the content you should look for on the school's website includes:
The type of organisation that runs the school, including the ID number (Organisation Identification Number).
The real place where the school is located.
Lecturers who lecture at the school. You can usually find them on other websites, so you can get an idea of who will be lecturing.
Syllabi for each subject, allowing you to explore the content of the lessons.
Documents such as the Code of Ethics and the Student Code of Conduct. These documents give you important information about how the school works and what it expects of you.
A phone number you can actually call.
Information on whether the school accepts credit cards or only bank transfer payments (most real schools do not accept online payments but bank transfer payments).
"University studies" vs. " MBA"
Attention, attention! Not everything that masquerades as an MBA is really an MBA! In fact, you may also come across a "fake MBA" or a course with the name MBA that in no way fulfils what you would expect from a real MBA.
So how do you know if it is a real MBA or just a course called an MBA? Look at the number of courses and credits the school offers for each degree programme. A real MBA usually takes 1-2 years and requires a minimum of 120 credits to pass the final exam. Conversely, a course called an MBA may take only a few weeks and require only a few credits.
If you're in the college search phase, keep in mind that not all schools are created equal, and at the moment this is especially true for MBA-level degrees. Some schools are trustworthy and provide a quality education, while others may just be scam organizations trying to extort money from unwary students.
So how do you choose a school that is trustworthy and provides a quality education? We recommend that you contact the "MBA Association" or the non-profit organization "ACMAEOS". These organisations are specialised in examining the level of universities and provide assistance in choosing a school. You can contact them with questions or for advice on how to choose a school that is suitable for you. We hope this article helps you to make a good choice for a quality education and possibly save your money from being lost on a questionable education.