Cryptozoology Certification
Posted by: Loren Coleman on November 18th, 2008
Guest blogger Madrid101 shares the following:
There is a college called Flamel College, which gives you a Cryptozoology Certification.
As part of the program, they send you the textbook Cryptozoology A to Z. This correspondence course includes a resource CD of books, photographs, drawings, articles, and forms for cryptozoological research and a complete manual and course syllabus.
Tuition for this course is $85 and includes the price of all necessary items and books. Students must pass a final examination with a score of 70% or above to receive a certification in this course. If you want it attend, visit here.
If you wish to go on expeditions, join the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club and become a Benefactor Member. They will bring you on expeditions around the world, but you pay your own expenses.
Right now I attend Flamel College online and I am actually learning. I have joined the BCSCC (hopefully to go on a expedition soon). I recommend you have a good paying job to afford this. ~ Madrid101
This is the first time I’ve heard about this. I was not consulted or have anything to do with this program, to date, despite how it might appear on the Flamel College website. However, needless to say, I appreciate the use of my book as their textbook. ~ Loren.
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
Near as I can tell, Flamel College is not a recognized institution of higher education, to put it mildly, although aspiring Harry Potters might find it of interest.
This is a reply and French retelling of this news from Jean luc Drevillon, 18/11/08
Bonjour à tous.
Le collège de Flamel organise des cours de cryptozoologie par correspondance. Vous payez un droit de 85 dollars et vous recevrez dans le forfait un ensemble comprenant un manuel de cryptozoologie qui n’est tout simplement que le “Cryptozoology, A to Z” de Loren Coleman, un CD ROM de ressources bibliographiques, iconographiques et textuels et un programme de cours. Les personnes possédant déjà le livre de Loren Coleman ne peuvent pas bénéficier d’une réduction. A la fin du cursus un examen est prévu où il faut avoir au minimum 70% de bonnes réponses pour obtenir le certificat.
L’attention est louable mais je ne crois pas que cela vous donnera de la crédibilité face à la science officielle. Quand on regarde ailleurs dans le site du collège de Flamel, on remarque que celui-ci n’est pas un véritable établissement d’enseignement supérieur, c’est une sorte d’école privée autrichienne chargée de diffuser et d’enseigner l’art de l’alchimie et les cursus qu’on y propose sont tous sauf scientifiques, alchimie, tarot divinatoire, ésotérismes divers, astronomie, tantrisme, kabbalisme etc, il y a même de l’alchimie quantique?!. Bon, pour devenir cryptozoologiste sérieux, il vaut mieux au préalable avoir fait des études en zoologie, en biologie ou en anthropologie et ensuite souscrire à un des rares cursus universitaires de cryptozoologie qui existe (collège communal de Florida Key, Scott Marlowe). Un petit détail, le nom de ce prétendue collège d’alchimie est tiré de Nicolas Flamel, un écrivain libraire français du 14ème siècle qui aurait été alchimiste et aurait créé la pierre philosophale.
Cette homme a vraiment existé et n’est pas un personnage fictif dans Harry Potter.
Perhaps it is true this course is merely a pseudoscience phantom itself, but I thought it better for people to know about it than to not know. The degree is from an online, correspondence course, and that is not the most ideal of situations. Obviously.
It would be wonderful if an academic instruction of some repute would actually certify a real scholarly selection of courses, for credit, in cryptozoology.
I was the professor (i.e. teacher/instructor) of a credit course in cryptozoology in 1989 at the University of Southern Maine, but, unfortunately, I have seen no forward progress in this direction for the last 20 years. I even was interviewed by the Chronicle of Higher Learning a few years back, predicting it would be 25 years before a regular course in an academic department would be delivered to students, and even longer for a formal department of Cryptozoology to be available.
Has anyone in Europe given credit courses at any universities in cryptozoology? Has a subsection or series of courses been made available for a degree speciality in cryptozoology at a bricks and mortar university, anywhere?
We must have hope and I am interested in seeing some foundation building in this arena.
I’m a fan of online correspondence courses, regardless of their academic affiliation, if the person or group who provides the courses are knowledgable and reliable.
Maybe you could do something like like, Loren, perhaps on a small scale to begin with … it might be one way to help fund the museum too.
Great idea kittenz,sign me up!
I’m not sure that there could be a department of cryptozoology because it is a subset of biology. But I CAN see the benefit of having a course on cryptozoology for zoology majors, and I would encourage such a thing.
I also think that’s a great idea, kittenz
Does anybody know how legitimate this course is?
Is it a scam?
Will I learn something?
I’ve read their website, but it wasn’t much help.
Does anyone have any more information or words of wisdom?
Thank you.
I’d sign up for it !
timi_hendrix,
Personally, I wouldn’t bother. Just buy the book. If you are interested in learning some zoology, check out the offerings at your regional colleges and universities.
So to understand everyone correctly – there is no university/college/accredited institution that offers courses in cryptozoology?
I believe Flamel has suspended their cryptozoology course for “updating.” From their site it doesn’t look like they allow you to register for that right now. There is also a Universal Class that has Cryptozoology 101. It may be very basic but you can take it for continuing education credit.
Basic Course (no certificate) = $30.00
Course with Certificate & CEUs = $55.00
I was thinking of taking it for noncredit but not sure if it will tell me more than I already know from books I’ve read. Has anyone tried this one?