Rating: 
Summary: This is a great reference book
Review: I have always keep the latest edition of Dr Bear's work on my reference shelf. The book is invaluable to finding schools that offer programs of study in a format and time schedule convenient to the student. As a result of using the predecessor editions of this work, I completed, at my own pace, an accredited MS in financial services and MS in management from the American College, an accredited DBA at Nova Southeastern and an unaccredited JD at William Howard Taft. The JD allowed me to take and pass the CA bar. I am now licensed to practice law in CA. I subsequently completed an accredited LLM at SMU as suggested by Dr Bear to further legitimize the unaccredited JD. Without Dr Bear's reference material, I would have had a great deal of difficulty in locating and assessing this schools.If you are looking for ways to educate yourself or your employees within time and proximity constraints, Dr Bear's book is essential. There is little doubt that education is about to undergo a metamorphosis in the coming years. This metamorphosis will allow for interactive learning, lectures on demand, examinations on demand and other innovations tailored to the unique needs of the specific student. Dr Bear's book has helped me to glimpse this future.
Rating:
Summary: The responsibility is yours
Review: I personally felt that John's guides were well done and very informative. However, it is important to recognize that it is an individuals responsibility to research his suggestions. I don't think it was his intentions to publish a book and have everyone take his word. In response to some of the previous reviews, maybe Ms. brokenhearted should have done a little research on her own instead of blaming John that her university ended up being a diploma mill. And to the nutty professor, I can see how you might not like the idea of distance learning. After all it puts your future in jeopardy. By the way I'd like to know who completed a B.A. in two months. That was just a bit of an exaggeration now Mr. Professor!
Rating:
Summary: JUST THE FACTS
Review: I recently bought the new 2001 edition of Bears' Guide. I got an earlier edition about five years ago, and read it through carefully before deciding to do a Ph.D. with Greenwich University. This was after twelve years of teaching geology at the university level with only a B.S. and M.A. from state schools in Ohio. I had many questions about the three faculty on my committee. Here are two of my questions. Where did they get their doctorates? Where did they subsequently go to teach? The answers may surprise you considering the low tuition at Greenwich: Union Institute--University of Maryland, University of Southern California--Texas A&M, University of California (Davis)--Duke. All have doctorates in fields related to environmental science. Am I satisfied with the school? Absolutely! It has been around for 25 years, has its own building, has a budget of around a million dollars a year, is accredited, and has an excellent faculty. (Look them up on the internet.) Some of the complaints about distance education found below are either misleading or wrong. How well are these degrees accepted? In the journal "Science" we read that, "Several members of the Cambridge University faculty, a conference participant noted, earned their Ph.D.s at the Open University." (Vol. 277, p. 311) Elsewhere the article notes that degrees from the Open University can cost as little as "one-tenth the traditional price." Forget the idea that you get what you pay for. I once bought a used Subaru for $2000. It provided reliable, inexpensive transportation for seven years. The high tuition at many traditional schools is going for million-dollar coaches who grab and choke students. Witness the events associated with Indiana basketball. Educated people do not blame children for the imagined sins of their parents. There is nothing wrong with the fact that Norfolk Island was founded by descendants of mutineers from the H.M.S. Bounty. It is true that the island is tiny, as it is only half the size of the smallest republic in Europe. However, the almost 9,000 acres are still a pretty good spread. Besides, when did size determine importance? The buildings that house Amazon.com and Yahoo.com are measured in square feet. Since the Union Institute has taken some hits, it would be well to remember that it was founded in 1964 by the presidents of ten colleges. First on the list is Antioch University, where the original consortium had its offices for many years. If you haven't heard of Antioch you have probably heard of at least one graduate, Stephen Jay Gould. Other schools included Bard, Goddard, Hofstra, Wayne State, Northeastern Illinois, Sarah Lawrence, Shimer, and Stevens. One small school in Maine, Nasson, went under. The Union Institute is housed in a magnificent building in Cincinnati. It is thriving. Were I the CEO of a company where the personnel officer routinely throws away resumes from schools listed in Bear, I would be alarmed by his prejudice, since Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Columbia, University of Colorado, and University of Illinois, among many other excellent schools, are mentioned. If these are not good enough, does he consider where applicants got their other degrees? Null complains that one school was dead last among national universities. Most schools are after the national universities. Would you rather be last at the Indy 500 or first in the village tricycle race? The complaint that Bear will not correct errors is preposterous. The 2001 edition is the fourteenth, and dramatically different from the one I bought a few years ago. This is the wave of the future. Buy it! Read it!
