Can I get a degree TOTALLY at home?

Hello everybody! I'm new here. I am Hong Konger. I hold an associate degree of IT issued by the highest-ranking community college in Hong Kong.

Before studying IT, I had studied English Language & Literature for a year in another tertiary institute. This institute is accredited by " The Credentials Evaluation Service of the International Education Research Foundation Inc. (USA)" (However, none of my English credits was transfered to the IT associate degree program.)

Besides that, I also hold certain computing certificates such as MCSE. I would like to upgrade my proficiency and qualification to Bachelor Degree level.

I'm interested in applying for a DL program in the States. My difficulty is that I can't afford to travel to the States to take examinations. I think I will show up in the graduation ceremony only.

I hope you fellow experts can give me some advices in choosing a college that recognize "as many credit as possible" an no need to travel to USA.

Thank you for your time!

 

Yes. You may visit the followiing web sites for more info.
http://www.tesc.edu http://www.excelsior.edu http://www.cosc.edu http://www.degree.net http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Haven/2386/distance.html

Ike

 

Yes. You may visit the followiing web sites for more info.
http://www.tesc.edu
http://www.excelsior.edu
http://www.cosc.edu
http://www.degree.net
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Haven/2386/distance.html

Ike

 

Victor,

Note that of the three assessment colleges, COSC, Excelsior, and TESC, only Excelsior offers a named major in CIS.

COSC only awards BA and BS degrees in General Studies with specialization, and TESC awards either a Lib Arts BA with concentration, and a BS in Applied Science and Technology with specialization.

Only Excelsior, of the three, offers a straight BS in Computer Information Systems. This may or may not be an issue for you, but it is as well that you are aware.

You could try Excelsior College. The will likely accept many of your existing college credit (maybe all of it). Excelsior have a BS in Computer Information systems available via examination or you can use coursework. For the general ed. portion of the degree, your existing non-technical credits may be sufficient (or pretty nearly so).

Your MCSE can contribute to the rest of the degree. It is possible to complete technical requirements with a combination of ICCP exams, MCSE (i.e.the six exams comprising that designation), Novell CNE, and some
ACE approved proficiency exams (I'm thinking ot the DANTES MIS particularly, here). The particular combination depends on the details
and acceptance of your existing credit.

The CNE can be done in HK, I think (?), but the ICCP exams may be a problem.

Go to the Excelsior BS CIS web site. There's a ton of information there and a plug-in do-it-yourself auto course "advisor" . . . you plug in what you have, and it tells you the remaining requirements. URL:
http://www1.excelsior.edu/itweb/itcts01.html


He's one example I did earlier for the technical portion of the degree with number of semester hour credit indicated. This is for illustrative purposes only:


Complete
Comp TIA Certification Examination 6
Complete
Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer 13
Complete
Certified Novell Engineer 8

***************************************************************************************************

COMPTIA2
Network+
COMPTIA3
i-net+


MICROSOFT
M70-087
IMPLEM/SUPPT MS INTERNET INFORMATION SERVER 4.0
M70-068
IMPLEM/SUPPT MSWIN NT SERV 4.0 IN THE ENTERPRISE
M70-067
IMPLEMENTING & SUPPORTING MS WINDOWS NT SERVER 4.0
M70-059
INTERNETWORKING WITH MS TCP/IP ON MS WINDOWS NT 4.0
M70-073
MICROSOFT WINDOWS NT WORKSTATION 4.0
M70-058
NETWORKING ESSENTIALS


NOVELL

NV560
NetWare 5 Administration
NV570
NetWare 5 Advanced Administration
NV580
Service & Support


College Competency Exams


C169
CLEP Information Systems & Computer Applications

SE551
DANTES Management Information Systems

ICCP
804
Communications
813
Software Engineering
816
Systems Development
814
Systems Programming
815
Systems Security

 

Dear Lawrie:

Thank you for your detailed information. I've emailed to Excelsior, they said they don't have a testing center in Hong Kong. Can I accumulate enough credits through taking professional examinations such as A+, Microsoft, IBM..etc?


Victor Chiang

 

Sadly, no. Sorry Victor. I'm thinking specifically of the ICCP exams. You might be able to find substitutes for the non tech exams, but not these. The vendor exams,
Microsoft, Novell, A+ etc., do not cover core requirements.

However . . .

