Customer Reviews

Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When it comes to distance learning, whether completely off-campus or with short residency requirements, "Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning" is considered by many to be the authoritative text on the subject. There is good reason for this distinction and it is well deserved. In this 15th edition, Dr. John Bear has once again produced a voluminous text that includes every known program for distance learning. This includes not only programs in the United States but also Canada, the United Kingdom, and other countries. It includes programs from strong, established and accredited schools, but also unaccredited schools. The text is very well organized so the reader can quickly and easily find the schools and programs that he or she is interested in. The coverage for each school is thorough and includes the complete school name, address, fields of study available by distance learning, contact information, a detailed description of the program, whether it is accredited by a recognized agency or a non-recognized agency, if it is equivalent to a degree mill, if it accepts other types of credits (such as CLEP exams or credit for life experience) and any other relevant information.

Besides the information on the schools it also includes detailed discussions on accreditation, options, use of titles, honorary degrees and just about any question that you might have. Obviously Dr. Bear has taken note of questions that people have asked him over the years and included that information in the text so that it is much more than just a listing of schools and programs.

Dr. John Bear has come through again with the most thorough and authoritative text available on the various distance learning programs available. This most current edition, like the others before it, is a highly recommended read for anyone wanting to pursue their education by distance learning and is the best text I have ever read on the subject.

I order this book at the same time I ordered a Peterson's guide -- I could have save a lot of money and just purchased this Bear's Guide.

Especially helpful to me is the section identifying the 'degree mill' schools that should be avoided like the plague. I also greatly appreciate the fact that international options are listed. It seems that the British and Australian schools are better aligned for my goals in a graduate degree. There inclusion in this guide gives me a good starting point for my research. The division of programs that can be completed completely by distance from those with some residency requirements is quite useful.

The Guide is easy to read & use. The style is low key and without pretense.

...if you have EVER thought about going to school online or through correspondence. You need to read about accreditation, diploma mills, getting credit for life experience, which schools are complete rip-offs and which are solid, etc. This book could possibly save you thousands of dollars and a lot of embarrassment. It's the best investment you can make in distance education.

This is an excellent reference work for researching the various
levels of accreditation by colleges and universities both here and abroad.

Degrees are granted in various genres; namely, the traditional
college/university which requires attendance and a rigid credit
hour sequence, honoraria, degrees issued by evaluation of relevant work experience and a combination of experiences both classroom and workplace. The volume lists online accreditation for Strayer University. Various schools in the UK are listed under Distance Education. These colleges and universities are Keele, Coventry and Oxford Brooks University.

The volume has a wealth of information on colleges and universities throughout the world. The author critiques the
level of accreditation, as well as unaccredited institutions
and degree mills. This information would be valuable for anyone
considering an investment in Distance or Online Education either
in the USA or abroad. The acquisition is well worth the price.

As the VP of The Distance Learning Expo, we get many inquires on distance and online learning. We always keep the Bear's Guide close by in case there is a question we cannot answer. The information is very up to date and very easy to follow.

I bought this book for one reason and one reason only: to get a list of addresses and contact information for accredited graduate schools and programs that might interest me (the other information in the book I have essentially disregarded and have not used). I got that, so in that sense, I am satisfied. My goal is a quality, part-time, part-residency MBA. The hardest part of researching these programs is finding out which schools offer them. In that sense this is a good book as it lists those schools in a much more concise format that does a comprehensive guide like Peterson's MBA Programs, which also includes traditional, full time degrees.

I do know that Dr. Bear has been disparaged for being affiliated with several diploma mills in the past, and is frequently savaged in reviews and on the internet. I do not know or claim to know of all of Dr. Bear's current and former dealings, but if you use this book simply as a listing and starting point for further research, it could be a useful resource. I would always do due diligence on my own, finding out detailed program and accreditation information before considering a school or program further. My recommendation for others interested in graduate degrees would be to consult with a Peterson's guide, like I have, as the single best source of information in book form.

There are certainly a lot of well known and reputable schools in the Bear's Guide, but there are others I have never heard of. Like anything else, buyer beware: do the research on your own.

John Bear, PhD is a highly subjective authority of distance
education. His bottom-line involvement with "diploma mills"
(such as serving as principal officer of several) is the reason
why this book contains so many of these UNaccredited (but approved) institutions. In this sense, look beyond his hypocrisy
of preaching against "diploma mills" while at the same time
getting financially involved with such schools whenever he can
for financial gain.

Overlooking such subjectivity (including his treatment of
recommendations), there's a wealth of good information IF the
reader concentrates on ONLY the regionally accredited colleges
& universities. Reader beware is a good caveat to follow &
contacting institutions directly for college catalogs, program
brochures & application materials is the soundest approach to
determining which institutions may be appropriate for your
educational credentials regarding personal & professional
development. I rate this book a "4" but highly encourage
additional research into higher distance education in order to
become an informed consumer -- after all, higher education is a
booming industry.

As a personal note, I've authored a distance education book in
1986 concentrating, unlike Dr. Bear, on only regionally
accredited institutions; and have been researching and writing
about alternative/nontraditional/holistic/humanistic/person-
centered institutions of higher learning since the late 1970's.

I am completely disuusted that this man is still allowed to sell his books. After buying this so-called "guide", I discovered that this man founded and/or was intimately involved with at least 4 degree mills in the past.

Greenwich University
Fairfax University
Columbia State University
Institute for Advanced Studies

How does he get away with this?

In the rural community where I was born, I was an above average high-school student who, my teachers felt, never lived-up to my potential in traditional classes. However, I was also a musical prodigy, performing professionally on the piano by age twelve. I found college to be a different animal. I eventually began traveling/performing more and more, in school one semester, out one semester. Around 1980, I discovered the "Competency-based Degree Program" at Oklahoma City University. There are now many college programs similar to that one.

For students who fit the traditional box, please consider that many intelligent folks simply don't fit in the same mold. For those people, John Bear's guides help save time and trouble in researching schools. He has certainly done his "homework" in seperating the degree mills from the legitimate programs available.

Note that this review was edited after some "Christians" used it out-of-contest to justify their non-Christian behavior. So sad.