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The AADP and the AAMA are the most prominent and related organizations at this time in the United States for accrediting a metaphysical institution. These are the only agencies in existence at this time that are "a grouping of our peers." University of Metaphysical Sciences is accredited by the AADP, American Association of Drugless Practitioners (www.aadp.net) and the AAMA, American Alternative Medical Association (www.joinaama.com). Please feel free to visit their sites and check our school listing with them. Students and graduates of University of Metaphysical Sciences are eligible to apply for membership within these and other organizations upon attainment of the degree that makes them eligible for acceptance by the respective agency.
AADP,
American Association Of Drugless Practitioners
http://www.aadp.net
AAMA,
American Alternative Medical Association
http://www.joinaama.com
The AADP and AAMA were established to meet the need of association and comparison to each other on the part of those who practice and teach metaphysics. It consists of many practitioners and schools. The University of Metaphysical Sciences has met all criteria of the AADP and the AAMA. Upon evaluation, University of Metaphysical Sciences was granted accreditation by both agencies. The two agencies are related. The AADP accredits the undergraduate degrees at UMS, and the AAMA accredits the doctoral level degrees at UMS.
The quality of a university truly depends on the content of curriculum material, reputation and the quality of its graduates. Accreditation is optional for all colleges and universities.
NOTE: This is spiritual accreditation, not secular accreditation. (Secular means "non-spiritual"). Education at UMS is not a substitute for education at traditional or secular colleges. University of Metaphysical Sciences is not a Title IV school, which is what is necessary if you want to use federal student loans or grants. UMS does not teach math, English, or other required courses for credit at other colleges. Your degree at University of Metaphysical Sciences is not transferable for credit at secular universities and is strictly religious in nature. If you desire to pursue a secular degree such as engineering, law or medical professions, for instance, you cannot use a Bachelor's degree from University of Metaphysical Sciences to substitute for your lower level classes in that degree field with another college. You cannot attend UMS for the purpose of transferring credits among traditional secular colleges or for the purpose of getting federal grants or loans because the AADP and the AAMA are not recognized by the US Department of Education for that purpose. Those accrediting agencies are only for schools and practitioners. University of Metaphysical Sciences is a religious degree granting institution, and the degrees can only be applicable to such a field. University of Metaphysical Sciences is a religious exempt school and does not attain these types of accreditations because it is not preparing students for careers in secular fields.
The goal of secular accreditation is to ensure that courses are transferable between similar colleges. Accrediting agencies make sure that Math 101 at one college is of the same caliber and quality as Math 101 at another accredited college. It is to make sure that the same things are taught in the course at each college. The same with English, Science, and other secular courses. That is the main reason people take a course at an accredited college, so that one can transfer that course later to another college if he or she decides to continue studies elsewhere.
Accredited colleges have the option to accept courses from another accredited school or not to. Even accreditation by an agency recognized by the United States Department of Education will not insure that a course from one school is transferable to another accredited college.
What a metaphysical school teaches is not normally taught in regular colleges. There are no courses at secular colleges that a metaphysical course can be used as a substitute for. As you can see, secular accreditation cannot be applied to religious schools. Spirituality is a subjective field of study and cannot be exactly the same from one school to the next. Spiritual courses, even if they are accredited, will rarely be transferable to another college, accredited or not, because there are no courses of a similar nature at secular colleges.
The reason most people want to go to a secular accredited school is because they would be able to use federal student loans and grants. The other reason is because they are seeking a high paying job in the secular market. That is the only place that an accredited degree is applicable, like engineering, law, and the medical field. In spiritual markets, accreditation is a moot point.
Most people in spiritual markets don't even know what accreditation is, let alone require it in someone who they are taking a spiritual class from or getting spiritual counseling from. Even a spiritually focused job at a retreat center or church is not going to require that your degree be accredited. Accreditation is completely unnecessary if you plan on working in the spiritual field. If you aren't going to be pursuing work in the secular market then accreditation is unnecessary.
