LU is accredited.  Like most schools I'm sure there are colleges within the university that have better reputations than others.  The education you get is is kind of up to you, that is, what you make of it, how you apply yourself.  In the end I figure how you sale yourself in an interview is the bigger question.  If you can't articulate why you are qualified for a job in a resume or in person, where you got your degree won't matter much.  Employers want people who can work, will work, and can work with other people.  After you land your first job and get some time in that field, as long as you can demonstrate and articulate success, where you got your degree begins to mean less in your next interview if you decide to move on.  I'm not saying it has no weight, simply it means less.  Success sales.

I've heard it said that a lot of employers biggest concern is a candidate's ability to work with others and acclimate into their culture.  Education is great, but will he/she work out here.  If you sit an interview and have the personality of a cardboard box, good luck.  One thing I have said about my own college education during an interview was that if nothing else it should demonstrate I can learn.  One interviewer commented something to the effect, "it's good to know you don't know everything."  I got the job.

LMAO.  I know a few folks who have gone/ are going there.  Worthless school that costs tons of money regardless of the quality of education/indoctrination.

We've had a couple really strong hires from Liberty.  I think both were accounting majors - maybe finance.  For school's in state, it's not UVA, W&M, W&L, UR or even VT    

In my field, I'd say LU is somewhere between Radford and JMU, i.e. a strong GPA and experience would be more significant towards getting in the door for an interview than the those from the aforementioned schools.

ETA - I get the impression that there is a wide range of students at Liberty.  A lot of bright kids from strongly Christian families go there because of what it is, not necessarily the selectivity of the school or national recognition of the programs.

The name of the school someone went to is kind of a stupid reason to turn down an interview (assuming they could have attended a program in your area of expertise).

Looking at my transcript, there is no way for you to discern which classes I took online, and which were in a traditional classroom.

You'd have to judge me by how bad I screw up the interview

That's a good sign then.

Precisely. UVA, W&M, and VT (I guess ) = GTG in general. For the private schools like W&L or UR or even H-S, the sheer power of their alumni network is impressive. And they're considered academically solid. If a student can afford LU, why not look at other private colleges with more academic weight behind them?

What kind of employers and what does the rest of their applicant pool look like?

People who are used to seeing lots of resumes with names like Princeton, UVA, Duke, Vanderbilt, etc. under the "Education" heading probably aren't going to take Liberty seriously. That goes double for professional hiring (i.e., law and medicine).

Yea...Why not?

And no, I didn't go there.  I conduct interviews often and I don't see any reason to screen out those with a degree from LU.  

Finances. I don't see why not.

Sure it is...

Holy shit. That seems to be the developing consensus.

/Thread

The Pamplin College of Business is highly respected and would carry much more weight than LU. Probably cheaper, too and Tech's campus is awesome and this is an awesome place to live.

 

I don't see why not, other than they carry a stigma of being the 13th grade like ODU or CNU. However, the only college's diploma I have ever heard of not being recognized by some is Hampden-Syndey College. That came from an '07 grad.

This.

1. OP, are you a VA resident?

2. If no, then what other private colleges are you considering?

3. If yes, then are you looking at state schools? Finance? VT or UVA

Fixed it for you.

<----2010 PCC grad here, doing well too

How is their English department?

If one had the grades and the money, William and Mary would be a stout degree to have. Though Williamsburg is a suckass place to live.

LU Class of 2013, Currently enrolled at the Seminary getting my M.Div to be an AF Chaplain. So far nobody has rejected my degree, but it's pretty new......

I'm the dork with the M-Frames. The dude in the suit is our Chancellor, Jerry Falwell Jr. This is from my Jr. year.



Are our degrees well regarded? Depends. Financially, we're better off than most other schools. It's weird going to a school with money. We're building buildings left and right, and always adding new things and new programs. Several people have already brought up the creationism issue, which is taught, but unless you're an environmental biology major, it won't directly impact you or your classes. Speaking from experience, our "Teaching creationism," is, for the majority of the students, a two credit class in "Creation Studies" that I played Angry Birds in, and still got an A. If you're a bio major, they still cover evolution, it's just given equal share with creationism.

I entered as a Nursing Major. Our Nursing program is very well regarded, as most students immediately find jobs at larger hospitals, and we have a 98% first time NCLEX pass rate.

Our Biology department consistently has above average scores on the MCAT, and most students get into med school (We're starting our own this year)

The Computer Science program is fantastic, but our Engineering and Math degrees aren't as good, simply because no one wants to get a degree that involves four years of math

We just started a new film school that is having money dumped into it. They ordered 22 RED Epics and a few RED Scarlets for them to play with.

Our Criminal Justice and Government program is top notch, and our Pre-law/Law school is one of the best in the state of Virginia.

And our School of Religion (Which I graduated from, Batchelors of Science in Religion, Biblical Studies. Last one before they changed it to a B.A. Yes, I have a B.S. in BS. )  is one of the best undergraduate schools of religion in the nation. Our Seminary is kind of a joke though, as it's less academic and more practical.

LUOnline is fantastic. I've taken several online classes as part of my residential degree, and depending on the class, they can be just as effective a learning tool as a residential class. (Some of them are wastes of time, but so are some residential courses.)

