master's transfer credit (and philosophical query)

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by P. Kristian Mose, Oct 13, 2003.

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  1. P. Kristian Mose

    P. Kristian Mose New Member

    Not sure if this is a basic question to which I should already know the answer, but here goes. I am finishing up a master's degree in adult education online from National-Louis U in Chicago (the former National College of Education). I have this board and the terrific Bear's Guide to thank for this stimulating venture. It's been a good program, and very collaborative.
    Now I am thinking of pursuing another master's, in liberal arts. It looks as if I might be able to transfer a course or two of the adult ed grad work into the Excelsior program. Conversely, however, I see that Cal State Dominguez Hills explicitly forbids any transfer credits into its MA in Humanities from any program in which one has already received a degree.
    My question, then: is every school's policy on this different, or am I wrong in thinking that in principle Excelsior might accept transfer credit when a degree was already awarded?
    In other words, is this a sinful form of academic double-dipping I am considering? Is the awarding of a degree -- which suggests academic completion, of some level -- a sign that one must always start over from scratch, or is it common to use transfers in this way?

    Peter
     
  2. Myoptimism

    Myoptimism New Member

    Hi Peter,

    Do a Google search for 'second master degree' and you will find many schools who will reduce the number of credits needed for the second degree based on your first master's degree.
    As far as Excelsior, they are pretty vague about it, aren't they? :D Perhaps you could convince them by offering examples of other schools that allow this.

    Good luck,
    Tony
     
  3. P. Kristian Mose

    P. Kristian Mose New Member

    Thank you, Tony, good advice. In other words, this is not 100% verboten as a concept, I guess. Any others' thoughts on the general issue?
    Peter
     
  4. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    I am not aware of any common standards, either in the amount of graduate credit one can transfer in, or indeed the method of determining graduate credit. California, I believe, has a law limiting the amount of transfered credit, regardless of source, to 25% of the total. Edinburgh Business School will give 23% (2/9ths) but only for certain examined credentials (such as CPA) or for an undergraduate degree majoring in an MBA subject.

    Many schools take the position that for a Master's, and especially for a Doctorate, the student carries the reputation of the school out into the world, and therefore the degree-awarding school must do all or most of the training.

    The main saving grace, as it were, is that people who do have either courses or extensive otherwise-gained knowledge in a field will have much less trouble with new Master's or Doctoral level courses. The fact that my wife had read extensively in philosophy for twenty years didn't get her any credit at Dominguez Hills, but it surely meant smoother sailing with many of their courses.
     
  5. P. Kristian Mose

    P. Kristian Mose New Member

    Thanks for the observations, John. I mean, O Great One. (Without your book, I'd be even *more* of a drone...)

    Peter

    P.S. Hey, are you ever tempted to try another degree, this time in non-traditional format? Seems like you are the only one in your family remaining an unreconstructed formalist, even though you're earning a living telling the rest of us to be cool and forget about bricks, forget about mortar, forget about fluorescent lighting, forget about cafeterias, etc. Just curious.
     

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