OK, I've decided to finish my degree! Why? Primarily because my employer will give me a raise for having a Bachelors degree in anything - no questions asked. No change in job, just pay - about $2,000 a year. Then when I get a Masters degree (in anything), I'll get $8,000 a year more. Now to the tough part: which degree and where? I've decided that distance learning is the way to go, and that I'm only interested in programs that have NO RESIDENCY requirements at all. I'm not sure if I should just go to the cheapest fastest degree completion program in any old degree, or if I should go for a more meaningful degree and pay more/do more work. My concern is that if I price myself out of a job, will my degree help me get a new job? I've been working in IT for about 15 years, and I'm not interested in changing fields now. The "more meaningful" degrees that I'm considering are all in IT. Such as a BS in IT from Excelsior. Or a BSAST from Thomas Edison. Charter Oak is a possibility too. I like that these three are known for taking previous credits (I have about 85 credits from former attempt at engineering school back in the late eighties and early nineties). Also they're both known for being able to test out of classes - which will save me money and time. Most of my current credits will probably clear out all of my lower division stuff (humanities, general sciences, communications, etc.) Of course, part of my consideration has to go to continuing on to a masters program in IT. (Sorry, I have no interest what-so-ever in an MBA) So I want a program that won't limit me when it comes time to apply to masters programs. Can anyone with some experience with Excelsior, Thomas Edison, Charter Oak, or other average to low cost IT distance learning degree chime in with some advice? Thanks in advance!! Tom
I am finishing the IT/CIS program at Exclesior, and I would recommend it since the program is so flexible. However, I still cringe at hearing the name "Excelsior College," which I think is a terrible name for a distance learning college that deserves more respect. So one may also want to look into more traditional, less flexible distance learning options like the B.S. in Computer Science at the University of Illinois Springfield: http://www.online.uillinois.edu/catalog/ProgramDetail.asp?ProgramID=438 The e-tuition rate for a degree-seeking undergradaute is pretty cheap at only $201 per credit hour regardless of residency.
Certainly, if I were you, I would want to get my B.S. and M.S. as soon as possible. Therefore, something like Excelsior College may be more appealing, especially if you already have certifications you can get credit for.
Given the $8k annual incentive and your IT experience, you may want to consider a Masters program that awards transfer credit for IT certifications like Charles Sturt or Aspen. Just an idea... Greg
I completed the COSC degree with a focus in Technology and Business. I got into a grad programand finished an MS - Information Technology Mgt. Do you have any computer certs? I was able to get 17 credits for my MCSE NT 4.0, MCP+I, and A+. I looked at all three schools and went with COSC.
Thanks for the input guys! Unfortunately for me, I was too lazy to finish my MCSE, and never bothered with any of COMPTIA certs. But I should be able to test out of some of the credits, just from experience. I'm leaning real heavily towards Excelsior. I wish they would have chosen a better name, like New York State University or something more traditional. Oh well. For the price and convenience, I can sacrifice the name. (we can't all go to Harvard, CMU or MIT) I work in education, but not in a teaching position. So my employer is not picky about where your degree comes from, just that they're regionally accredited. I'm just hoping that I can knock out my BS and MS within 4 years. At Excelsior, that should pay for itself in about 3 or 4 years after that. You can't beat that!
Your time frame should be very easy to hit. If you have 85 credits already, you could finish your BS in 6 months and an MS in an additional 18 months. I completed my BS in four months and my MS in 15 months.
If you're going to get an MS after the BS, then the name of the school where you got the BS will not be as important as where you got the MS... .. I hope my comment isn't only BS. Brandon
BTW, to my knowledge, most certifications will not take care of the core requirements for Excelsior's IT program. I do know for sure that none of my Microsoft certifications (MCSE, MCDBA, MCSD) or the A+ certification waved any of the core IT requirements and only helped me get elective credit. The only exception may be the security requirement since that requirement may have began after I enrolled. The tests that help with the core requirements to a significant degree are the ICCP exams and the GRE for Computer Science. (The GRE for Computer Science is a very tough exam that usually takes at least several months or more to prepare for but can provide a lot of credit.) Anyway, with your IT experience, I would think that Excelsior's Portfolio-Based Assessment may be helpful, but I haven't read much about it.
