Education Direct and Finance

I have a friend who is considering the Business degree in either Finance or Accounting through Thompson Education Direct. I researched this site but found no post one way or the other if this school's education level is shoddy, acceptable, or commendable. Does anyone have any experience with this school? They are DETC accredited, which is a big plus as he would like to transfer the credits to a regular university later on. Can anyone help? Thanks.

Lawhopes

 

Greetings.

Most "regular" universities won't accept transfer credit from a non-"Regionally Accredited" (RA) institution. Your friend would do well to check the policies of the university where he eventually wishes to enroll. He might also wish to consider pursuing his associate's degree at a RA school, or to start pursuing a bachelor's degree at a school that also offers associate's degrees.

He has no shortage of choices available: there is an RA school with business offerings to fit almost every budget and inclination. I've even heard that there's a book that describes "Earning Degrees by Distance Learning", but its exact title and author eludes me. <g>

Good luck!

Cordially,
Richard Kanarek

P.S. You might want to try the "Articles" & "New to Distance Learning" links available from the home page. Also see: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=bsq1qtA959&isbn=1580084311&itm=7

 

My wifes experience with Education Direct was less than favorable. Admittedly, her problems were with the business office folks and not with the academic side of the house.

That said, if your friend is interested in continuing his education beyond education direct, he will find it nearly impossible to transfer any coursework into a BA/BS program at a traditional university.

Part of the problem will be the DETC vs RA issue -- I bigger part of the problem will be course level. Most 4 yr+ institutions will consider the Ed Direct material to be "vocational/technical" and will therefor not apply it to the BA/BS program. Of course, your friend could use CLEP/DANTES/End-of-course exams to validate that credit -- but he can do that without investing in Ed Direct.

IMO -- he/she should consider one of the other programs available and start work on the BA/BS. It's worth the extra effort and often lower cost.

 

Lawhopes,

I'm currently taking courses through Education Direct. The coursework I have taken seems to be consistent with the level of difficulty you would find at your local community college. I have learned a great deal from my courses and overall my experience has been satisfactory. Some units will transfer, if the course is on the ACE list.
I do know that Univ of Phoenix, Jones International and Western Governor's Univ will take AA degrees earned by a DETC accredited school in "blocks". So, it's not 100% dead end. Perhaps, someone with more experience than I could speak to this?

One negative thing-when I first talked with the enrollment advisor, I asked if all courses in my degree program were ACE reviewed. He asked me to hold so he could check on it. When he came back on the line he stated that "yes" all courses have been ACE reviewed. This played an important factor in my decision, as I knew that ACE courses would have an easier time transferring. Six months later, I have found out this is not true and only about six courses (out of twenty-one) have been ACE reviewed and eligible for ACE credit. Very disappointing!

So, thanks to this forum and a few other websites, I have decided to end my studies with Ed Direct at the end of my current semester and attempt to complete my degree in "Liberal Arts" by examination through either Charter Oak or Thomas Edison. I will have an RA degree, can probably complete it quicker and will have an easier time transfering units or getting accepted should I choose to move on in the future.

Education Direct is a great, cheap alternative for individuals who only need/desire an AA degree in a chosen field, who wish to upgrade their current skills or who don't mind their choices for pursuing a BA may be limited to a small number of schools.

 

Just for giggles,

exactly which courses from Education Direct have been ACE approved?

 

I obtained a hard copy of all courses that are ACE approved at Ed Direct directly from ACE. It is quite lenghty however, for my program only the following courses are ACE approved:

Economics I
Business Law I & II
Political Science
Art Appreciation
Math
Intro to Psychology