What UMS has is spiritual accreditation by an agency that compares us to our peers. We do not have secular accreditation which is recognized by the United States Department of Education, which would allow us to accept federal student loans and grants. University of Metaphysical Sciences is not a Title IV school at this time and being a Title IV school would be the only advantage of having secular accreditation for UMS.
Perhaps in the future University of Metaphysical Sciences will become a Title IV school, but right now it would cause the students to spend far more money than they have to and UMS has chosen not to pursue United States Department of Education recognized accreditation because spiritual careers simply don't require it. We also don't want students to be saddled with large student loans later collecting interest that they cannot pay back, all for secular accreditation which isn't necessary in spiritual career fields. You will not find a job through the classifieds in the newspaper with this degree, as there are no ads looking for an "accredited metaphysician."
It still brings credibility to your work to have a spiritual degree from a well-known school like University of Metaphysical Sciences. People seeking spiritual guidance are not going to ask you about secular accreditation recognized by the government, and most of them don't even know what it is. You are working toward bringing credibility to your spiritual work and a spiritual school's degree is fine for that purpose. Only in the secular job market is a secular accredited degree recognized by the United States government necessary and useful. This is not a secular field.
If we raise our prices to adjust for secular accreditation, which means nothing in the metaphysical field, it would mean students would have to take 6-8 years minimum to go through our school in order to attain a Ph.D. Students would also have to pay a lot of money for our educational service during that time. It would be unnecessary to make it take that long to earn a spiritual degree or cost ten times as much.
We feel that charging high prices for a government recognized metaphysical education would defeat the purpose of assisting those who have important spiritual work to do in the world, especially now when humanity needs you as a teacher, healer and leader in this quantum leap in evolution that humanity is now taking into a brighter future. We do not want to see our students saddled with huge student loans they will have a hard time paying back later. We want to see you get on with your work. Accreditation is an old paradigm system that you won't be working with anyway, so why make things harder financially for students with unnecessary requirements?
Religious degrees are used differently. Our graduates aren't trying to fit into secular jobs with these degrees. Most of our students are looking for credentials for their independent work like writing books, spiritual classes, spiritual counseling, and other endeavors. A religious degree is legal for this kind of work and people in this field create their own market in the spiritual community and spiritual marketplace. They are working outside the secular box.
To Be Accredited Or Not To Be? Which Is Better?
Do you really need secular accreditation for a career in metaphysics and spirituality? Are you going to seek a job in a secular career field or a spiritual career field? You have to ask yourself these questions in order to know if this is the right education for you.
The spiritual accreditation we have is appropriate and legal for a spiritual degree. If you plan on teaching spiritual classes, writing books, or other types of independent work in the field of metaphysics, then a school with accreditation through the AADP and the AAMA is perfectly applicable.
If you plan to get a job with the government, medical community, or plan to work in a secular field or any sort, then yes, you need a degree from a college that is accredited by an agency recognized by the US Department of Education. University of Metaphysical Sciences degrees, nor degrees from any metaphysical school for that matter, can substitute for secular degrees in the secular system. If you want a secular job, you need a secular degree, not a spiritual degree. If you want to use your federal student loans, you will need to pursue a secular education as well.
Technically, accreditation would be inappropriate until a systematic process for learning spiritual things is determined, and that could bring forth problems with discrimination. Who will determine these parameters? Who will decide what is appropriate and necessary to learn in a spiritual context? It is not possible to determine that the spiritual course of one school is equal to another school's spiritual course, since spirituality is a very individual path. It is better that spirituality remain an individual path and that there is no "set in stone" method of teaching a spiritual tradition or religion. It is better that this remains an individual choice for each person. Perhaps someday there will be a decided spiritual path for humanity and all schools must teach the same spirituality in specific courses, but we are not sure that would be a good thing.
Is A Student Loan Right For You?
University of Metaphysical Sciences does not encourage students to take out loans. Student loans accrue interest.
The trouble with taking out a large loan is that you will be paying it back for many years, long after you have finished your education. You will regret taking out a large loan because you will pay twice or even three times the original amount after you finish paying all the interest on the loan.
