Business School, Continuing Education, and business educational options

Strayer University is a private, for-profit institution that has a large online division (Newington, Virginia) and numerous mini-campuses located in various southeastern states. It is a genuine money-making institution; its stock is selling at an all-time high, and growth prospects continue to look good.

However, all is not as it might appear. Strayer's bread-and-butter degree programs are in business administration and public administration. The latter diploma is especially popular with state and federal bureaucrats who whish to pad their resumes. The problem is in accreditation of these two programs.

Strayer's BSBA and MBA programs are not approved by AACSB--the recognized professional accrediting association in these two fields. Additionally, Strayer's MPA program lacks professional accreditation by NASPAA.

That leaves only regional accreditation, but even here doubts arise. Strayer claims it is regionally accredited by MSCHE, located in Philadelphia. However, most of Strayer's operations are below the Mason-Dixon line, in states where schools must be accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

Strayer has not sought SACS accreditation, presumably because it maintains two mini-campuses in Washington, DC, which comes under MSCHE. However, according to Virginia's State Corporation Commission, Strayer University, Inc., has its headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. That puts it smack in the middle of SACS area of responsibility.

Prospective students should be cautious if considering Strayer University.