Companion Animal Sciences Institute

• Is a diploma a degree?

A diploma is not a degree. It is a document certifying the completion of a course of study. CASI does not issue degrees. We  award certificates to represent graduation from a course. A diploma represents completion of a program of study including several courses.

• How does it work? How do I work toward my graduation?
  

Here is how it works taking a course or program of study through The Companion Animal Sciences Institute:

Step #1. Explore the diploma and certificate programs and courses and decide what would be best for your goals. 
 
Step #2. Click the ENROLL link to complete the enrollment application. You will be notified whether you are accepted or not and if you are accepted, you will receive the enrollment agreement to complete two copies of and send in.
 
Step #3. Send tuition in the form of a money order or pay online. Payment plans are available. 
 
Step #4. Start studying the required materials and working on your assignments.

Step #5. When you hand in your assignments your work will be graded and if a passing grade is earned a certificate / diploma will be awarded. 

• How can I learn about animal training and behavior consulting via distance? What about hands-on practice?
  

• Where can I find the tuition fees and are there any other fees?

The tuition fees can be found on each course page or the program page. When you click on the title of a course it will bring you to the course page. Online payments include a 4% service charge and Canadian residents pay 5% GST. There are no other fees (e.g. enrollment or graduation fees etc.). Although one can earn their diploma one course at a time it is far less expensive to enroll in the program as a whole.

• Can I take one course to see if I like it and then enroll in the program as a whole afterward?

Indeed you may take one course and then enroll in the program as a whole afterward. However, the tuition for the program will not be adjusted. Fortunately, the discount for enrolling in the program as a whole is such that it is usually still worth while to do it this way rather than continuing on course by course. If you completed a course and enroll in a program afterward, your time frame will not be lessened so you will still have the full program time even though you will not have to complete the coursework for the course you have already graduated. The least expensive option is to enroll in the program as a whole. The benefit, also, of enrolling in the program as a whole is flexibility in time. There are no intermediate deadlines, only the one for the program, so if you need to take time off for a while, you don't have to worry that a course must be completed within a couple months. See question below on course by course versus program also.

• Should I enroll in a diploma program or do my studies one course at a time?
  

If all you are interested in is one topic and one course then by all means do not enroll in a program as a whole; the programs are for those who want a more comprehensive and well-rounded education in the program fields. If you are interested in working toward your diploma program though, there are some benefits of enrolling in the program as a whole. You save a significant amount of money on the tuition, as the diploma programs cost less than the cumulative amount for each course. Also, nothing is due before the final program deadline (even then, we offer extensions), which means you have quite a bit of flexibility.

• Are there exams or assignments to complete?

Most assignments involve the completion of essay assignments (some based on hands on training, consulting or practical career development tasks) and some include end-of-course exams. The exams are derived directly from the course texts and are delivered via email. You get the assignments immediately upon enrolling and they are due by the end of the course. Some assignments are hands-on. Some require training a dog, coaching a human volunteer or video recording in rare instances. The course or program page will state whether you will be required to do any of these though, so that you know up-front.

• Of what value is a Companion Animal Sciences Institute certificate or diploma?

The Companion Animal Sciences Institute certificates and diplomas tell clients that you have been formally educated in what you do; that you are serious about your profession, and that your knowledge has been formally tested. Credentials are an important sign of a serious professional. The Companion Animal Sciences Institute also provides continuing education credits for recertification through the Certification Counsil for Professional Dog Trainers, the primary certifying body for dog trainers. Courses are also Approved by the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and count toward educational requirements for certification. The Companion Animal Sciences Institute is developing a strong reputation among professional trainers and behavior consultants and the credential is a significant one. And of course, you come out much more knowledgeable than you came in.

• How can I know that The Companion Animal Sciences Institute provides a useful educational experience?

The first way is by our transparency. You can see the texts you will have to work through so there are no surprises and your assignments are for the most part essay questions based on the material in those texts and in some cases hands on exercises or career development assignments. Again, transparency offers less room for surprises. A school that does not identify exactly what materials it uses may not make use of good ones. The second way is to check out the testimonials grads, students and Guest Speakers have given us. The third is references. We would be pleased to offer you a list of present and past students and their email addresses (the ones who identified on their application form that we could use their information for this purpose). Ask the students themselves about their experience with The Companion Animal Sciences Institute and you will get unbiased evaluations of us. To get a list of references simply click the contact button and email me a request for the list. The fourth way is that our Advisory Boardis made up of well known and well respected trainers and behavior consultants. They are industry leading, practicing professionals. They literally put their name on the line for our quality. They know the programs well and stake their reputations on it. Fifth, please feel free to email me, James O'Heare, and ask me any questions you might have. I would be pleased to answer them. Sixth, see below regarding our course approvals also. Furthermore, our students, former student, graduates and faculty really go places. Lynn Hoover became co-founder and president of the International Association for Animal Behavior Consultants, Kellyann Conway is the president of the Association for Pet Dog Trainers, Mychelle Blake  is editor of the Chronicle of the Dog, published by the APDT and Animal Behavior Consulting: Theory and Practice, published by the IAABC. Parvene Farhoody is the president of the Certification Council for Pet Dog Trainers and Lisa Clifton-Bumpass is the Director of the Certification Council for Pet Dog Trainers. The list goes on. We are very proud of the accomplishments of those associated with CASI!