That is why University of Metaphysical Sciences keeps the prices low and offers a modest payment plan so that people are free to continue their spiritual work without burden after their education at University of Metaphysical Sciences. It could take decades to pay back a large student loan accruing interest. There is something out of balance with the student loan system and you don’t find out about that until after the fact.
If you're going to be a doctor, engineer, lawyer or other professional, then yes, those types of large loans and expensive paybacks are appropriate. However, we don't believe that a metaphysical education should cost that much. Accredited or not, a metaphysical degree is not going to get you a high paying job in the secular career field. This degree is only for bringing credibility to your spiritual offerings and life work, and for being in service to others as they are awakening. That is what a metaphysical education is training you for. We don't want to make it cost as much as a secular market degree would cost because it is not likely that you will make the same kind of money that a doctor or lawyer will make with their degree.
We want to see you get on with your life purpose and work. University of Metaphysical Sciences is assisting humanity in its awakening by training those who are the teachers, leaders and healers in this quickening process that is happening in the mass consciousness. You are the future teachers, leaders, and healers. We want to see you succeed in your spiritual work in the world, not be saddled with a loan you cannot pay back, which then hinders your spiritual work in the world. Our foremost concern is making this education affordable for everyone, rich or poor, and we will stick to that prime directive. We care deeply about our students and do not want to create a financial situation they will regret later.
University of Metaphysical Sciences offers a plan for every budget. Even if people have to take a break for a while from their payment plan, we work with everyone. We have a systematic way of allowing for it through Leave of Absence periods. This way you can still continue to work on your studies and complete your exams that you already have if you want to, but payments and course deliveries would be put on hold until you are in a better situation. We have seen it all, heard it all, worked with it all, and we get everyone through who wants to finish without putting them in a situation where they are saddled with interest accruing debts they cannot afford. We believe that operating our school with integrity at every level of business is of utmost importance.
Metaphysical schools charging exorbitant prices, we don't see why. We know what a great education in metaphysics can be offered for and we offer it. That is why we keep our non-profit status intact and continue to offer this for a price that everyone can afford. Many who have been to more expensive schools than UMS, and decide to continue their studies with UMS instead, are shocked at how much more we offer, how thoroughly our courses are researched and presented, and how much free interaction we provide for our students to take advantage of. It is not about making money for us. It is about assisting humanity, and those who are its future teachers, healers and leaders.
Metaphysical Schools Claiming They'll Get Accredited
We have spoken with professional accreditation consultants about this situation. It would be wonderful if metaphysical schools can be accredited by secular agencies someday. If that trend starts, we will be right in line to do it with any other metaphysical school if we decide we want to do that. The accredited version of our school would have to be more expensive because the program would be a little different. However, we will always preserve and operate a less expensive version of our school that remains a spiritual exempt school, with spiritual accreditation rather than secular accreditation. We do not want to see anyone left behind.
At this time there are court cases against accrediting agencies for not allowing alternative spiritual schools other than Christian schools to be accredited and "compared to their peers." At this time, that is the barrier against metaphysical schools. It is considered religious discrimination in the accrediting field, so this is being challenged by non-Christian spiritual schools now. Needless to say, it is going to be hard work to break down secular barriers in this field.
University of Metaphysical Sciences has decided to wait until the battles concerning religious discrimination in the secular accrediting agencies are over. At that time, we will then acquire secular accreditation if it is appropriate once those battles are over. In the meantime, we have the spiritual alternative accreditation with the agencies we are currently with because at this time that is a true collection of our peers which we have been compared to.
Metaphysics is considered a "new and emerging field of study" by the secular accrediting agencies and they are not likely to think outside the box anytime soon. It will take time and money to make them do that. They will have to be forced to do it by law. You cannot at this time use your government student loans and grants on a metaphysics degree, although some states and rehabilitation programs have allowed it if it is a state or private foundation benefit for the person using it. We have been able to accept grants and student loans from state and private agencies supporting people in rehabilitation programs.
