BSc IT at Richfield worth doing?

[flippakitten]

ARISE OLD THREADY!

So after listening to everyone here and actually trying to get information out of Richfield, I've decided to give it a wide berth.

So I carried on with the search because unless you attend one UCT or UJ, there isn't much offered in the line of a really valuable remote/online degree in South Africa.

These two seem the most promising and I wanted to share in case anyone else finds this thread:
Penn State Global Campus - BSc Software Engineering.
https://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/deg...oftware-engineering-bachelors-degree/overview

Arizona State University - BSc Software Engineering.
https://asuonline.asu.edu/online-degree-programs/undergraduate/bachelor-science-software-engineering

 

[cguy]

ARISE OLD THREADY!

So after listening to everyone here and actually trying to get information out of Richfield, I've decided to give it a wide berth.

So I carried on with the search because unless you attend one UCT or UJ, there isn't much offered in the line of a really valuable remote/online degree in South Africa.

These two seem the most promising and I wanted to share in case anyone else finds this thread:
Penn State Global Campus - BSc Software Engineering.
https://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/deg...oftware-engineering-bachelors-degree/overview

Arizona State University - BSc Software Engineering.
https://asuonline.asu.edu/online-degree-programs/undergraduate/bachelor-science-software-engineering

It's late so I haven't checked the accreditation of these courses specifically, but something to be aware of is that many of the US distance learning qualifications are accredited by a separate agency for distance learning. It's not regarded anywhere near as highly as the non-distance course.

 

[flippakitten]

It's late so I haven't checked the accreditation of these courses specifically, but something to be aware of is that many of the US distance learning qualifications are accredited by a separate agency for distance learning. It's not regarded anywhere near as highly as the non-distance course.

That is 100% correct. Which is why those two stood out, with Penn State have no difference between the online and in person degrees:

Academically Rigorous, Accredited Programs

Your World Campus diploma is a Penn State diploma Our online courses are the same courses that we offer on campus. Therefore, your diploma will look no different from the one earned by students on our physical campus. It will not differentiate the method of delivery or state that your degree was earned online.

https://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/about-us/why-penn-state-world-campus

As for ASU, they are also very popular and recognized (at least in the states).

That's exactly why I ended up on those two and both of them rank higher than the Unisa option, with Penn State being 95th (somewhere round there) in "world rankings".

 

[shadow_man]

So you've got close to a million rand to spend on a remote degree?

If you've got that kind of money why not just take several years off and do an on campus degree...?

https://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/deg...oftware-engineering-bachelors-degree/overview

Program Summary
Credits Required
126
Tuition per Credit
$555/$596

$555 x 126 = $69 300
$596 x 126 = $75 096

69,300 USD =960,937.14ZAR
75,096 USD =1,041,549.39ZAR

1 USD = 13.8696 ZAR (as per xe.com)

 

[flippakitten]

So you've got close to a million rand to spend on a remote degree?

If you've got that kind of money why not just take several years off and do an on campus degree...?

https://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/deg...e-software-engineering-bachelors-degree/costs

I worked it out over the long term, I would lose more money and experience in 4 - 5 years than the costs.
Basically save for 6 months, do 12 credits while saving the next 6 months. (Although the price has gone up a few thousand thanks to the Rand since I calculated that)

But yeah, I get your point, if you're not an old man like me, on campus is probably the way to go.

 

[shadow_man]

https://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/deg...e-software-engineering-bachelors-degree/costs

I worked it out over the long term, I would lose more money and experience in 4 - 5 years than the costs.
Basically save for 6 months, do 12 credits while saving the next 6 months. (Although the price has gone up a few thousand thanks to the Rand since I calculated that)

But yeah, I get your point, if you're not an old man like me, on campus is probably the way to go.

If you just need a degree (and it doesn't need to be Comp Sci) then why not consider something like a 1 year full time MBA? Costs about 250k and it gives you a masters degree.

 

[[)roi(]]

That is 100% correct. Which is why those two stood out, with Penn State have no difference between the online and in person degrees:



https://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/about-us/why-penn-state-world-campus

As for ASU, they are also very popular and recognized (at least in the states).

That's exactly why I ended up on those two and both of them rank higher than the Unisa option, with Penn State being 95th (somewhere round there) in "world rankings".

Good choices.
Ps. keep mind there are many more universities that offer only distance post graduate studies; so it'll be far easier to move up the institution rankings in that space.

 

[cguy]

If you just need a degree (and it doesn't need to be Comp Sci) then why not consider something like a 1 year full time MBA? Costs about 250k and it gives you a masters degree.

One generally needs an honours degree. Some programs will accept extensive work experience (usually at management level) as an alternative.

 

[[)roi(]]

One generally needs an honours degree. Some programs will accept extensive work experience (usually at management level) as an alternative.

It's a chicken and egg problem; no chicken without an egg, ...

This is not a simple case of equality.
Even Ramaphosa is now begging companies to forgo the need for experience; problem in SA is that many educational programmes are rubbish; so the insistence for proven experience is quite understandable. In this example; it posits (naively) the belief that a degree is a degree is a degree; similarly repeated for institutions.