Rating:
Summary: JUST THE FACTS
Review: I recently bought the new 2001 edition of Bears' Guide. I got an earlier edition about five years ago, and read it through carefully before deciding to do a Ph.D. with Greenwich University. This was after twelve years of teaching geology at the university level with only a B.S. and M.A. from state schools in Ohio. I had many questions about the three faculty on my committee. Here are two of my questions. Where did they get their doctorates? Where did they subsequently go to teach? The answers may surprise you considering the low tuition at Greenwich: Union Institute--University of Maryland, University of Southern California--Texas A&M, University of California (Davis)--Duke. All have doctorates in fields related to environmental science. Am I satisfied with the school? Absolutely! It has been around for 25 years, has its own building, has a budget of around a million dollars a year, is accredited, and has an excellent faculty. (Look them up on the internet.) Some of the complaints about distance education found below are either misleading or wrong. How well are these degrees accepted? In the journal "Science" we read that, "Several members of the Cambridge University faculty, a conference participant noted, earned their Ph.D.s at the Open University." (Vol. 277, p. 311) Elsewhere the article notes that degrees from the Open University can cost as little as "one-tenth the traditional price." Forget the idea that you get what you pay for. I once bought a used Subaru for $2000. It provided reliable, inexpensive transportation for seven years. The high tuition at many traditional schools is going for million-dollar coaches who grab and choke students. Witness the events associated with Indiana basketball. Educated people do not blame children for the imagined sins of their parents. There is nothing wrong with the fact that Norfolk Island was founded by descendants of mutineers from the H.M.S. Bounty. It is true that the island is tiny, as it is only half the size of the smallest republic in Europe. However, the almost 9,000 acres are still a pretty good spread. Besides, when did size determine importance? The buildings that house Amazon.com and Yahoo.com are measured in square feet. Since the Union Institute has taken some hits, it would be well to remember that it was founded in 1964 by the presidents of ten colleges. First on the list is Antioch University, where the original consortium had its offices for many years. If you haven't heard of Antioch you have probably heard of at least one graduate, Stephen Jay Gould. Other schools included Bard, Goddard, Hofstra, Wayne State, Northeastern Illinois, Sarah Lawrence, Shimer, and Stevens. One small school in Maine, Nasson, went under. The Union Institute is housed in a magnificent building in Cincinnati. It is thriving. Were I the CEO of a company where the personnel officer routinely throws away resumes from schools listed in Bear, I would be alarmed by his prejudice, since Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Columbia, University of Colorado, and University of Illinois, among many other excellent schools, are mentioned. If these are not good enough, does he consider where applicants got their other degrees? Null complains that one school was dead last among national universities. Most schools are after the national universities. Would you rather be last at the Indy 500 or first in the village tricycle race? The complaint that Bear will not correct errors is preposterous. The 2001 edition is the fourteenth, and dramatically different from the one I bought a few years ago. This is the wave of the future. Buy it! Read it!
Rating: 
Summary: Essential Reference for Screening Bogus Degrees
Review: I use Bear's book in a way the author probably does not intend. I see many resumes in the course of my work. If a job candidate's resume contains a degree from a university mentioned in Bear's book I normally throw the resume into the trash. Bear's book should be bought by all Human Resources personnel. Bear's book (and a companion book on Bear's favorite schools) is the standard reference for three classes of degrees: 1) those "degrees" mentioned in Bear's book as outright degree mills. Bear is thorough and honest about such "schools" - except where they've obviously threatened him with litigation, in which case the reader has to read between the lines. This listing is the most important reason for resume readers - especially those responsible for verifying resume references - to buy a copy of Bear's book. 2) Those "distance learning" - aka correspondence - "degrees" from marginal accredited institutions that more or less offer a degree for cash and a little work. This is my main complaint about Bear's enthusiasm for "non-traditional" degrees. It's my view that there is no substitute for spending four years (three years in some countries) immersed in an academic environment before a student can call himself "educated" in any real sense. No amount of correspondence study, exam challenges,or "real-life experience credit" will subsitute. Bear does his readers a disservice by suggesting these "non-traditional" degrees are anywhere near as good as traditional degrees earned in residence. Anyone claiming a degree from one of Bear's suggested marginal "non-traditional schools" has a time bomb in their resume. Sooner or later they will be found out, laughed-at and discredited. (Incidentally, Bear suggests reading his book, or getting pregnant (!) is good for credit at some "non-traditional" universities). I note with amusement that Bear is careful to assure the reader that his own PhD is from a legitimate traditional university. In his heart Bear knows the difference... 3) There few legitimate "distance-learning" degrees offered by reputable universities earned in non-traditional ways. These mostly involve tools such as lectures distributed by internet or private television broadcasts. These degrees are difficult to earn and the students is assessed and graded rigorously - as if he were an on-campus student. Bear himself admits in his book to having being involved with several unaccredited "universities" that offered "non-traditional" degrees. So, he is uniquely qualified to write about bogus schools.
Rating:
Summary: A must have resource!
Review: I was first exposed to Dr. Bear's book while looking at post graduate programs. I found his book an invaluable aid while looking for a program that would meet my needs. While the field of distance education changes constantly, this book is a good place to start when searching for distance education alternatives. The book is well organized and written in a straight forward, easy to read manner. This book would also be a valuable resource for HR departments, especially the "less than wonderful" section. It can be used as a quick reference for tuition reimbursement programs (If a school is listed, does it qualify under the company's reimbursement program?) or as part of a background check (If a school is listed, do their degrees meet the company's requirement for recognition?).
