Associate's in 2 weeks?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by royalstation, Jan 7, 2004.

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  1. royalstation

    royalstation New Member

    I've been looking at the BA in 4 weeks site and was wondering, is there a way to get an AA in Liberal Arts in 2 weeks? Or, for that matter any Associate in 2 weeks.
    Would anybody now what exams to take to achieve this?
    I'm currently enrolled at Raritan Valley Community in NJ. My major is AA - Liberal Arts, and I'm doing online clases through them. I figure I can CLEP out of some classes, so why not go all the way and get my degree in about a month or two.

    Any input is appreciated
    Thanks
     
  2. duff

    duff New Member

    Look at COSC Assoc. program. You should be able to test out of most of that program.

    www.cosc.edu

    Duff
     
  3. MarkIsrael@aol.com

    [email protected] New Member

  4. Dennis Ruhl

    Dennis Ruhl member

    Remember you have to pass the exams.

    It's quick and easy if you already know as much as a classroom student who receives a C in the course.
     
  5. bozzy

    bozzy New Member

    Dennis,

    How is that MBA DBA coming along with CCU? Any unofficial word on the DETC process?

    Thanks,

    Bozzy
     
  6. ernest72

    ernest72 New Member

    An AA in 2 weeks and a BA in 4??? How can these seriously be legitimate?
     
  7. wfready

    wfready New Member

    Just like Dennis said, you have to pass the exams to get the credit. Even if you DO know the material, it's not the easiest thing to do. You would probably have to find multiple schools to take multiple CLEPs, DSSTs, ECEs, etc. (many won't let you take a couple at a time). So, some really involved scheduling (probably driving long distances to other schools) and actually knowing enough material to pass 120 credit hours of material... THEN you would be able to achieve a BA in 4 weeks.

    It doesn't HAVE to be 4 weeks, though. Quite a few posters on this board are doing the "BA in 4 weeks" plan and finish in months rather than weeks.

    Bill
     
  8. plcscott

    plcscott New Member

    I agree with Bill. You will be very lucky to find all the test centers needed locally, and some of exams will take a while to come back from being graded. With matriculation and all you are most likely looking at months. If everything falls into place though I could see someone who is borderline omniscient doing it. :D
     
  9. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    It's very unlikely that many people are going to pull that off, though it is possible.

    It's possible because the 2/4 weeks are spent taking examinations that demonstrate college-level knowledge in different fields. To paraphrase Steve Levicoff, if you've spent your life watching soap operas and reading comic books, chances are you're not going to pass many of the tests.
     
  10. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    I was able to pass 13 exams in September 2002 for a total of 45 credits. This was done in only 8 "sittings". I was able to take three exams some days between 9am and noon. I could have done more but I had to go to work. The tests were free becasue I was in the Army Reserve and the testing center had every exam (CLEP,DANTES, and ECE) on hand. I just went up to the counter and ordered my test. When I was finished, it was scanned and I was told if I passed or failed, and if I had time, I would pick another test.

    AA in two weeks, it can be done!
     
  11. Jeff Hampton

    Jeff Hampton New Member

    Well, considering that the topic of your first post, about 6 months ago, was "Associate's or Bachelor's", it appears you have decided to pursue an Associate's degree first.

    Many Associate's degrees that are exellent (sometimes terminal) credentials in some professions (plumbing, I believe, is a good example). However, I don't know that I've ever seen any jobs for which an AA in Liberal Arts is a required entry-level credential.

    Generally, academic Associate's degrees are a nice bonus if you can pick them up on your way toward a Bachelor's degree, but otherwise, their utility tends to be quite limited. So, I'm just curious, considering the advice you were given in the previous thread why you have chosen to pursue the Associate's.
     
  12. Dennis Ruhl

    Dennis Ruhl member

    Have just completed 3 courses of 12 plus I received 2 exemptions in the MBA part. Not in a hurry. I assume the DETC application is still ticking along. Hope to hear in June.

    The accrediting commission meets January 9 and 10 so we will hear of new accreditations in the next couple days.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 8, 2004
  13. seekinghelp

    seekinghelp New Member

    I don't think I've ever seen an ad in a newspaper that says AA as a requirement but on our university's jobs website, AS and AA (plus a miniumum number of years worked) are listed many times for entry level jobs for nearly everything, whether the job is being a lab assistant or a clerical job or facility maintenance (like painters), even the people who feed the lab animals must have either an AA or AS. Could be the university mind set. There is rarely a job listed where high school only is the minimum requirement except for cafeteria workers and custodians or the abundent part time student jobs.

    Just surveying the current listings the our website, the AA and AS positions start at about 10.00/hour while the high school ones are as low as 6.50/hr. So I guess that's a minor incentive for the intermediate AA or AS on the way to a bachelors, at least at a university.
     
  14. DaveHayden

    DaveHayden New Member

    I am guessing the point of the question was that you may be able to knock out a BA in 6 months via the Big Three. If that is the case why bother with the AA at 3 months?
     
  15. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    I amassed the credits for an AA from USNY/Regents (now Excelsior) in 7 weeks--I was 19 and on active duty in the Air Force. I spent my youth watching TV and reading comic books (DC, not Marvel), which I thought were excellent forms of preparation for what are, basically, shallow forms of assessment.

    NB: I tested out of high school when I was 16 and in the 11th grade. That gave me a lot of time to watch TV and read comics!
     
  16. drwetsch

    drwetsch New Member

    Entirely serious and legitimate. Excelsior, TESC, and COSC have built 30 years of education history acknowledging college level learning without residency.

    You may already have the credits necessary for an AA or a BA but never pulled it together into a degree program. Geting all of the transcripts and exam scores submitted and paperwork completed will take more than two weeks but it is possible to earn a completely legitimate RA degree without even having to take additional coursework. Previous coursework coupled with the appropriate exams can knock off an undergradutae degree quickly. The motto for Excelsior is not where you learned but what you know. Hence, recognized exams and past coursework are excellent means to obtaining a degree that is well respected.

    John
     
  17. ernest72

    ernest72 New Member

    I wasn't trying to doubt that a BA in 4 weeks wasn't possible but it couldn't possible carry the same amount of weight and prestige that a BA from a more traditional school or longer DL program carries, would it?
     
  18. drwetsch

    drwetsch New Member

    That would be a matter of perception. If we look at it from a prestige perspective no one would argue that Excelsior has the same prestige as a Harvard degree. Likewise, no one would say that a traditional degree from, let's say, the University of North Dakota has the same prestige as an Excelsior degree.

    However, if you take the success of Excelsior with over 20,000 enrolled students, over 100,000 alumni, probably the world's largest Nursing degree program, and the fact that its graduates tend to get into the graduate program of their choice (including Ivy League) says that the degree carries the same weight as most traditional degrees.

    John
     
  19. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    I also watched TV and read comic books in my youth. However, the TV tended to be PBS and other educational shows.

    With the inception of the History Channel, A&E, and the other cable channels, I think it would be relatively easy to test out of a degree program if you watched a lot of that type of TV.
     
  20. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Mine:

    Hogan's Heroes
    When Things Were Rotten
    Make Me Laugh
    Any game show
    Most sports

    Believe me, it was a breeze to test out of nearly two bachelor's degrees.
     

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