DSC to offer BA Degrees

The island’s premier tertiary institution, the Dominica State College (DSC), will introducing its first ever Bachelors Degree (BA) program in the next few years.

Head of the institution Donald Peters mentioned at an orientation ceremony earlier this week that the college would be introducing the program in 2014.

In an interview with Dominica News Online he gave the specific disciplines that will covered.

“Degrees will be offered in Business, Psychology, Sociology, Liberal Arts and Agricultural Technology,” Peters revealed.

Peters also took the opportunity to report on new courses being offered in the new academic year. “Gender issues, political science and public policy are some of the new course being offered this year,” he stated.

He disclosed that soon the campus will have a wireless internet service (WIFI) which will greatly benefit DSC students.

Over 5,000 students have graduated from the institution since its inception, according to Peters.

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53 Comments

  1. Be Nice
    September 2, 2012

    I think that if we put our hands and minds together, and if the DSC and the UWI centre can work together, we can have positive growth in the whole higher education venture that we are trying to have here.

    Also, if the people would support in a more positive way that would help too, I hope.

  2. Freethinker
    September 2, 2012

    Let’s hope these degrees will be valid elsewhere and that these degrees can moreover help Dominicans continue their education in graduate programs across the globe. Or, at a basic level, that this will simply help increase how educated we are, for those of us who attend classes, since ignorance is a significant problem for too many in the island. This is not an insult or a joke–this is a fact that needs to change.

  3. Francisco Telemaque
    September 1, 2012

    I have a simple question!

    Is the existing collage in Dominica an established four year collage, or simply an two year community collage?

    If it is not an accredited four collage; recognized, and its program sanctioned by let’s say the UWI, or some recognized university within the Commonwealth of Nations, where outside of Dominica will the bachelor in Arts degree earned by students be recognized?

    Every four collage I know is affiliated with some major university. For instance in California, every community collage is affiliated with perhaps the Cal State ” the California State University system’ ” or UCLA, or some other!

    Thus the disciplines they teach are basically the same as that found in the major universities circular; however, even if a person accumulates a thousand whatever in units, they cannot obtain anything more advanced than an AA, or AS degree in a junior or community collage.

    Nevertheless, the extra credit they earn might be good enough to be used as perquisites to enter a four-year collage or university.

    A two year collage can only offer: classes that will lead to an AA ( Associate in Arts ) or an AS ( Associate in Science), be it in psychology, or any other discipline Peters mentioned, since it takes at least sixty-four units within a two year period to obtain an AA. or an AS degree.

    Unless the educational system is different from every other place on earth as usual, I fail to comprehend how someone can obtain a BA in less than four years, at least not in a two year junior collage.

    ” Been there done that; ” so I know what it takes, and what is required!

    So, again I ask, is the collage in Dominica a four-year collage?

    Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque

    • Joe
      September 3, 2012

      Francisco read the article properly, it say by 2014, currently it is a two-year college but hopes by 2014 they should be ready to do four year courses that will see our people doing the degree.

      We too have been there and done that so we will do the right thing to ensure our degrees are internationally recognized.

    • budman
      September 3, 2012

      how many times are you going to misspell the word “college”?

    • spicy
      September 3, 2012

      I CANT BELIEVE YOU SPELLED COLLEGE AS COLLAGE 10 TIMES.

  4. Ray
    September 1, 2012

    I hope people are not expecting a university to be delivered into their laps. We can’t seat back and expect somebody to do the work for us. And we can not continue to make excuses for not doing what has to be done. We are busy investing time and money in other people’s colleges and universities and finding excuses for not developing ours. Great!
    I want to congratulate all those who see this as a positive step and will choose to be pioneers in this venture. It is they who must work really hard to see that it succeeds and prove the spectators wrong. Success comes with action – not talk. A bachelors program is absolutely doable at DSC!

    • Call 1800 HINT
      September 2, 2012

      I hope you not sitting somewhere in some foreign country doing yours.

    • Be Nice
      September 2, 2012

      Ray, I totally agree with you. We need a 4 year college in Dominica desperately! We have the UWI Centre and this is good, but if the DSC wants to become a 4 year College, why not. One of the terrible brain drain in Dominica, is the fact that almost everyone who wants to study has to take a loan and go overseas to get a degree. They get involved in life there and may never come back to Dominica to help in nation building. This is why the country is remaining so backward and most of the comments to positive articles are so negative.