Campus life is not nearly as strict as Bob Jones, or PCC (I'm an RA, so I'm part of the "Christian Taliban" ) No drinking, going into girls dorms, and don't watch R-Rated movies. Other than that, it's pretty typical. We do have campus carry, and can use the LUPD shooting range. Our school is really, really, gun friendly. They've been talking about starting a three gun team for as long as I've been here, but most students don't have the cash....

If you have any more questions about coming to LU, shoot me an IM. I've been here long enough to know a little bit about almost every major, and know people on most areas of campus.

Heck, if anyone has questions about LU, ask me whatever you want. I'm bored.

Or W&M. Actually I'd probably rank W&M ahead of VT (aside from VT having more alumni) for undergrad accounting/BBA. UVA if you want to work in "big finance" out of state (i.e., New York).

Hey, I'm on my eye phone and am pounding down 18 year scotch. Cut me some slack

 

I'd say their principles.  They don't want to pay to have to listen to and participate in a bunch of communist/feminist/LGBTQ propaganda, etc. BS for 4 years.  It's a harder road for sure, but not impossible for someone who is driven.

Also, UR costs more than 2x as much as Liberty.  I assume W&L is the same.

PCC isn't regionally accredited

My sister attended Liberty for law school.  I would say people take her very serious, and she is very wealthy at 34...  Liberty is not the "Univ of Phoenix", it is an actual school.

ETA: She works in Constitutional Law if you're wondering.

LETS GO

Last I checked they were accredited through Tracs.

Worked for my employer.

 

HOKIES

 

This is probably the most accurate summary of LU.

Five years ago, we were accepting any student with a pulse and the ability to say "Jesus"

Now, we have some money, and we've kicked out most of the idiots. With Jerry Falwell Sr. gone, the attitude around campus has relaxed a lot. in 2001, this was a training ground for the new Moral Majority. Now, we're a college were everyone shares the same beliefs. Best comparison would be BYU. Not the most outstanding academically, but not a joke. It's a place for like minded students to get an education that incorporates their religious beliefs.

So you're going to have some kids here who's parents are from the deep south, and have never seen an episode of American Idol because it's "Tha Debil." And you've got some kids who just want to get an education that includes their faith.

And just like any college, there's a top and bottom 10% of every graduating class, and they both get the same degree.

No, I'm in Ga.

I'm honestly open to anything at the moment. I'm aiming to transfer from my Community College to either a private or a state college next fall. I'm trying to figure out which one.

I was interested in LU's online coursework for the flexibility.

Unfortunately, a lot of people don't seem to know the difference.  I think that many of their grads are going to be in for a rude shock sooner or later.



 

Consider it cut.  Enjoy your scotch!

Good for you. I know grads who have had trouble getting teaching licenses with the State of WI.

I went to MBBC btw

 

a career field that falwell university cannot possibly prepare one for. i can only use people with very specific and relatively uncommon backgrounds and degrees.

and more importantly, i would simply decline to do business with such an individual, just like nobody should be forced to sell some dykes a wedding cake.

Got it. Post graduation, where do you plan to kick off your career? In the South, I'd imagine all good potential employers who happen to be Bab'tists would look kindly upon a degree from LU.

Completely different story if you were from VA and wanted to work in the mid-Atlantic. There, you'd seriously suffer from the (correct) too-dumb-for-Radford or 13th grade stigma.

Well we have three basic groups here...

1. They have personal ties to Liberty in some form or fashion.

2. They are totally unfamiliar with the school and say it may be OK if your major is in the right field.

3. People who know of Liberty and don't have any ties to the school and have heard in general discussions that Liberty is generally a joke.

However from the sounds of it, I think you have made your mind up OP. And as I said earlier, careers aren't made by paper, rather by who you are.

Dunno, get one and find out.

Never even knew Liberty had an aviation program... given my (former) line of work, current avocation and the fact that I live in the same state, that is strange....

Does Toccoa Falls have a finance degree?

My wife went there for one of her degrees. Gorgeous place.

It's fairly new (6 years old I think)

For an entry level job, your education is looked at much closer.  After you get some experience, no one gives a shit anymore.

How dare you bring an informed opinion to this debate

That would be about the same time I picked up the "former" modifier to the line of work part, so that makes sense.

I'll have to look into that. Totally forgot about it, thanks.

It is a beautiful area..

The incident with the dam was very sad though...

After 30 plus years in Government I have seen it all. The only question you need to know is if the school Accredited? Everything else is BULLSHIT. I reviewed some 171 forms over the years when we used them from applicants from some prestigious east cost schools and these kids could not follow directions or spell dog shit. A degree from Harvard, Brown, or Boston College may get you in the door but you have got to produce. Nobody cares at the Pentagon or any of the national collection agencies where you went to school. Trust me on this. Can you present yourself well? Can you speak and can you write? Do you have a skill we will pay you for? I can say that the very few I met from Liberty could all pass muster. Thats my 2 cents.

Yeah, I forgot that this was in GD....

Uh... dinosaurs.....test our faith........heathens...........Psalm 14:1.

Awesome info, thanks!

I'm going to go with the person who said mature student - already got a leg up on everyone else as it shows motivation and drive.



However:



National Accreditation - Worthless

Regional Accreditation - The only one worth having



I say that based on what the US Government accepts for citizenship applications post student. It only accepts the transcripts from regional. No national.



And I also agree with another poster.



Get some experience in your field and no-one gives a shit where you went to school.

Yale, Duke, and hundreds of other accredited schools are Christian schools. Both Yale and Duke currently offer Divinity programs and both teach creationism.