I am in need of some help and I'm hoping maybe someone here could assist. I just posted another thread about finding an RA school that offers a BS in Public Health. In reading about the topic, I feel it's something I would really enjoy. With that said, I have some major events occuring in my personal life that necessitate me getting a degree ASAP. My current job (actually department as a whole) may be in jeopardy in the coming months. The good news is that I work at a major pharmaceutical company, the bad news is without a degree I am extremely limited in seeking other positions within the company. Since I've been with the company for over five years, I would like to stay, if at all possible. I really don't want to take a job as an Administrative Assistant (glorified secretary). I currently work in the company Library, performing a combination of computer and administrative tasks. However, I am not interested in EITHER of these tasks, certainly not as a degree area or permanent career. Currently, I have 18 credits (9 music credits, 3 writing credits, 3 U.S. History credits and 3 Intro to Cultural Anthro credits). Obviously, this is not alot to work with! I considered going for a BA or BS in Biology at Excelsior, but I have a feeling that my company would not take a degree from this college seriously (especially a science degree). I'm very interested in many areas (i.e. Public Health, Biology, Allied Health, History, Philosophy, etc..) - so much so that I'm having a very hard time deciding on what degree to pursue! I'm 32, you would think that I'd have give this some deep thought back when I was 18. Of course, noone can make this decision for me, I'm just looking for some ideas. How well regarded is Excelsior? If I go for a Psych (or similiar) degree, will I have a decent chance at getting into an RA Masters program (hopefully an MPH program)? I just can't bring myself to pursue the Excelsior Business degree mapped out on bain4weeks.com (excellent site though). I have no interest in Business and I don't think I would be happy in that area. I do enjoy Pscyhology though, and from what I've read that could be a quick route to a degree. I'm told that the utility of an undergrad degree in Psych (from ANY school) is limited (especially in salary). I'm not sure how clear this post is, so I apologize in advance. Any ideas, suggestions, reprimands (hope not) would be greatly appreciated! Best Regards, Tom
Well it does appear you need a degree! Psychology degrees are a great( I actually persued one when I was 20 of course only to let life get in the way and ended up dropping out 1 psych class shy and 31 credits short of graduating), but as you point out income prospects are not quite the greatest. On the other hand I'd rather a Psych degree then no degree at all. There are alot of different companies that require a 4 year degree just to get in the door. Alot of people don't know what to major at 18, I certainly didn't and was taking psychology classes at that time because I did well in the subject and enjoyed it(before that I majored in Math,Computer Science and History). I would say that a degree like Biology is out if you want a DL degree. you may want to try Jonnie's page here is the link: http://www.geocities.com/liu_jonathan/distance.html you can also try USN&WR E learning Page: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/elearning/elhome.htm I wish you the best of luck! Tim
It's never quite clear to me in situations such as this how someone might regard the prospect of a non-US degree. If you're willing to consider this then you might look at the Bachelors degree program in Public Health offered by Charles Sturt University. Good luck in any case. Jack
I would say that you should consider "testing out" for an associate's degree at Excelsior (www.excelsiorcollege.edu) using AP, CLEP, DANTES, DSST, PEP, TECEP, etc. This should save you time and money. Excelsior is well-regarded in the academic world, but you might ask Rich Douglas how they are regarded in the employment world. Go to the USNews weblink and check out various DL MPH programs. Email them and find out what if anything is the preferred undergraduate program for an MPH student.