• Is The Companion Animal Sciences Institute Accredited?
  

Not being a degree issuing university, The Companion Animal Sciences Institute does not require any form of "accreditation" at all. We have voluntarily sought our course approvals, and memberships in order to help ensure that we meet appropriate standards and to help assure potential students of that. Please see our course approvals page page for details. Our approvals and memberships demonstrate that we meet a high standard of service and we have subjected ourselves to this outside independent scrutiny in order to be sure we are providing high caliber services.

• Is The Companion Animal Sciences Institute a Degree issuing University or a Private Career College?

No. While The Companion Animal Sciences Institute provides challenging and advanced coursework and programs of study and the credentials are respected and meaningful, The Companion Animal Sciences Institute is not a degree issuing university and therefore accreditation by an agency approved by the United States Department of Education, Canadian Department of Education or any other government agency is not required or applicable. The Companion Animal Sciences Institute is a nonvocational, nonregistered private school offering course certificates and diplomas for recognition of graduation from challenging programs of study. CASI is not a university or a private career college. The Companion Animal Sciences Institute has the appropriate/required governmental permissions to be an "institute".

• How will I be graded?

Grading System

Letter    Percentile    Explanation
A         90–100        Exceptional. 'Pass with Distinction'.
B         80−89         Very good. Minimal minor errors or omissions. 'Pass'.
C         70−79         Several minor errors or omissions but demonstrates comprehension of main issues/facts.
D         60−69         Major errors or omissions. 'Fail'.
F          0−59          Major errors or omissions. 'Fail'.

If student acheives all Distinction Passes in a course they graduate 'With Distinction'. Similar for a program.

• Are textbooks or other required materials including in the tuition?

Unless otherwise stated on the course or program page, the student is responsible to attain the required materials at their own expense. http://www.half.com or http://www.abebooks.com can be a good place to find inexpensive texts.

• May I appeal decisions made by The Companion Animal Sciences Institute or its instructors?

Absolutely. A student may appeal the rejection of their enrollment application, the decision to moderate or remove a student from the Virtual Classroom, or a grade, to The Companion Animal Sciences Institute Advisory Board. To do so, inform the President of The Companion Animal Sciences Institute, James O’Heare as to the nature of your appeal and include any arguments you wish to make. The President will present the argument to the Advisory Board, which will consider the appeal argument. Decisions will be made by a majority vote of the Advisory Board (president's vote break's ties). The Companion Animal Sciences Institute may ask questions or request further information with which to make their decision. The decision of The Companion Animal Sciences Institute as indicated above will be final and no further recourse will be available.

• Can I get an extension if I am unable to complete my coursework on time?

Yes, usually. Extensions will usually be offered for students unable to complete their studies in the allotted time-frame. In order to take advantage of an extension the student must request it prior to their official deadline (the time-frame published on the web site as the allowable time for the course or program starting from when the coursework was delivered to the student). The fee for extensions will be $50 in Canadian funds per month due on or prior to the official due date. The student may pay the extension fee on or before the deadline each month or may pay for more than one month all at once. If the student pays for an extension and either does not complete the work at all or completes the work ahead of time no refund of the extension payments will be offered. Paypal will be untilized for these payments and subject to a 4% service charge. See Student Portal for payment opportunity. Extensions are a privilege and not a right. The Companion Animal Sciences Institute may decline an extension request at its sole discretion.

• Can I transfer credit from other post secondary educational institutions?

Yes. If you have completed a university course equivalent to these courses you may transfer that credit upon application. 

• What is the history of The Companion Animal Sciences Institute?

James O'Heare, CABC founded The Companion Animal Sciences Institute in 1999. James had been the author of a few well received books which have been published around the world in several languages and there was a great demand for James to teach others his approach to dog training and behavior consulting. At the time there was no professional association for behavior consultants or certifying body for dog training and the only other school focussing on animal friendly methods was Jean Donaldson's Academy for Dog Trainers, which is in San Francisco and is a hands-on program, so a distance program seemed to satisfy the demand. James started with a single course, which was soon expanded and then split into 3 courses. Soon after, as demand grew, James formed an advisory board of industry leading professional colleagues to help guide the progress of the school. The courses grew in number and programs of study were designed and course approvals have been sought from newly developing associations and certifying bodies. New instructors have been brought in and with the advent of certifying bodies and professional associations, The Companion Animal Sciences Institute has sought and achieved course approvals through them.