Universities PC / Higuey / La Romana?

As far as I know, Unibe Recinto Cap Cana (URCC) is the only one in the PC area, and it's expensive

Hig?ey:

Centro Universitario Regional del Este (CURE-UASD), state school and inexpensive

Universidad Cat?lica del Este (UCADE), private and affordable, with most trimesters costing around 9000 pesos for a full load

La Romana:

Centro Universitario Romanense (CUR-UASD), state school

Universidad Federico Henr?quez y Carbajal (UFHEC), private

San Pedro:

Universidad Central del Este (UCE), private

I think there are INFOTEP centers in every city: Instituto Nacional de Formaci?n T?cnico Profesional

Getting the right degree

caribmike said:

Yep, I'm pretty sure that UNIBE is way out of my price range...

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You haven't said the degree level sought (undergraduate, master's , PhD)... if you want a master's or higher degree your options are extremely limited...Furthermore, it is important to specify why you want the degree...(1) if it is just to get a diploma to hang it on a wall, it is one thing...(2) if you want to get an education just for yourself (personal development) is another...(3) if you want a degree that will help you get a good job in the DR is another...and (4) if you want a degree to help you internationally is yet another..

In the first case, you just want a piece of paper that says you have a "degree" in something, then you just get the cheapest possible option...if it is (2), personal development, then you want the cheapest option where you can actually learn something (for yourself)...Here the Catholic uni may be a good inexpensive choice, but if you are willing to study hard the public uni may be OK, also.

The last two situations are much more complicated...you may get a degree on the cheap, and maybe even learn a lot, but if the institution that awarded the degree is not recognised by the marketplace (where you want to get a good job) your degree may not help you at all or very little...then your "cheap" degree may in fact be a total waste of money...which'd make it extremely expensive... In the DR, of the mentioned choices UNIBE would be way ahead and may absolutely worth its cost...with the catholic uni in Higuey running a very distant second (it is a fairly new university, although the backing of the Catholic church does help).

If you want a degree good internationally (that is, that will actually help your career internationally) your ONLY option is to try to get a degree offered by an internationally known institution (preferably based on your target region, say US, Europe, etc)...Now, with the Internet it may be possible to find a degree offered by a reputable university over the Internet (they may be allied to a local university, and this may could help a lot)...this may be expensive, but if it is what you NEED it is what you need... I know for example of a foreign university offering a master's degree and perhaps even a doctorate (I think in education) in cooperation with the Catholic university in Higuey...with the students doing most if not all the work in Higuey.

Keep in mind that "expensive" degrees may be made affordable through some form of financial aid (loan, scholarship, etc)...For example, Fundapec is a private non-profit student-loan organisation.

Humm,,,since this is many years down the road, remember that PUCMM provides funding for any really good student. If the student is not so good, then funding can be found with a guarantor, generally speaking some blood relative who will pay back the student loans if the student fails to graduate or does not want to pay after graduating.

Apart from that, as others have said, a lot depends on the career path to be taken. Personally, anything outside of Santo Domingo or Santiago is less than the best, no matter what they say. It is a question of teaching talent, labs and access to the best of both.

You can consult education "specialists" but they are generally speaking pretty much a rip. Try and prepare the child, insuring good grades throughout his primary and secondary years. Make the child acquire a love of reading. No matter what, read read read read read read......stimulate games (not electronic games) in Math and science. Outdoors (always a good idea) and sports.
But above all reading. So much comes from reading...

When a career path has been chosen, then choose the school....


HB

caribmike said:

How do you think would UNIBE and UCADE compare to PUCMM in Santiago and SDQ and UASD?It is not me who wants / needs to study. I am trying to figure out what / where will be best for my now 4th grade son in future and in what part of the DR (in case we decide not to relocate to another country) I can get a sound education for him.

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I'd keep UASD in its own category.
The "big 3" (least weak?) as of now (this could change in the future) are:
PUCMM (SD=Sti), INTEC (especially for engineering, and possibly for medicine), UNIBE
Then, it is UNAPEC, UNPHU, Catolica SD
Then UCE, UCADE (and similar),
Then UTESA, UniCaribe, etc Probably UASD is a better choice than these.

UNAPEC may be an excellent value, particularly in business-related subjects.

None, however, compare to an average private/state uni in the US, Canada, or most of Europe... but the number of distance options (web-based and/or in association with a local uni) offered by reputable foreign unis should continue to grow.

In any case, it is fairly common for a Dominican to study in a city different from the one where his/her parents live...the DR is relatively small and the transportation situation is improving...such students would prefer to live with a relative while studying, but many live in "pensions" or share apartments.

Caribemike: What theycharge now will have nothing to do with what they charge in the future. Right now a semester of the Medical Faculty is probably close to 40,000 according to some of my students. Credits are 1650 each and registration is about 13K These numbers are what I think, not gospel. I think that the PUCMM is not the most expensive, and certainly not the least expensive. But get what you pay for. For a first degree, it is fine! Then, if the student wants to go further, he/she can do graduate work wherever.


HB