Study Guides Now Available Through Email!

In the interest of becoming more ‘Environmentally friendly’ California Coast University has recently introduced the option of receiving course Study Guides by email as a Portable Document Format (PDF). This new delivery method will help eliminate the waiting period inherent to distance education programs and allow students to begin coursework with minimal delay.

If you are currently enrolled and wish to take advantage of this offer please contact Student Services directly at the following email address: student_services@calcoast.edu.

We sincerely hope that you join us in our efforts to reduce the impact on our environment and request your Study Guides be emailed to you today!

Attention all Students and Alumni:

The California Coast University Alumni Association is a non-profit organization with membership available to all students and graduates of CCU. If you are not yet a member now is the time to join!

Members are the first to be notified of any significant changes, improvements or expansions of the University and it’s degree programs. Members also receive a copy of Coastline, the Alumni Association’s newsletter! CCU encourages all Alumni Association members to provide information about themselves and their accomplishments for possible inclusion in the upcoming editions of Coastline!

All donations and annual membership dues of only $35.00 are tax deductible. The Alumni Association also offers a Life Membership for a donation of $1,000. All contributions are greatly appreciated and are used toward improving all aspects of the University.

Please click on the following link to join the Alumni Association alumni@calcoast.edu or click on www.calcoast.edu/edonation.php to make a tax-deductible donation to the Alumni Association at California Coast University.

The 3 Most Common Education Questions

Military.com - The answers to the three most Frequently Asked Questions concerning education benefits. These answers will help you understand how to make the most of your education.

Question: With so many "Diploma Mills" around, how can I judge the quality of an online education program?

Answer: Let's start by saying you can't judge an online school by its campus. Many "Nationally Accredited" colleges and universities offer only distance learning and online programs. This means they don't need a fancy college campus to deliver a quality education.

Here are two easy ways to judge an online school and avoid "Diploma Mills:"
1. Is the school accredited by either a regional or national accreditation association. These associations include:

• DETC Distance Education and Training Council
• MSA Middle States Association
• NEASC New England Association of Schools and Colleges
• NCASC North Central Association of Schools and Colleges
• NWCCU Northwest Commission on College and Universities
• SACS Southwest Association of Colleges and Schools
• WASC Western Association of Schools and Colleges

2. Is the school a member of the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC), listed by the Defense Activities for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES), or have programs approved by the VA for use with GI Bill? If the answer is yes to either of these questions, you can bet they are NOT a diploma mill. In other words, don't judge online colleges and universities by their cover -- the building or address. Judge them by their associations -- the accreditation(s) -- they keep.

Question: How does a school determine how many credits to give me for my military experience and training?

Answer: College credit for military experience is determined by the American Council on Education (ACE). ACE evaluates hundreds of military courses, schools, MOSs, ratings, each year. Each ACE evaluation includes a curriculum description, course length, dates and recommended credits listed for both upper (bachelor's) and lower (associate) levels.

Note: Not all schools grant ACE recommended credit for military experience, so it is vital that you shop around for the school that works best for you. Click here to learn more about getting college credit for your military experience.

Question: Exactly what benefits do active-duty military students have available?

Answer: There are several benefits available to active-duty servicemembers. Check out the Active Duty Education Guide for a list of benefits and some general comparisons.

New Program offered at CCU: Master of Science in Management

CCU is pleased to announce the Master of Science in Management degree program. We will begin accepting applications for registration in the winter enrollment term, www.calcoast.edu/academic_terms.php.

The 39 Unit Master of Science in Management degree program is conducted entirely online with courses structured over 16 week academic terms. The University utilities WebCt (a Blackboard Company) as the learning platform for this course to deliver instructional materials. WebCt/Blackboard is the largest provider of online learning materials in the world. All courses have been designed to be self-paced allowing students to complete assignments and course work as rapidly as they wish. Student technical support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through WebCt.

Additional degree programs, certificate programs and single course registration is anticipated the 1st quarter of the 2007.

College degree worth extra $23,000/year

WASHINGTON - How much is a bachelor's degree worth? About $23,000 a year, the government said in a report released Thursday.

That is the average gap in earnings between adults with bachelor's degrees and those with high school diplomas, according to data from the Census Bureau.

College graduates made an average of $51,554 in 2004, the most recent figures available, compared with $28,645 for adults with a high school diploma. High school dropouts earned an average of $19,169 and those with advanced college degrees made an average of $78,093.

"There appear to be strong incentives to get a college degree, given the gaps that we observe," said Lisa Barrow, senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

The income gap narrowed slightly from five years earlier, when college graduates made nearly twice as much as high school graduates. But the differences remained significant for men and women of every racial and ethnic group.

Eighty-five percent of people 25 and older had at least a high school diploma or the equivalent in 2005, according to the Census Bureau's 2005 Current Population Survey. In 2000, 80 percent had a high school diploma or the equivalent, and a little more than half did in 1970.

Twenty-eight percent had at least a bachelor's degree, compared with about 24 percent in 2000 and 11 percent in 1970.

"I think we've done a very good job of getting individuals into college," said Cecilia Rouse, professor of economics and public affairs at Princeton University. "But we don't fully understand why we don't do as good a job of graduating them."

Chester Finn, president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute in Washington, said too many high school graduates are unprepared to succeed in college.

"If you don't emerge from high school having done at least the equivalent of advanced algebra, you are not going to be ready for college math," Finn said. "You can make similar points about English."

Among the other findings in the report:

_Minnesota, Utah, Montana, New Hampshire and Alaska had the highest proportions of adults with at least a high school diploma — all at about 92 percent.

_Texas had the lowest proportion of adults with at least a high school diploma, about 78 percent. It was followed closely by Kentucky and Mississippi.

_Connecticut was the state with the highest proportion of adults with at least a bachelor's degree, nearly 37 percent. It was followed closely by Massachusetts, Maryland and New Jersey.

_Nearly 47 percent of adults in Washington, D.C., had at least a bachelor's degree.

_West Virginia had the lowest proportion of college graduates, at 15 percent. It was followed at the bottom by Arkansas, Kentucky and Louisiana.