University of Queensland, undergraduate course offerings. Go here for the non online courses (there are no suitable undergrad online USQ courses http://www.usq.edu.au/handbook/2001/courses/disted/indexc.htm

You might even consider a full degree there.

Also the rest of the Australian universities. They are on average, the cheapest available (and USQ is on average the cheapest of the cheap, downunder). Go here, for best site available on Australian universities:
http://www.thegoodguides.com.au/internetsearch.cfm?requesttimeout=5000


Think also in terms of an HC or HNC. Do they still run these UK type qualifications in HK? If you did, say, Computer Technology, you may be able to get a course by course acceptance/transfer to Excelsior, or you could go on to the HND/HD, and from there to an honors degree at a British university. I did an HNC in Computer Tech and an HD in Applied Math, and it worked well for me the industry for many years, I didn't need anything more.

 

You may contact the Overseas Examination Section of the Hong Kong Examinations Authority to see if it can administer the foreign examination locally. The Authority is quite willing to administer foriegn examinations even for one candidate only. However, you have to pay additional administrative fees.

The correspondence courses of accredited US universities can also enable you to get more credits for Excelisor's degree. You may also satisfy lower level credits through the CLEP examinations (It has been administered by HK Exam. Authority, but I don't know whether or not it is now).

 

Would it be incorrect to identify the TESC degree as a "Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science," or "BA in CS?" The literature from TESC refers to this degree as a
"Bachelor of Arts with a major area of study in Computer Science." Is this degree in any way different from any other BA with a CS major? In their literature they do differentiate between a "concentration" and a "major area of study."

I'm on the verge of enrolling with TESC, so if there's something that I'm missing here please let me know ASAP!

 

Well, I've always viewed the TESC BA as a Liberal Arts degree with concentration, along the lines of the Excelsior Liberal Arts program and the COSC General Studies BS/BA program.

Generally, there's a requirement for a minimum 30 to 36 credits in the concentration with some minimum at upper level. The structure of the degree and the concentration would usually be more flexible than that of a degree with named major. Such a degree would be designated in the transcript but not usually on the degree diploma, as a BS or BA with a "concentration", "specialization", "major area of study", in some field.

A degree with major would be so named on the diploma and in the transcript as a BA or BS in <subject>. The structure of the degree would be more rigid in terms of acceptable courses, and require a greater proportion of total credit in the named major - anywhere from 45 to 60 semester hours or more.

By way of example, my Liberal Arts BS with concentration in Political Science conferred by USNY has only "Bachelor of Science" on the diploma, and "Liberal Arts" with Political Science concentration, in the transcript notation. However, my BS in General Business (a degree with a named Business major) has BS in General Business on the diploma and the same notation in the transcript. If detailed at all on resumes, the degree of focus is designated: "BS, Political Science Concentration", or "Liberal Arts degree in Political Science". I never use "BS in Political Science" where I'm required to be strictly accurate.

Clearly you can design a Liberal Arts degree to mirror the contents of a degree with major, so that for all practical purposes, they are functionally identical. Nevertheless, some recruiters may have some prejudice or be ignorant of the process and choose not to select on the basis that such a degree is "not really a CS degree", or "not really a proper math degree" (I've heard that one).

I don't know what TESC's take on this would be, nor do I know what appears on the TESC diploma and transcripts. However, I do know what notation I believe best fits the facts, and that is detailed above.

 

Thanks, Lawrie. I had assumed that the degree itself would just say "Bachelor of Arts" and that the transcript would indicate a "Computer Science major area of study." It sounds as though that should be the case. I will call TESC on Monday to confirm it with them. If this is true then I could accurately put "BA - Computer Science major" on a resume.

My motivation for going with TESC is that I should only need 4-5 courses and a CLEP exam to complete this degree. I plan to enroll in graduate study with the goal of receiving a MS in Software Engineering or Computer Science. I think, or at least hope, that the TESC degree will be well received for grad admission, given that I will have completed the necessary background coursework. It is my understanding that most grad programs will accept people with only an undergraduate minor, or sometimes even without a related major or minor, provided that they complete the necessary undergraduate background coursework. The background/leveling courses are usually just what's required for a rigorous minor.

I score very well on standardized tests, so I anticipate that I'll do well on the GRE. Hopefully that will offset any concern that grad schools may have about the TESC degree. It does have fairly flexible requirements, but it also requires the basics and imposes limitations on the amount of credit that will be accepted in certain areas (programming languages, data processing), so someone would probably have to try pretty hard to make the end result much different than a more restrictive (i.e. "normal") CS degree/major.