Rating: 
Summary: Often times you find the easy path is not the best path
Review: I was given this book to read through by an associate of mine. He wanted my opinion on the topic of distance learning. Let me first say, that this guide is excellently suited for the student or person who is looking to obtain educational credentials quickly and relatively inexpensively. However, I recommended that my friend look to find a way to return to a traditional college to obtain his degree. "Why?", you may ask. Simple. The degree obtained from work completed in the traditional "brick and mortar" setting, with one on one teacher student contact is invaluable. The education you receive cannot be compared to that of the distance learning arena. Think about it for a minute. Take two students. One goes to four years of college and is granted an bachelor's degree. Another student goes part time, through distance learning and receives his or her degree in less that one year's time at most and in many cases, less than two months total. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to conclude which student has the more valuable education, and which has a piece of paper with little or no true worth. With the dawning of the internet, distance learning is going to continue to grow in popularity. It offers a simple and practical way to receive a degree, without asking a great financial or logistical burden of it's students. Having such degrees and credentials will open the doors for many people to better jobs, with higher pay. Unfortunately, this is not supposed to be the ultimate goal of higher education. University study is supposed to imbue it's students with a lifelong desire to continue learning. It should act as a springboard for further intellectual pursuits, not an end result in and of itself. It is here that distance learning, by it's very nature, falls woefully short. It short changes it's students, and in turn, short changes all of us.
Rating:
Summary: Great Research Tool !!!
Review: 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. However, I was also a musical prodigy, performing professionally on the piano by age twelve. I found college to be a different animal. My first two semesters were a disaster, partly because I was "lost" in that environment. I eventually began traveling/performing more and more, in school one semester, out one semester, while making mediocre to poor grades. Around 1980, I discovered the "Competency-based Degree Program" at Oklahoma City University. It sounded just perfect for me, but I was unable to begin the program at that time. It was in the late 1980s when I bought my first "Bear Book." What a great resource it was. By then, I was living in Dallas and had neither the time, nor money to invest in getting back into the degree plan. Although I had taken several college courses in the past 15+ years, I had some fear about beginning another program and failing at it. THEN...three months ago, it was discovered that I have non-attentive A.D.D. That little discovery explained ALL of my problems in school, why I "just didn't get it," why I had trouble focusing on the work, no matter how many hours I pretended to spend studying! Now...I am officially middle-aged and still desire a degree for my own personal satisfaction. There are many like me who want the degree no matter what the reason. Altogether, I spent the greater part of 6 years in and out of college, gathering some hours but mostly being discouraged. Bear's Guides have been a great encouragement for me that there is still a way to finish college, even with work and family obligations. For you who fit the traditional box, please consider that many intelligent folks simply don't fit in your mold. For those people, John Bear's guides certainly help save time and trouble in researching schools. The two folks for whom I am buying it will welcome this book. And as soon as my A.D.D. drugs kick-in, I am gonna finish my degree! <grin> Now, I am finally able to study.
Rating:
Summary: Great Research Tool !!!
Review: 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. However, I was also a musical prodigy, performing professionally on the piano by age twelve. I found college to be a different animal. My first two semesters were a disaster, partly because I was "lost" in that environment. I eventually began traveling/performing more and more, in school one semester, out one semester, while making mediocre to poor grades. Around 1980, I discovered the "Competency-based Degree Program" at Oklahoma City University. It sounded just perfect for me, but I was unable to begin the program at that time. It was in the late 1980s when I bought my first "Bear Book." What a great resource it was. By then, I was living in Dallas and had neither the time, nor money to invest in getting back into the degree plan. Although I had taken several college courses in the past 15+ years, I had some fear about beginning another program and failing at it. THEN...three months ago, it was discovered that I have non-attentive A.D.D. That little discovery explained ALL of my problems in school, why I "just didn't get it," why I had trouble focusing on the work, no matter how many hours I pretended to spend studying! Now...I am officially middle-aged and still desire a degree for my own personal satisfaction. There are many like me who want the degree no matter what the reason. Altogether, I spent the greater part of 6 years in and out of college, gathering some hours but mostly being discouraged. Bear's Guides have been a great encouragement for me that there is still a way to finish college, even with work and family obligations. For you who fit the traditional box, please consider that many intelligent folks simply don't fit in your mold. For those people, John Bear's guides certainly help save time and trouble in researching schools. The two folks for whom I am buying it will welcome this book. And as soon as my A.D.D. drugs kick-in, I am gonna finish my degree! Now, I am finally able to study.
Rating:
Summary: Buy this book
Review: It is the quickest way to losing thousands of dollars on a worthless degree that someone has printed in his basement.Suggest doing a search in google groups for "Dr John Bear" before taking any advice from this somewhat shady man. CAUTION!
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