Expensive metaphysics or spiritual degrees with a "we are going to apply for accreditation, but we don't have it yet" marketing approach are somewhat iffy at this time. Realize that if you go for education at a school based on a promise to attain accreditation, you could be spending a lot of money and end up not studying at a school that is any different than spiritually accredited schools like ours and others. Your money would be spent on a promise rather than the real thing.
If a school is not accredited by a secular accrediting agency at this time, do not be influenced into working toward an expensive degree based on a "promise to apply for accreditation." Even if schools don't get the accreditation, they can claim for years that they are going to apply for it, making themselves look more important than other metaphysical schools while selling extremely high priced degrees that will amount to nothing more than what other metaphysical schools have to offer.
There are schools from several spiritual backgrounds doing the work to break down secular accreditation barriers at this time. We are using University of Metaphysical Sciences resources differently at this time. We have already had our hands full preventing religious discrimination in the education systems at state levels, working to establish fair and clear laws concerning schools in the United States through state senate committee meetings and communications with lawmakers. That is our share of doing the work to clear the way for metaphysical schools to exist, so we are doing our part. By all schools doing their part, it comes together!
Many people abuse this term without really knowing what they are talking about. Religious schools are called that by those who don’t understand how religious degrees work. Some people like to say any school not accredited by an agency recognized by the United States Department of Education is a diploma mill. That is not correct.
Religious degrees are not subject to governmental oversight or required to have similarity between courses like secular courses are at secular schools. Spiritual courses are rarely transferable, even among religious schools, because religious teachings are so different from one school to another. Secular accreditation is an unnecessary expense both to the school and to its students when it comes to spiritual studies. Courses are literally non-transferable from one school to the next concerning spirituality of any sort.
There are thousands and thousands of schools that do not need secular accreditation nor do they seek it even though they would qualify for it. This is because their curriculum is so unique to the particular teachings they endorse.
A diploma mill offers degrees based on life experience or very little coursework, and has an extremely low price for the degree. If there are courses at all they will probably be written by one person or two. Yes, there are some diploma mills that cost very little in the field of metaphysics and you will probably come across them in your searches. Some of these diploma mills have even been around for decades. A diploma mill metaphysics doctorate degree will cost somewhere under $1000. We have even seen diploma mill degrees in metaphysics for as low as $200 with the requirement of just writing a 3-5 page letter about why you deserve it, pay the money, and immediately you get a piece of paper in the mail.
UMS is not in that category. University of Metaphysical Sciences was the first school to see the need for a true education in metaphysical studies and put together the first real curriculum for metaphysical students. UMS students have to work hard to get through our curriculum. This is not an easy "write a 5-page paper and you get your degree" kind of school. There are 80 courses, 80 exams, and 70 meditations. The meditations serve as lab work that you would have in live classes, and gives direct experiences in what you are learning.
Students have a vast amount of dialogue and interaction with the faculty at University of Metaphysical Sciences if the student chooses to take advantage of that. We also provide interactive chatrooms, webinars and teleconferences with faculty, teachers, and other students, as well as forums, videos, and virtual classrooms where students take live classes online. Diploma mills offer nothing of the sort and have no interaction between faculty and students. University of Metaphysical Sciences offers large amounts of interaction between faculty and students, and is always finding new ways to assist students in connecting with staff and each other as new internet technologies emerge.
Also, University of Metaphysical Sciences does not offer any credit for life experience, which is a common diploma mill practice. We have students from all levels of spiritual knowledge, from beginners to those who have been running their own retreat centers for 40 years or have bestselling books. No matter how much life experience someone has, we must be sure that everyone who graduates from University of Metaphysical Sciences has the same knowledge as all other students who graduate from University of Metaphysical Sciences. There must be consistency among graduates.
Even those who have been in metaphysics for 40 years or more have gaps in their knowledge. An education at University of Metaphysical Sciences fills in those gaps. UMS is setting a new standard for an education in metaphysics. Our courses were heavily researched and organized by over 50 writers and instructors who specialize in the field that course is about. The viewpoints of thousands of famous teachers are presented in our courses without having to pay famous people's prices for those viewpoints. Needless to say, and education at University of Metaphysical Sciences is priceless for someone who is seeking spiritual enhancement on a personal level as well as seeking the training necessary for being a guide to others on the spiritual path.