As you implied any real differentiation tends to be post graduate.

 

[shadow_man]

One generally needs an honours degree. Some programs will accept extensive work experience (usually at management level) as an alternative.

Sure - but I know of a few people that have done it on RPL (recognition of prior learning). It's not impossible, you just need to motivate well.

 

[ashveerajoodha]

I've looked at those international options and the costs are astronomical in that doing a full 3 year degree will cost about R900 000, basically a million rand if you're an international student.

As for back to the Richmond thing, there degree is recognized as NQF 7, same as the UNISA degree.
The only Uni's in SA that have internationally recognized IT degrees are UCT and UJ.

So if your goal is to get an IT related degree to get interviews, then Richmond will work.

If you have the money, I would look at http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/lear.../programme.cfm?prog_id=93068&major_code=PSFEN

I was very interested in that.

it doesnt matter where you study.

 

[ashveerajoodha]

it doesnt matter where you study, i studied at Richfield and got a good job may top university students dont have jobs

 

[flippakitten]

it doesnt matter where you study.

You're an exception rather than the rule.

One example is if your plan is to use your degree to emigrate, it very much does matter where you study as your degree needs to be verified and some institutions are not recognized.

Since the original post, I've found Arizona State University and Penn State University both offer 100% online Software Engineering Degrees.

My advice is rather study while you're young (it's a much harder when you have children).
Ensure your degree is internationally recognized.
Be prepared to start at the bottom and work damm hard on expanding your skill set.

 

[ashveerajoodha]

You're an exception rather than the rule.

One example is if your plan is to use your degree to emigrate, it very much does matter where you study as your degree needs to be verified and some institutions are not recognized.

Since the original post, I've found Arizona State University and Penn State University both offer 100% online Software Engineering Degrees.

My advice is rather study while you're young (it's a much harder when you have children).
Ensure your degree is internationally recognized.
Be prepared to start at the bottom and work damm hard on expanding your skill set.

That's why the are Microsoft certification , Oracle and much more international exams that can carry more then A degree and there are countries that recognises South African college degrees and example is Australia.

 

[flippakitten]

That's why the are Microsoft certification , Oracle and much more international exams that can carry more then A degree and there are countries that recognises South African college degrees and example is Australia.

I've been down this rabbit hole, very very deep down.

Yes, a lot of degrees/institutions from South Africa are recognized, however not all of them. For instance, either Boston City Campus or Intec (can't remember which one) are NOT recognized.
Richfield wasn't able to give me any details on their degree and I couldn't find anyone that had a Richfield degree that has been certified by WES. So it was a case of doing the degree and hoping it will be certified.

Whereas the ASU and Penn State degrees are fully certified by WES in so much as you don't even need to get them checked (I would have to go back and double check this because I did all the leg work last year).

As for the MS certifications, while they can sometimes help you get a foot in the door, a degree is worth far more in the long run.

experience + degree will always trump experience + certificates.

 

[cguy]

it doesnt matter where you study, i studied at Richfield and got a good job may top university students dont have jobs

Of course it matters. Employment is not exactly a high bar, nor is it a fungible quantity that you can compare to others, especially relative to a selected singular anecdote.

 

[cguy]

That's why the are Microsoft certification , Oracle and much more international exams that can carry more then A degree and there are countries that recognises South African college degrees and example is Australia.

I have never seen a certificate be worth more than a degree in any visa context. Granted, some jobs very specifically want certain certificates, but the vast majority prefer recognized degrees, especially as one moves up the ladder or requires visa sponsorship.

 

[ashveerajoodha]

Richfield is basically PC Training & Business College, it was rebranded a while back.

My friend studied there. If you do end up attending instead of being part time, then the communication and presentation of the material is really poor and I wouldn't recommend it, otherwise if you just want a degree then go for it.

Interesting part, after my friend graduated, they offered him a lecturing position at the campus... Now that should atleast give you an idea about the quality of lecturers or the staff there.

i got a job and i studied there

 

[ashveerajoodha]

I've been down this rabbit hole, very very deep down.

Yes, a lot of degrees/institutions from South Africa are recognized, however not all of them. For instance, either Boston City Campus or Intec (can't remember which one) are NOT recognized.
Richfield wasn't able to give me any details on their degree and I couldn't find anyone that had a Richfield degree that has been certified by WES. So it was a case of doing the degree and hoping it will be certified.

Whereas the ASU and Penn State degrees are fully certified by WES in so much as you don't even need to get them checked (I would have to go back and double check this because I did all the leg work last year).

As for the MS certifications, while they can sometimes help you get a foot in the door, a degree is worth far more in the long run.

experience + degree will always trump experience + certificates.

those guys can charge millions for a degree.

 

[flippakitten]

those guys can charge millions for a degree.

Yep, 100% correct there.

For the whole degree:
UCT I believe is about R260 000 (excluding text books)
ASU is about R860 000

The big difference is ASU you can do it 100% online and there are no text books, you can also do it over 8 years part time. So I can carry on working, support my family, be with my family and pay for my studies.
So for me ASU is the clear winner.