Also, I really do like the fact that Excelsior gives credit for a growing number of Game Institute courses. For each Game Institute course, however, you need to take a proctored exam from LaserGrade for $55. https://www.excelsior.edu/pls/portal/docs/page/Excelsior_College/Publications/BS_IT_Game_Institute_Courses_Brochure.pdf
Credit is awarded by exam not by certification. So it doesn't matter if you complete a series of exams or not: Microsoft Certfiication Exams - Excelsior College One thing to watch out for with Microsoft exams for Excelsior credit is that some exams give more credit than others and some may have duplicate content and give no credit.
Thanks Dan! I won't be doing any MS exams. It was back in 2001 when I took a bunch of course work for the MCSE. I got a new job and didn't finish. I couldn't pass those exams now (with server 2003 compared to 2000) without re-learning all of that stuff. I'd rather just take the classes at Excelsior. I am interested in what you think of Excelsior's program. How are the classes? How does it work? Are they prerecorded lectures? Online classes that need to be attended? Does Excelsior work on semesters, or is it learn at your own pace?
I took 2 information technology courses at Excelsior, and I enjoyed both of them. The courses I took were Business Data Communications and Database Management Systems. I took both courses in the Spring of this year and both courses were taught by Dr. Varden, who has taught at Pace University for over two decades and seems to be a semi-retired adjunct now. There is no listing of instructors or sample syllabi for prospective students, but I know Dr. Antonakos has taught at Excelsior College. Both Dr. Varden and Dr. Antonakos have gotten excellent ratings at RateMyProfessors.com, but I'm sure grade inflation is a factor: http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=377163 http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=22175 Below is the review I gave for Dr. Varden: Semesters. The next semester with IT courses begins in September. There is another semester that starts in November but I don't know if IT courses are offered that semester. You do need to login to WebCT at least once a week to get the homework assignments, take a quiz, and upload your homework. Every week we covered a new chapter in the book, and each week there was a new homework assignment (a few problems from the textbook) and a short quiz. My guess is that I spent, on average, about three hours per week for each course unless it was the week of the midterm or final. Basically, you mostly teach yourself using the textbook and if you have any questions, then you can use the WebCT discussion board or e-mail the professor. Dr. Varden would always reply to e-mail within 24 hours. The only form of lecture was a PowerPoint slideshow available for each chapter which had images and charts from the textbook and Dr. Varden's audio commentary. Frankly, I quickly went through the PowerPoints since they were mostly an unexciting review of the main points in each chapter. Each class was an easy A as long as you did the work. The grades were based mostly on the midterm, final, and the course project. Homework was only 10% of the grade and quizzes were something like 20%. In each class, there were essay portions for the midterm and/or final in addition to the multiple choice exams. The multiple choice exams had no time limits, were open-book, and were administered via WebCT (no proctors). In the Database Management Systems course, the course project was done individually, and in the Business Data Communications course, the project had to be a group project. For the group project, all we had to do was make a web page or PowerPoint presentation about a new technology. My group of 4 did a web page VoIP Presentation]presentation on VoIP. (Like most group projects done in an academic setting, some people may do more work than others.) I really enjoyed the individual project for the Database Management Systems course since I could model and implement a database system that I was going to do anyway and get credit for it. BTW, the advisors at Excelsior do not recommend taking more than 2 classes per semester if you work full-time, and I would agree since you will have midterm and final exams due at the same time for each course. However, the courses are very flexible. For example, there was no penalty for submitting homework or quizzes days or even weeks late.
BTW, Dr. Varden basically founded the IT program at Excelsior College. His method of distance learning is stated here in the following handout (which is the same handout he gives to his Excelsior students): A Note About Distance Learning Also, if anyone wants more info about the undergrad Database Management Systems course he teaches at Excelsior, a graduate-level course he taught at Pace University was the same in content. The syllabus is here: http://csis.pace.edu/~varden/is613/is613Fall.html The only difference I noted was that the Excelsior course includes homework assignments as part of the final grade. The handout for the database application project (course project) is exactly the same and the textbook is the same.
Arrgh. I was hoping between old B&M classes and my certs I could nearly wipe out my AS in one fell swoop with EC. Oh well. My current guess is I'd have to take only a handful of courses anyway and maybe I can bank some cert credits toward the BA.
You will suprised how little you need with certs and traditional b+m credits. You can cover the core with ICCP exams , which is an extra cert and credits all rolled into one. Also dantes fills in the regular credits