University of Metaphysical Sciences keeps its price low for a specific reason, even though the course work is very involved and integrated. We care about people getting their work out into the world without financial burdens collecting interest. We want you to start doing your part to assist humanity in its awakening without being hindered by large student loans you cannot pay back because the interest gets out of control in the long run.
UMS is a non-profit organization, unlike most metaphysical schools, and refuses to put a solid metaphysics education out of the reach of ordinary people. We have been told multitudes of times that we should charge $15,000 to $20,000 for our education, that our education out-performs the curriculum of even the most expensive metaphysical school, but we won’t.
This is not an era focused on amassing great wealth for a few at the top of a business. This is an era of change and awakening of the masses. We are here to assist in that process. When you get to the other side, they don't care how much money you made. They ask you how you affected the world. We consider our karmic bank account far more important than any earthly bank account! For University of Metaphysical Sciences, it is about assisting humanity. Very few schools operate from that prime directive, but the founder and the organization behind UMS do.
Not once have we ever received a complaint about our price. Quite the opposite. Our students always ask us why we didn’t charge them more because they are amazed by how much they get. They end up with bookshelves worth of material, literally a reference library, they have a large CD collection of meditations, and they have more than they could have bought if they collected all this information on their own. We want you to feel thrilled and fulfilled to have received a high quality education at a low, affordable tuition cost and we want to see you get on with your life work in the world.
To University of Metaphysical Sciences, wealth is something different than money. We get emails everyday from people thanking us for making this affordable for them, that their lives have completely changed after going through our courses, their spiritual career has taken off, and that even their families and friends have seen the changes in them. That is what we consider our wealth to be. This is why we bring you the $15,000-$20,000 education for only $2000-$3000.
Each of our students have important work in the world to carry out, books to write, classes to teach, and people to counsel and heal. We are here for those who are ready to play their role in the shift that is happening for humanity. By working with the future teachers, healers and leaders, we assist many by the ripples that reach out from the thousands of our students to others in the world who we may never meet.
People who are only in our school in order to attain personal enrichment and don't plan on launching a metaphysics career, even they change the world around them by the people who benefit from knowing them. The world is changed by each of us touching the part of the universe we can each reach. If everyone reaches the part of the world they can reach, then the whole world is changed.
University of Metaphysical Sciences & Investors
We have been approached by many investors who have said, “I can make this a huge enterprise! You can make millions! I can get this school to the top of the game, and get famous people on board! Just make me your partner!” We have turned them all down. They simply don’t understand what University of Metaphysical Sciences is about. They don’t have the purity in the heart that is necessary for truly being Christ-like and working in the world for something other than material gain. They were all operating from a point of view as seeing UMS as a money making machine, a get rich quick plan, and we don't see it that way.
University of Metaphysical Sciences is at the top of the game anyway and we are the biggest school of our kind already. We are in the process of translating all our courses into other languages and in negotiations for opening branches in other countries at this time. We are in the process of researching and asking for grants from philanthropists for our scholarship fund (which we have not attained yet so if you are a philanthropist, please help the needy spiritual seekers who wish to become students). We get requests more and more as people sink lower into economic need and cannot even afford the $50-60 per month payment plan. We invite wealthy people to give from their hearts and contribute to our scholarship fund in order to assist spiritual seekers and the future teachers, leaders and healers, but we do not allow anyone to imagine University of Metaphysical Sciences as a possible money making machine for themselves.
We are working for change in the world. We see that the best way to go about this is to make University of Metaphysical Sciences affordable, reachable and doable by people from every kind of budget. We are even in the process of doing translations into languages for third world countries we will never make money in. We are finding ways to put this information for free into prisons and mental health institutions. We are finding ways to offer free things online through videos, teleconferences and weekly meditations.
