Dear all, Sorry but I know this could have been discussed many times and I am probably just too curious... is it true that if someone with enought undergrad credits (say from other BS courses or even master's level courses) they can just go to one of these Big 3s and pay them to get an additional BA degree in "individualized studies" without doing any extra work? Raymond
No, it's not true. They have strict requirements for credit transfer and applicaton to a degree from them. For COSC, you have to write a letter to the dean explaining why you want to puruse a second BA/BS (the do not offer master's yet), among other requirements (listed in their catalogue).
Well it is partly true. If you have sufficient credit in the right proportions then you may be able to have a degree awarded by one of the Big Three If you already have a bachelors degree then you will need to explain your rationalle for needing another and also may need a little additional coursework not used in the original bachelors. So, If you have enough credit to meet the COSC, TESC, Excelsior standards and sufficient additional credit to justify award of a second BA/BS then you probably can have a degree awarded. Often this means 30-45 hours beyond the original degree in work not used to fulfil the requirements of the first. It needn't be a degree in individualized studies and is probably better if it is not. Each of these schools have degrees in general liberal arts though. It'd be hard to justify why you need a 2nd BA/BS and it be in "Individualized Studies". You also probably won't be allowed a second degree in the same field. If you have a BA in History then these schools will probably not allow you to apply for another BA in History -- though they may allow you to apply for a BA in Anthropology as long as you meet the additional coursework requirement. If you have a bunch of credit from past experiences but don't already have an undergraduate degree -- then that is exactly what the Big Three are good for -- assembling a variety of credit from a variety of sources into a single degree program.
Thank you for all your replies. But then, my apologies! I don't mean to mislead everyone here. I am actually not after a "2nd degree" but the reason why I mentioned a "2nd degree" is because I have a bunch of diploma/grad diplomas in different areas: criminal justice (grad dip), applied psychology, statistics, language studies, gemmology, real estate studies, electronic engineering and adaptive IT and computing. I also have a postgrad cert in crime studies and an MBA plus an MS *BUT* I do not have a bachelor's degree. This is why I am thinking of applying to COSC to do a "BA in individualized studies" just to "consolidate" the stuff I did in the last 10 years or so... and this is also why I am asking... Do you think I should just leave it that way? -R ;-)
I'm partial to Excelsior -- if you have 10 years worth of assorted credit then consider applying to Excelsior for the BS Liberal Studies -- after they sort all of your transcripts consider whether you want to change that to a major or to the BA.
Question Regarding Excelsior Hi Coach: I have more than 10 years of assorted credit. What makes you partial to Excelsior over COSC and TESC? Just curious, thanks, Abner
Thanks CoachTurner and everyone. Curious again: Is liberal studies only offered as a BA and not a BS? -R