New Member Seeks Advice.....

Hey,

I have been reading posts through this website for quite sometime, but I have just recently joined. I am really wanting to earn a Bachelor's Degree (I have already earned an Associate's). Through reading information on this site, I have already determined that I think Excelsior or Charter Oak State College might be the best and most economical way for me to complete my degree. I'm just 22 years old, but I feel like I'm sort of behind on earning this degree.

Through investigation on the Excelsior College website, I have determined that if I was to enroll there I might have around 72 credits when I began. I filled out the Self-Review sheet and here was what I found.......

BUS101 (Dynamics of Enterprise) "B" 5 Q.H.
BSC203 (Understanding Human Behavior) "B" 5 Q.H.
ITS131 (Introduction to Computer Applications) "A" 5 Q.H.
ENG103 (Writing in Today's World) "B" 5 Q.H.
MTH201 (Math With Business Applications) "A" 5 Q.H.
ENG203 (International Literary Heritage) "B" 5 Q.H.
ART203 (Artistic Forms of Expression) "A" 5 Q.H.
BUS244 (Global Economics) "B" 5 Q.H.
BUS247 (Global Business for the New Millennium) "A" 5 Q.H.
ACG250 (Fundamentals of Accounting) "A" 5 Q.H.
PSP102 (Professional Business Presentations) "A" 5 Q.H.
SOC218 (Global Cultural Relations) "A" 5 Q.H.
MGT256 (Ethics for a Global Economy) "A" 5 Q.H.
SCI204 (Environmental Science) "A" 5 Q.H.
BUS245 (Dynamic Business Communications) "A" 5 Q.H.
MGT257 (Leadership & Management for the Next Mill) "B" 5 Q.H.
BUS255 (Fundamentals of Business Law) "B" 6 Q.H.
MKT246 (Principles of Contemporary Marketing) "B" 5 Q.H.
SPN104 (Latin America in the 21st Century) "A" 5 Q.H.
CSM231 (Computers in your Future) "A" 5 Q.H.

Degree Completed: Associate of Arts in Business Administration

Other Credits Attempted and Completed:

POLS1101 (American Government) "D" 3 S.H.
EDUC2101 (Introduction to Education) "A" 2 S.H.

According to the Excelsior Self-Review Sheet, 5 Quarter Hours will transfer in at 3.33 Semester Hours...........

19 classes x 3.33 credits = 63.27

A six quarter hour class will transfer in as 4 semester hours, so Business Law will make four more credits, bringing the total to 67.27 credits. If the "D" on American Government transfers in, I'm assuming it will be worth it's original amount of credit, making the total 70.27 credits. Introduction to Education will then bring the total to 72.27 credit hours.

The biggest problem I'm having is determining what might transfer in as Upper Level Coursework -- can anybody help me with this before I pay the enrollment fee? I know I can have Excelsior do this service for $60, but I don't necessarily like the word "unofficial". Also, could I take some CLEP exams like "Analyzing and Interpreting Literature" without fear of that exam duplicating the credit earned from "International Literary Heritage"? I am also considering the CLEP exam for Human Growth and Development.

Any ideas on how to complete this degree would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Cade

 

I'm sorry, guys. I didn't realize that I had posted this much information -- some of which you probably could care less about. I guess I just got carried away. Or maybe I'm just anxious to earn my B.A.?

 

Since your course numbers all begin with 1 and 2, aren't they all lower-level (first-year and second-year) courses? Upper-level courses should have numbers beginning with 3 or 4.

 

Thanks, Mark..........

Would it be a possibility that I could complete some CLEP exams for the remaining few lower level credits without duplication??

I'm unsure what I will do for upper level credits (but from my understanding, I have to complete at least 30 of those)........

Cade

 

Be very careful about duplicating credits. First, you need to determine if you need elective credits of credits to fill a need (catagory).

If you need elective credits, which I will assume since you said you want a BA, I would take CLEP/DANTES exams that you are sure would not duplicate for example - Here's to your Health exam, Ethics, Technical Writing, Intro to Criminal Justice, Intro to Law Enforcement, History, etc.

I would not go to far without enrolling or having an official eval done. COSC are great and will give you a lot of help before you even send them a single dollar!

 

For COSC, you need at least 15 credits upper and at least 12 cresits at 200 level.

 

Good for you!

Congratulations on making the descision to finish your bachelor's degree!

I agree with the other respondants that you have to be very careful about wasting time effort and money on tests before you know if they will dublicate any credits you have already earned.

COSC has a great table which lists the tests they accept, the grade you need to get to earn the credit, the number of hours they will grant for a passing grade and the level of the credit so attained. You can find this table at:

http://www.cosc.edu/Advising/StandardizedExams.cfm

The page also contains links for all the tests.

I hope this helps!

Good luck and best wishes on your journey!

 

Thanks Everybody!

So, perhaps I'm correct? Maybe I have already earned enough credits to enroll. I just didn't want to pay the enrollment fee when I knew there was a fair chance that I would have to end up paying a renewal fee. I want to complete this degree within a year, but I think it's accurate to say that I have a chance of finishing this degree by the time Christmas rolls around.

So, Charter Oak State College only requires 27 upper level credits?? The only thing that has kept me from already paying the enrollment fee with them is that English 102 is required (I'm not for certain whether or not any of the classes I have already taken will fulfill that requirement) and the SMALL difference in enrollment fees. I might end up enrolling with them after all, though. They seem MUCH more helpful over the phone than Excelsior. I just liked the idea of allowing the "Writing In Today's World" class to be the only required English class.

I hope what I am about to say makes some degree of sense, but I'm really not all that crazy about a major. I had rather just have a great deal of flexibility with the classes (or tests) I decide to take. I would love to make a decision by the end of this week on what to do. The only thing I'm concerned about (perhaps this is something else you can help me determine) is where the business credits will end up at. I'm assuming they will be transferred, but will the 200-level courses make up the Intermediate Requirements, or must those classes come from Liberal Arts areas??

Cade

 

No, COSc requires 15 upper (300-400 level) and at least 12 intermediate (200 level)

If you choose a BA in Individualized Studies, you can use the 200 level business credits as part of your concentration. Business credits typically count as electives and not liberal arts. Again, see this link - http://www.cosc.edu/Advising/StandardizedExams.cfm You can probably substitute "exam" for "class" for example a Business Law class would fit into the same slot as a Business Law exam.

 

Thanks again for all of the input. I just hope I'm not setting myself up for disappointment and the degree really can be finished as quickly as I would like. I initially thought of portfolio assessment, but it looks to time consuming and, after speaking to admissions advisors at Excelsior and Charter Oak, I think I would be much better off just trying to test my way out.

About Excelsior College Examinations - how hard are those and MUST they be taken at a Prometric Testing Center? I'm around 90 miles away from the nearest test center.

Cade

 

CadeTheNascarStar writes:

> About Excelsior College Examinations - how hard are those

The real question is how hard they would be for you. You can gauge that from the sample questions provided for each exam.

> and MUST they be taken at a Prometric Testing Center?

For civilians who don't happen to be in Albany, I believe that's the only option.