Ashworth College

Last updated
Ashworth College
Ashworth College - Seal.png
Former name
Professional Career Development Institute
(1987-2000)
MottoDito Cum Scientia (Latin)
Motto in English
"To Enrich with Knowledge"
Type Private for-profit online college
Established1987
Accreditation DEAC
President Bill Okun
Location, ,
United States
Colors Maroon and white   
Website www.ashworthcollege.edu

Ashworth College is a private for-profit online college based in Peachtree Corners, Georgia. The college is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission [1] and recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. [2]

Contents

Penn Foster Group, a subsidiary of Bain Capital, owns Ashworth College and its subsidiaries. [3]

History

Ashworth College headquarters in Peachtree Corners, Georgia 6625 The Corners Pkwy NW, Norcross, GA August 2018.jpg
Ashworth College headquarters in Peachtree Corners, Georgia

Since its founding in 1987, Professional Career Development Institute (PCDI) developed distance-learning programs for its high school, career, and degree programs.

James Madison High School (JMHS) was established in 1996 to aid students who need an alternative approach to a high school education. JMHS provides the curriculum needed for students to complete one to four years of high school coursework that will lead to a high school diploma.

In 2000, PCDI established Ashworth College to offer associate degree programs to students who need an alternative approach to a college education. Ashworth College started offering master’s degree programs in 2004 and bachelor’s degree programs in 2007.

In 2007, all schools under PCDI merged under the Ashworth College umbrella. [4]

In May 2015, the Federal Trade Commission and Ashworth College entered a settlement in which the college agreed to alter its advertising claims. [5] The commission had charged in its complaint [6] that the college had deceptively marketed its online college degree and career-training programs. It stated that some Ashworth programs failed to meet the basic educational requirements set by state licensing boards for careers or jobs such as real estate appraisers, home inspectors, elementary school educators, and massage practitioners. The commission also claimed that the college's credits were represented as fully transferable, although it lacked supporting data that other colleges and universities would accept their credits. [7]

In 2019, Penn Foster, a subsidiary of Bain Capital, acquired Ashworth. [8]

In 2021, the college was no longer accepting new students for its graduate programs. [4]

Academics

Ashworth offers programs for career certificates, career diplomas, undergraduate certificates, associate degrees, and bachelor's degrees [4] but no longer offers graduate programs.

Accreditation and licensing

Ashworth College is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission. The associate degree in veterinary technician program is accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA). Ashworth College is also authorized by the Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission to offer instruction in career programs, undergraduate certificates, associate degree, bachelor's degree, and master's degree programs. [9]

Admissions and financial aid

To be accepted to Ashworth College, students must be at least 16 years old or have an enrollment form filled out by a parent or guardian. College degrees require a high school diploma or a GED to enroll.

Ashworth College does not accept or offer federal or financial aid or provide student loans, claiming that this is due to its mission to make tuition affordable to all. [10]

Related Research Articles

A bachelor's degree or baccalaureate is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years. The two most common bachelor's degrees are the Bachelor of Arts (BA) and the Bachelor of Science. In some institutions and educational systems, certain bachelor's degrees can only be taken as graduate or postgraduate educations after a first degree has been completed, although more commonly the successful completion of a bachelor's degree is a prerequisite for further courses such as a master's or a doctorate.

The Virginia–Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine is the veterinary school Virginia Tech and the University of Maryland, College Park - both of which are public research universities in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the State of Maryland, respectively.The college was created as a joint venture of the two universities and their respective state governments in order to fill the need for veterinary medicine education in both states. Students from both states are considered "in-state" students for admissions and tuition purposes.

Corinthian Colleges, Inc. (CCi) was a for-profit post-secondary education company in North America. Its subsidiaries offered career-oriented diploma and degree programs in health care, business, criminal justice, transportation technology and maintenance, construction trades, and information technology. A remnant of the schools was owned by ECMC under the Altierus Career College brand until the last three campuses were closed in 2022.

Everest University was an American private university based in Florida. From 2015 to 2020, the schools were operated by nonprofit Zenith Education Group, after former for-profit owner Corinthian Colleges shut down its operations. It was founded in 1940 as Fort Lauderdale College of Business and Finance and later known as the Florida Metropolitan University, a name it held until 2010. The Florida-based university offered online courses for students throughout the country. Programs focused on career orientation, offering day, night, weekend and online programs for working adults, with programs and schedules varying by campus.

University Degree Program (UDP) is or was an unaccredited consortium of diploma mills run by Americans Jason and Caroline Abraham beginning in the 1990s. In 2004, The Chronicle of Higher Education called UDP the "granddaddy" of diploma mill operations.

