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Pacific Western University is a distance learning university located in San Diego, California with branch campuses in Tokyo, Japan, Hong Kong, Taipei, Taiwan and Hanoi, Vietnam. The university offers associate, bachelor and masters degrees; it no longer offers doctorate degrees.

History

Established in 1976, Pacific Western University operated in the Brentwood, California suburb of Los Angeles for its first twenty years, and then moved to Westwood, California where it remained until relocating to San Diego, California in January 2006. Pacific Western University is currently owned by Steven Warfield.

Accreditation Status

Pacific Western University has never been accredited by any of the nationally recognized accrediting agencies in the United States.

Because Pacific Western is not accredited by any regional accreditation organization approved by the United States Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation the school’s degrees have been ruled as inadequate credentials for certain jobs by state officials in New Jersey and Michigan. Several other states have laws specifically prohibiting the use of unaccredited degrees in seeking civil service employment; Washington makes the use of such a degree a gross misdemeanor.

The university has approval from the Bureau of Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education (BPPVE) , an academic unit of the California Department of Consumer Protection which is in charge of approving private postsecondary institutions in the state , and is not part of the California Department of Education. The California BPPVE is not considered a recognized accrediting agency. PWU's website explains that licensing by the BPPVE "indicates that the institution is compliance with minimum state standards," but "does not imply any endorsement or recommendation by the state or the bureau" .

Controversy

In 1997, the State of Hawaii successfully sued the school for engaging in deceptive business practices by falsely advertising its programs as officially authorized by the state. The school was forced to restrict its activities in Hawaii and pay a $10,000 fine. In 2006, the State again sued PWU, this time for broader list of deceptive practices; PWU was fined $500,000 and enjoined from engaging in a list of various activities.

Pacific Western University was specifically mentioned in 2004 testimony (1, 2, 3) before the U.S. Congress on diploma mills and unaccredited schools by the head of the U.S. General Accounting Office’s Office of Special Investigations.

Controversy surrounding Australian judge and social activist Marcus Einfeld has drawn attention to Einfeld's Ph.D. degree from Pacific Western University with some Australian media outlets questioning the validity of the degree. Pacific Western University, however, has stated that it has no record Einfeld ever attended the school.

Degrees offered

• Associate of Science Degree in Business Administration
• Associate of Science Degree in General Studies
• Bachelor of Science Business Administration (BSBA)
• Bachelor of Science in Public Administration (BSPA)
• The Master in Business Administration (MBA)
• Masters of Science - Leadership Management

References

1. "Accreditation Database and Information". Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Retrieved 2006-08-18.
2. BBPPVE Listing for PWU
3. "California Postsecondary Education Commission -- Frequently Asked Questions". Retrieved 2006-08-23.
4. "Pacific Western University California State Approval". Retrieved 2006-08-19.

Further Reading

• Pacific Western University
• List of unaccredited institutions of higher learning