      We need a 4 year college, and I think that Mr. Peters is intelligent enough to know what he is doing and to know the process of accreditation for the offering Bachelors Degrees. I am right here in Dominica, by the way and I see the dire need to educate our people here, at home. that those who cannot afford to go abroad to study, or who cannot get a loan to go can study here. Let us raise the level of literacy and yes, education right here in Dominica. I l o v e that!!! Hip, hip hip hurah! Mr. Peters.

  5. Homeboy
    September 1, 2012

    A positive step in the right direction to all those responsible. However, as was pointed out by the other readers the courses that are going to be offered have to be those that are most pertinent and relevant:

    Agriculture, information Technology, computer programming, nursing, education, business!! Hope this materializes.

    • Homeboy
      September 1, 2012

      And there must be accreditation allowing students to move on to higher heights.

  6. concerned student
    August 31, 2012

    I hope you get the effective and caring teachers to prepare us for this BA degree because some of the teachers do not teach properly. Some of the good teachers are Ms. James, Mr. Grell, Ms. Williams, Ms. Lewis, Mr. Boyd, Mr. Martin etc.

  7. HATE
    August 31, 2012

    Again we are missing the mark. Yes, great to know that our citizens can attain BA s son on island, but where is MATHEMATICS and the other SCIENCES?

    While all other countries are encouraging Sciences we don’t include in our plan? Science fuels the future. We continue to fall behind.

    Include sciences…. Get China to Donate labs instead of Fisheries complexes that are never utilized.

    • Malatete
      September 2, 2012

      Point taken but all three underused fishery complexes were donated by Japan (…at our insistence) not China. They did put money into he pockets of some local construction companies but are a a drain on the treasury.

    • Be Nice
      September 2, 2012

      I love your comment, but you should choose a nicer name :) Yes, we should have the Sciences AND the Arts. Develop both sides of the brain.

  8. Huh?
    August 31, 2012

    Good luck with that because the current system is a hot mess. I wonder how they will manage with the four-year degree programmes!

  9. Patriotism
    August 31, 2012

    Dominica State College must first organized the college before venturing into bachelor degree, they are not credited for As how are they going to get credited for BA.

    They are rushing to open the college on the 3rd September and they not ready, then need to clean up the chaos at the college first.

  10. Concerned
    August 31, 2012

    We seriously and urgently need a Political Science as well as Economics Program. Just look at the riff-raff that end up governing our country. These should be the priority areas, Not Sociology and Liberal Arts. We need to equip people to run our country and businesses. The people that end up managing Ministries would not even get supervisory positions in the private sector for the lack of qualifications, yet they in a position to put policy in place for these same sectors. SMH. Shameful

  11. budman
    August 31, 2012

    will this be universally accredited?

    • Anonymous
      August 31, 2012

      In this day and age, why not? Once the UWI, University of London, and others give their blessings then we good !!!

  12. student
    August 31, 2012

    hmmmm i hope this b.a will be more organised and ready cus the college on a whole is still disorganised. stress to obtain this lil associates muchless for the b.a but i will await it when it comes and take the chance because education is the key to success. but great move just hope it will be organised and ready.

    • Anonymous
      August 31, 2012

      I have been to universities in the Caribbean and trust me they are all work in progress – that includes the great UWI based in Jamaica. Pity you may be challenged financially to go discover for yourself.

      And on top of that you have your economic cost to deal with – no free lunch outside of DA; you must pay that rent on time and pinch the little money you getting from home. When you see you down to your last tin of condense milk and packet of crackers and it is only the 18 of the month with another two weeks to go before you get money then you wish you home doing the BA offered by the DSC.

    • Be Nice
      September 2, 2012

      Dear Student, If the AA is very difficult, it is because the high schools need to prepare the students for College. There must be a bridge. For Example, college English needs a bridge from high school English, the same goes for Maths. There must be a program organized by the High Schools or the College to bridge the gap between the two. This will make things much easier for the students and earning a degree will still be challenging, but the joy will be greater. There is a lot of work to be done on this here in Dominica.

  13. me
    August 31, 2012

    BA? BSC? who he fink he fooling? who going to accredit dat degree there? for a school degrees to be accepted elsewhere they must be accredited; the DSC dosnt have accreditation except with little known schools such as gramling and monroe; for one to be well accredited the lecturers must be well qualified; 90% of the lecturers at DSC hold a megre BSc, not even a masters degree much less PHds, so how degree so??

  14. Marcus Hill
    August 31, 2012

    UWI and other recognised Universities not even recognising the Associates degree from DSC but is BA Donald Peters want to talk about.

    Parents please check the status of this programme at DSC. It is a shame that after one works so hard he/she finds out that they can not use this qualification to enter a reputable University.

    Dr. Peters should get the foundation right before he runs off on a tangent with his grandios ideas.