Harrington College of Design (1931–2015) was a for-profit college in the Loop area of Chicago, Illinois, USA, that closed in 2015. It offered students programs leading to either a master's, bachelor's or associate's degree upon completion of the interior design, digital photography or communication design programs. Each program was credentialed with multiple levels of accreditation. The college was owned by Career Education Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Matthew's University</span> For-profit Cayman Islands university

St. Matthew's University (SMU) is a private for-profit offshore medical school located in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands in the Caribbean. SMU has a School of Medicine and a School of Veterinary Medicine, which confer M.D. and D.V.M. degrees, respectively. St. Matthew's University is owned by R3 Education, Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NHTI – Concord's Community College</span>

NHTI – Concord's Community College is a public community college in Concord, New Hampshire. It is part of the Community College System of New Hampshire and is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The college, which opened in 1965, was known as New Hampshire Technical Institute until 2007, when its current name was adopted to reflect its growth as a community college with broad offerings in both technical and general education.

National Academy of Higher Education (NAHE) identifies itself as an organization specializing in evaluation of people's educational credentials. Some United States educational authorities identify it as an unrecognized accreditation organization or accreditation mill. NAHE charges fees for a service described as an evaluation of the educational credentials of clients who have studied in other countries or attained degrees through alternative methods.

Penn Foster College is a private, for-profit online college headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was founded in 1890 as International Correspondence Schools and presently offers bachelor's and associate degree programs in 22 certified programs, as well as academic certificates.

Penn Foster High School is a for-profit online high school based in Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States. The high school is regionally and nationally accredited and is the largest high school by enrollment in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida Technical College</span> Technical College in Florida, United States

Florida Technical College is a private for-profit college with multiple campuses in Florida. It was established in 1982 and is part of National University College. FTC offers associate and bachelor's degrees as well as diploma programs on six campuses: Cutler Bay, DeLand, Orlando, Kissimmee, Pembroke Pines and Lakeland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missouri College</span>

Missouri College was a for-profit college in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1963, the school was accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools. Missouri College offered bachelor's degrees in Healthcare Management and specialized associate degrees in Business Administration, Dental Hygiene, Allied Health, and Occupational Therapy Assisting. Massage Therapy was one of the several diploma programs offered in the college catalog.

Bradford School was a small, private, for-profit career college in Columbus, Ohio. It originally was founded in 1911 and moved to its current suburban campus location in 2003. It had on-campus housing for students but more than half of students lived in the Columbus area and commute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Business College (Fort Wayne, Indiana)</span> For-profit college in Fort Wayne, Indiana

International Business College is a for-profit college located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The institution was founded in 1889 and is now located in the Village at Coventry. IBC awards diplomas and associate degrees.

International Business College (IBC) is a private for-profit business school in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was founded in 1889 by Thomas L. Staples. In 1969, IBC was acquired by its present owners, Bradford Schools, Inc. IBC is a two-year institution and awards diplomas and associate degrees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hickey College</span>

Hickey College was a for-profit career college in St. Louis, Missouri. It was founded in 1933 by Dr. Margaret Hickey and had two campuses on North Lindbergh Boulevard near Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. It had nearby housing for students but over half of students come from the St. Louis area. The college closed in 2018.

Stratford Career Institute (SCI) is a distance education school established in 1991 that offers at-home vocational training programs to students in North America. Stratford's corporate offices are located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, with a U.S shipping/mailing office in St. Albans, Vermont.

Warren National University, previously known as Kennedy-Western University, was an unaccredited private distance learning university that claimed to offer undergraduate and graduate degrees in the United States from 1984 to 2009. It has been described by federal investigators and news sources as a diploma mill, a designation it has disputed. Its administrative offices were located in Agoura Hills, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Madison High School online</span> School

James Madison High School (JMHS) is an English-medium online-only for-profit distance education private high school headquartered in Peachtree Corners, Georgia, United States. It is regionally and nationally accredited. It provides the curriculum needed for students to complete one to four years of high school coursework online for a general or college prep high school diploma.

References

  1. "Ashworth College". DEAC. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  2. "Ashworth College". DAPIP. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  3. "Penn Foster Acquires Online Ashworth College". 2019-02-07. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
  4. 1 2 3 "Ashworth College Catalog" (PDF). www.ashworthcollege.edu. Ashworth College. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  5. "Ashworth College Settles FTC Charges it Misled Students About Career Training, Credit Transfers". Federal Trade Commission. 2015-05-26. Retrieved 2021-08-13.
  6. "Complaint for Permanent Injunction and Other Equitable Relief" (PDF). Federal Trade Commission. Retrieved August 17, 2021
  7. "Ashworth College Settles FTC Charges it Misled Students About Career Training, Credit Transfers - Federal Trade Commission". www.ftc.gov. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  8. "DC Advisory advised Ashworth College on its sale to Penn Foster". www.dcadvisory.com. DC Advisory. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  9. "Ashworth College Accreditation". Ashworth College. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
  10. "Ashworth College Admissions and Financial Aid".

33°57′36″N84°14′14″W / 33.96000°N 84.23722°W / 33.96000; -84.23722