Reaching the masses and doing our part in order to create world change is what this is about. It is not about making big money. We could do that, but that is not our purpose. Our purpose is to be here for you so that you can do your part to assist humanity in its spiritual evolution. University of Metaphysical Sciences is not driven by materialistic purposes. That is what makes University of Metaphysical Sciences so rare in this age of materialism and financial gain.
Do You Need Famous People On Faculty To Make Your Education Legitimate?
Some metaphysical schools have secured a few famous people on their faculty or in their advertising to endorse them. Some even make sure you know about famous graduates. We have famous students as well, but we will not use their names to endorse our school. We are respecting their privacy and have not asked them to endorse University of Metaphysical Sciences.
Fame is not an appropriate marketing tool for a metaphysical school, in our opinion. Famous people are not working for free, they are being paid, and you are going to have to pay a lot in order to attend that school if you are enrolling in order to work with a famous person.
If famous teachers is your thing, you can meet those famous people in a workshop for far less money if that is your motive for being attracted to a school with famous people in it. You can still attain personal connections with famous people by going to their workshops, but you don’t have to go to a school to do that. In fact, you will get more interaction with them at their workshops than you will at a school they work with.
University of Metaphysical Sciences does not believe fame is what qualifies an instructor to teach. Being famous is not true credibility. We all know what a good marketing budget can do. We have found humble and amazing teachers who specialize in their field and have given of themselves without being driven by money. They are just as good and even superior in some cases to highly paid famous people. Famous people are not the only ones qualified to teach in given subjects.
In fact, some of them have been corrupted from their original intentions by the fact that now they have a lot of money, demand high prices for their services, and some have even gotten arrogant from all the attention they have received. It is not unusual for people to be disappointed after meeting rich and famous spiritual teachers who are no longer operating from the purity of heart they originally started with. Famous people making a lot of money from their spiritual work often lose their way, being influenced by the materialism money brings, and are not in integrity anymore even if they started out with good intentions.
Our teachers have been teaching their own classes for many years on their subject matter, without the glory of fame and money. They continue to work in their fields, teach classes, and write articles and books and they are experts in their field. They have the same skills just as much as their famous counterparts, and possibly even more skills because they are still working in their field rather than riding on the past history they had but are no longer working in it.
University of Metaphysical Sciences refuses to use fame as a marketing tool. We do not feel your decision to choose a metaphysical school should be based on whether a famous person attends it or instructs at it. We feel that a person should choose a school because they feel right about it, are attracted to the courses, and because that school practices full integrity in what they do.
In Closing
You don’t have to be in a school accredited by a secular agency recognized by the US Department of Education if you aren’t planning on working in a secular field with this degree. You don't have to study with famous people charging exorbitant prices in order for your education to be legitimate. You also don’t have to pay the price this education is really worth because we have the heart for keeping it low. The spiritual accreditation we currently have is more appropriate for what you will be doing with this degree.
We operate within our non-profit status so everyone can go through our program who wants to, no matter what their income is. We continue to offer this education for a low price, even though we deliver a better curriculum than even the most expensive metaphysical school.
You also will be associated with thousands of other University of Metaphysical Sciences students all over the world who have been through our program and changed their lives. You will also connected with millions who use our free resources and materials for enhancement, since not everyone desires to pursue a degree. We work with everyone.
This is more than just a place to gather knowledge. This is a transformative experience that costs far below its worth. You will be in the company of other people who are in the same work that you are, and it is very useful to have those connections. An education at University of Metaphysical Sciences is priceless.
University of Metaphysical Sciences is an online metaphysics university offering college degree study. A degree from University of Metaphysical Sciences is a religious degree, not a secular degree, and cannot replace a secular education. Wisdom of the Heart Church also sponsors Gaia Sagrada Retreat Center.
“This is just a quick email to say I looooooove the meditation CDs. I listened to 3 tracks last night and drifted off into peaceful oblivion.” — M.A., UMS Student
"I have never been so happy to be associated with a university as I have with UMS. The staff is caring, compassionate, and ready to assist in any way possible." — J.O., UMS Student
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