  15. Malatete
    August 31, 2012

    Very good, provided these degrees have a recognised value either here but even more so outside Dominica. They should, at least be on par with those of U.W.I. in this respect.

  16. dor
    August 30, 2012

    ha ha ha ha ha

    • lookin on
      September 1, 2012

      so long DSC have wirelesss…the chinese that building the new school even coming and use it

  17. teacher
    August 30, 2012

    what about BA in Education???

  18. Nacinimod
    August 30, 2012

    Internationally recognized accreditation is key to the future success of DSC. Without it moving on to graduate school could be problematic for students.

    With the considerable talent and influence of Dr. Peters I am confident that the college will have at least provisional accreditation status by the time the launch the baccalaureate degree program.

  19. huh?
    August 30, 2012

    what about B.A in IT or computer science

  20. داود عبد الرحمن
    August 30, 2012

    Where is the Bachelors in Nursing they boasted about?

    • Homeboy
      September 1, 2012

      Nursing is a very serious field. Along with the BSN they need some form of accreditation services for when the individuals get that degree. They need to approach this seriously. But I agree a nursing degree is highly recommended.

  21. Channel 1
    August 30, 2012

    Good moves by the Dominica State College.

    • Seriously
      August 30, 2012

      people staying all four years to do a little 2yr associates degree, when college start offering Bachelors, they will take ten yrs to do it! LOLOLOLOLO :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

      • Channel 1
        August 31, 2012

        Dem people that taking four years to finish a two year program (ie providing they are full-time students) should take their work seriously and stop failing their courses and having to repeat them over and over.

      • cohenval
        August 31, 2012

        What bout when the masters is offered? What will you say?

  22. lol
    August 30, 2012

    bodier, a state college don’t even have wireless Internet yet?? In 2012?? Nah Man!!!!

    That Government really need to focus on the educational facilities of the country!!!!!!!
    Magwe sa. DA trop backward!!!!!!!!!!!

    • Student
      August 30, 2012

      As a DSC student, there is wifi in the main building, but with the Blackberry infiltration its not even a necessity or a help really. And when you consider how many students have laptops its not many. And also there is no main area for students to stay. think before you leap to hasty conclusions

    • budman
      August 31, 2012

      i dont know why you are receiving so many thumbs down. I , too, found it a disgrace that in 2012 there was no wifi up there of all places.

      • Freethinker
        September 2, 2012

        Dominicans on here like giving thumbs down whenever someone’s comment isn’t “positive” and happy. It’s quite childish.

    • lookin on
      September 1, 2012

      so long…I tell you chinese in boxers coming and steal it to webcam back home

    • Replier
      September 1, 2012

      of course they do dem chinese using that wii

  23. Anonymous
    August 30, 2012

    So what about the A level results? Is DSC offering A levels?

    • student
      August 30, 2012

      Dey were always offering A levels

      • Student
        August 30, 2012

        no they were you have to do them privately aside from the courses at DSC

      • Malgraysa
        August 31, 2012

        Student, you need to follow course in spelling then. “Dey” instead of “They”?

    • Marcus Hill
      August 31, 2012

      No.

      They offer an Associates Degree but since the DCS is not recognised by the Region’s premier institution of higher learning (UWI) then students with this degree are not accepted to UWI programme. (Certainly this is the case for studies in Medicine at UWI).

      Students do A levels privately and there are a few private tutors in Dominica who offer clases.

      • myseir
        August 31, 2012

        a BA with out accreditation is a DA that how will will remain we to get the the foundation right MR Peters should no better because he work in a College in the states but how did he arrive back in Dominica was because of patriotism i don’t think so it was because he was terminated the most disgraceful thing is that UWI campus in Dominica dont recognised out ass-ociated degree so that Peter St Jean has to worried about

      • budman
        August 31, 2012

        so in other words the educational system is still a joke?

      • Anonymous
        August 31, 2012

        That is just higher level education politics. Trust me. The established UWI is fighting for the same student to enroll in their university to subsidised the cost of their operations since they always charge less for their nationals in Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad.

        The students all use the very same textbooks regardless of the university they attend.

        The majority of the lecturers were once students of the UWI who most of them graduated with distinctions and honors !!! So how comes the UWI have a problem with their own graduates when they are lecturing at other universities but do not have a problem when they work independently with UWI?

      • Francisco Telemaque
        September 1, 2012

        I did not see your comments prior to writing mine.

        Read what I said in reference to the UWI; you are correct, and know what you are talking about!

        FET.

    • cohenval
      August 31, 2012

      Even the government has no faith in its own associate degree. It uses the A’level results to award the island scholar.

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