California Coast University

California Coast University (CCU) is a for-profit, private university, based in Santa Ana, California. It is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission and approved by the State of California. Degree programs are offered through CCU's distance education curriculum, through both online and correspondence studies, and traditional classroom attendance is not offered. Approximately 8,000 students are enrolled at any given time.

California Coast University
Typedistance education
Established1973
PresidentThomas Neal
Students8,000
Location
Santa Ana
,
California
,
United States
Websitewww.calcoast.edu

History

California Coast University was founded in 1973 as California Western University, with administration and library facilities located in downtown Santa Ana, California. The name was changed to California Coast University in 1981. In 2010, CCU moved to larger headquarters to accommodate its continued growth.

Academics

California Coast University presently offers undergraduate and graduate programs in business administration, management, marketing, psychology, criminal justice, human resource management, health care management, and education. Academics at California Coast University are offered through five schools: School of Administration and Management, School of Arts and Sciences, School of Behavioral Science, School of Criminal Justice, and School of Education.

Accreditation

CCU received national accreditation from the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) on January 8, 2005.[1] As of January 2010, DEAC accreditation authorizes CCU to award degrees up to and including the doctoral level.

CCU has been approved by the State of California since 1974. Such approval is currently granted by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education a branch of the California Department of Consumer Affairs.[2]

In 2004, and prior to their DEAC accreditation, CCU provided information to the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) to assist with their investigation on federal employees receiving subsidies for coursework and degrees completed at non-accredited schools.[3][4] No issue with CCU degrees was noted.[3]

Format and delivery

Since the early 1970s, California Coast University has offered off-campus self-paced degree programs to mid-career adults. Students were accepted who had verifiable years of full-time employment in the major field or a closely related field.[5] In the 1980s, seven years of verifiable full time on the job experience were required before entering the doctoral programs. Five years of experience were required to enter the master's degree (MS) programs, and three years of experience were required to enter the baccalaureate (BS) programs. Academic approval by California required not less than nine months or one academic year to complete any degree program (a minimum of three years for the doctoral degrees). Students earn their degrees through a variety of methods including transfer credit from other recognized educational institutions, courses completed at CCU, and specialized, documented, formal training (undergraduate level only). In addition, doctoral students must complete a dissertation focused on research related to the field of education and an oral defense before their dissertation committee.[6]

CCU's academic programs are designed based on research in the field of on-line/distance education, and in support of the University's mission to "...offer quality, affordable, flexible, online undergraduate and graduate educational programs that are valuable both personally and professional to our students." Students enroll and complete degrees for a variety of reasons including enhancing job performance, promotional purposes, salary increases, personal goals, etc. Students utilize library and research facilities in their own geographic areas, or on-line resources provided by CCU. Faculty members are hired based on a combination of educational achievement and as recognized leaders in their respective fields. Curriculum is based on current research and theory in the various fields, and developed by faculty members in conjunction with the curriculum development team.

Originally, California Coast University provided distance education degrees, at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral level, for a variety of majors including business administration, management, psychology, education, and engineering management. Over time, the engineering management programs, along with the other doctoral programs, were phased out in response to a reorientation of the CCU programs in preparation for accreditation by DETC (now DEAC). Students completing programs that were discontinued could complete their degrees in a teach-out agreement with the accreditor. Teach-out agreements are a standard practice required of all recognized educational institutions. During the teach-out phase, qualified faculty continue to work with enrolled students.

Since accreditation, CCU has continued to expand and to offer more distance education programs in the areas of health care administration and management, criminal justice, human resource management, marketing, general studies, and to expand the department of education to offer master’s and doctoral degrees in education.

Finally, as CCU cannot monitor all the reasons students apply for enrollment, prospective students are advised to check with prospective employers, regulators, or colleges, to make sure the University’s degrees and credits will meet their desired goal. Criticisms arise occasionally about CCU programs or policies,[7] but not more than occur for other universities.[8]

Notable alumni

References
  1. "California Coast University". Distance Education and Training Council. 2009. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2009.
  2. "State of California Postsecondary Education Commission". Cpec.ca.gov. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  3. Federal Employees Have Obtained Degrees from Diploma Mills and Other Unaccredited Schools, Some at Government Expense (PDF), General Accounting Office, May 11, 2004
  4. Diploma Mills Are Easily Created and Some Have Issued Bogus Degrees to Federal Employees at Government Expense, General Accounting Office, September 2004
  5. 1984-1985 Bulletin. Santa Ana, California: California Coast University. pp. 7–8.
  6. 1984-1985 Catalog. Santa Ana, California: California Coast University. p. 22.
  7. "Criticisms".
  8. "Student Reviews U. Texas".
  9. "Saipan Tribune". Saipan Tribune. August 29, 2006. Archived from the original on October 8, 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
  10. "Saipan Tribune". Saipan Tribune. March 20, 2009. Archived from the original on February 24, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
  11. "Saipan Tribune". Saipan Tribune. February 12, 2005. Archived from the original on February 24, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
  12. "Jeffrey P. Papows Ph.D."
  13. "Statement by Cheryl Saban, Senior Advisor, U.S. Mission to the United Nations, to the UN General Assembly's Sixth Committee (Legal) on Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism". usun.state.gov. U.S. Mission to the United Nations. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  14. "President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
  15. "Profile of Philip Wong". Legislative Council of Hong Kong. Archived from the original on February 26, 2008.
  16. English language version of Legislative Council website (home page)

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