Company type | Private graduate-only university |
---|---|
Industry | Higher Education |
Founded | 2002 |
Founder | Potomac Educational Foundation |
Headquarters | |
Number of locations | 2 |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | President: Dr. Umesh Varma |
Services | Graduate degrees in Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Business |
Owner | The University of Fairfax, Inc [1] |
Website | ufairfax.edu |
The University of Fairfax is an institution of higher education headquartered in Salem, Virginia. It offers online graduate degrees (Masters and Doctorates) in cybersecurity, cloud computing, computer science and engineering, and business as well as several graduate certificates. [2] The entire program is provided via instructor led conference calls and online instruction.
The Certification Training Center for Continuing Professional Education was established to support the continuing professional education needs of students and alumni. Through this center, the University provides support by co-sponsoring information security certification training and provides complimentary online tools to aid in preparing for the CISSP and CISM certification exam.[ citation needed ] Partnership with Cyber Security Forum Initiative [3] in 2014 enabled professionals to receive graduate credit towards a Master of Science in Information Assurance or doctoral degree in cybersecurity.
University of Fairfax is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), an accrediting commission recognized by the United States Department of Education. [4]
The University of Fairfax was founded by the non-profit Potomac Education Foundation in 2002. [5] The institution received approval from Virginia authorities in 2002 and started classes in 2003. Virginia regulations allow new institutions to operate for up to 10 years while seeking accreditation with an accreditor recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. [6] Before attaining full accreditation in 2012, it had approval to operate from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia as a non-accredited university. [7]
Along with the Northern Virginia Technology Council and the Professional Services Council, the University cosponsored a conference on the shortage of cleared information security professionals in January 2003, highlighting the national need. This conference generated support for the University from employers including Accenture, Northrop Grumman, Ernst & Young, and SAIC.[ citation needed ]
The University enrolled its first cohort of graduate students from the Washington metropolitan area in July 2003, and initiated online instructional delivery via the eCollege platform in April 2004.[ citation needed ]
The first graduates of the University of Fairfax earned their Master of Science degrees in October 2004; the University awarded its first doctoral degrees in February 2007.[ citation needed ]
In November 2007 Fairfax announced that beginning in January 2008 it would collaborate with Jones International University's School of Business to offer a dual degree program leading to both a master's or doctoral degree from Fairfax and a Master of Business Administration in Information Security Management from Jones International. [8]
Its first president was Dr. Victor Berlin, an educator who earlier had operated or established three other post-secondary educational institutions. [9] The university was established for the purpose of assuring a supply of qualified information security personnel; consistent with that purpose, its motto is "Secure Your Future" (Latin : Munite Futurum). [2] It operates as a non-profit entity. [5] [ failed verification ] David Oxenhandler was elected President of the University in 2010. [10] Frank E. Longaker became President of University of Fairfax in 2013 and led the university alongside his presidential duties at American National University. In 2023, Dr. Umesh Varma was appointed the newest President of University of Fairfax.
In 2010, the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) listed the school as an applicant for accreditation [11] and in January 2012, the DEAC approved it for full accreditation. [12] [13] DEAC reviewed the university in January 2021 and determined that the institution is in compliance with standards of accreditation and will remain accredited through 2025. [14]
California Miramar University (CalMU) is a private for-profit university in San Diego, California. The university offers degree programs through distance education and a combination of online and classroom (hybrid) delivery. It is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission.
Atlantic University is an American private non-profit distance education institution of higher and continuing education in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The university is associated with Edgar Cayce's Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.), and its administrative offices are in the Don and Nancy de Laski Education Center on the main A.R.E. campus. The university is nationally accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), which is a member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), for its distance education and hybrid programs. The university also maintains licensure with the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV).
California Coast University (CCU) is a private for-profit online university based in Santa Ana, California. It is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission and approved by the State of California. It enrolls approximately 8,000 students.
American Public University System (APUS) is a private, for-profit, online university system with its headquarters in Charles Town, West Virginia. It is composed of American Military University (AMU) and American Public University (APU). APUS is wholly owned by American Public Education, Inc., a publicly traded private-sector corporation. APUS maintains corporate and academic offices in Charles Town, West Virginia. APUS offers associates, bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees, in addition to dual degrees, certificate programs and learning tracks.
The Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), formerly the National Home Study Council and then as the Distance Education and Training Council, is a private and non-profit national educational accreditation agency in the United States specializing in the accreditation of distance education programs of study and institutions. The DEAC is recognized as a U.S. institutional accreditor by both the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
An online degree is an academic degree that can be earned primarily or entirely through the use of an Internet-connected computer, rather than attending college in a traditional campus setting. Improvements in technology, the increasing use of the Internet worldwide, and the need for people to have flexible school schedules while they are working have led to a proliferation of online colleges that award associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees.
William Howard Taft University is a private for-profit online university headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1976 as a graduate school providing continuing education for certified public accountants, the university provides distance education and offers academic programs up to the doctoral level. William Howard Taft University and Taft Law School together form the Taft University System.
Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary, also known as Trinity College of the Bible, is a conservative evangelical Bible college and seminary located near Evansville, Indiana. Trinity offers distance education programs at undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree levels for self-directed adult learners. Programs include Certificate, Associate, Bachelor, Master, and Doctorate studies. In 2006, Trinity claimed more than 7,000 active students worldwide.
University of Arkansas Grantham is a public online university based in Little Rock, Arkansas. Founded in 1951 as Grantham Radio License School, it would eventually be renamed Grantham University. The then-for-profit school offered distance-education programs from 1951 until 2021, at which point it was entirely online. Grantham was purchased by the University of Arkansas System for one dollar in 2021, merging with the latter’s eVersity online program. It is composed of four colleges: the College of Business, Management, and Economics; the College of Humanities and Social Sciences; the College of Science, Engineering, and Technology; and the College of Nursing and Health Professions. It is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission.
Abraham Lincoln University (ALU) is a private, for-profit online university based in Glendale, California.
Columbia Southern University is a private for-profit online university in Orange Beach, Alabama.
Lansbridge University was an accredited private, for-profit distance education university with offices in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and formerly in British Columbia. Lansbridge University was a degree granting research university in Canada that offered doctoral degrees (doctorate) e.g. Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Master of Business Administration (MBA), master's degrees and undergraduate degrees by distance learning and on-campus.
Victor Berlin is an American educator specializing in information security who has founded and led several accredited post secondary institutions, including the University of the Potomac and the University of Fairfax. He was president of the University of Fairfax until 2010.
The University of Management and Technology (UMT) is a private for-profit online university headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It was founded in 1998 and offers associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees as well as certificate programs.
The University of Atlanta was a private, for-profit, distance education university headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. It opened in Mobile, Alabama as Barrington University until it received accreditation in 2008. It relocated to Atlanta in 2008 and changed to University of Atlanta and was authorized by the State of Georgia's Nonpublic Post Secondary Education Commission. Until it closed June 30, 2022, the University of Atlanta was accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council.
Apollos University is a private for-profit online university headquartered in Great Falls, Montana. It is accredited by the Distance Education Accreditation Commission (DEAC).
The University of the People (UoPeople) is a non-profit private, distance education university.
Catholic International University (CIU) is a private online Roman Catholic university based in Charles Town, West Virginia. A number of Catholic dioceses partner with CIU to educate those serving in parish ministry.
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 Its administrative offices were located in Agoura Hills, California.