Good distance undergrad programs in CS seem to be few and far between, and the good ones that do exist are usually prohibitively expensive unless you happen to live in the right state for one. Luckily there seem to be many more good distance grad programs available in Software Engineering/Computer Science, and since they generally only require 36 semester hours (12 courses), the overall cost isn't too bad even at $350/semester hour.

Any comments or advice are appreciated, especially before I enroll!

 

I doubt you will find many problems with the TESC degree, to be honest. Should be just fine.

My favorite CS program . . .
You may be interested in checking out the DL MS in Applied Computer Science, offered by the regionally accredited Columbus State University, GA. The degree title says Computer Science but it is a CIS degree, in my opinion based on the course details. Go here
http://www.cs.colstate.edu/


Also the City University, WA, MS Computer Systems. They're not too picky, they let me in. There's really a good combination of core courses and specializations. Bit pricey though.

I like both of these offerings, especially the Columbus State program.

Cheapest program I know of would be the University of Southern Queensland Master's in Professional Computing at $5400 USD. You'd have no problem getting into this one. I hate the degree title though. See
http://www.usqonline.com.au/ and follow the signs

Check also University of Colorado, Boulder Master of Engineering in Computer Science.

Very flexible, great variety of course choices and your BACS undergraduate degree may be enough, depending on its structure. You don't need an Engineering degree for entry.
http://www.colorado.edu/CATECS/csci.html

 

This program looks interesting. What do you think of it so far? Do the courses cover material at a graduate level? I don't know how a degree in Computer Systems would go over vs. a degree in Computer Science or Software Engineering, but I guess on a resume it would still be an MS in CS.

The open admission policy removes any uncertainty when planning ahead, and from what I can tell they don't have any specific background course requirements. A Web Programming emphasis would be perfect for me, but I am a bit concerned that the coursework includes Beginning Java and Intermediate Java. It seems that a graduate program could include both of those in a single course along with more advanced material. However, each course is only the equivalent of 2 semester hours, so I guess it's not *too* bad. It might look kind of strange on a grad transcript, but in reality it would probably never be an issue unless applying to a doctoral program, and an applied degree like this isn't really meant for that anyway.

I guess my biggest concern would be employers' reactions to seeing City University on a resume. You and I know that it's a legitimate RA school, and someone in an HR department wouldn't have a problem with it, but I think that the name itself sounds questionable and might evoke negative reactions. Does anyone on here have experience with employers' reactions to City University? Maybe it's just me.

 

No, no, I was admitted into the program in 1998, but took no classes. I've detailed this several times in other threads, but there is no reason you should have known that. I should have made that clear . . . again.

I guess it pretty much depends on what you intend to do with it. In many an engineering environment you would be better off with a real CS degree, but in an IT setting . . .

Oh, yeah! Never thought of that. <Smirk>

I think your assessment overall is very well considered. The degree would be useful for entry into some Ph.D. programs, I think. NSU doctoral programs in CIS and in Info Systems come to mind. Others would know more.

Yup, exactly right. I tried out the name at work when I was entering the program. "Computer Systems" was very often misheard or interpreted as "Computer Science", as we've discussed, but there seemed to be a serious lack of credibility connected with "City University". Furrowed brows, "Is this bullshit?", looks. I've taken similar sounding on a lot of DL schools and programs over the years. Name is very important in putting people at ease about an unknown school, especially a DL school or program. The worst reactions ever, were to "Heriot Watt" in soundings taken in 1995 when I bought the QM MBA module. I've written a piece on the subject of name and its affect on a degree's marginal utility - available in the thread "The College Name Game" on this board at http://www.degreeinfo.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000405.html

Again, there are pluses and minuses to the City University MSCS degree. I think your overall take is on the mark.

Columbus State University's MS Applied Computer Science, has the advantage that CSU is a traditional university, and the degree does have "Computer Science" in the title <Smirk, Snicker>. A downer however, may be the similarity in this institution's title to that of the infamous degree mill, "Columbia State University".

 

[<snip>My difficulty is that I can't afford to travel to the States to take examinations. I think I will show up in the graduation ceremony only.

I hope you fellow experts can give me some advices in choosing a college that recognize "as many credit as possible" an no need to travel to USA.

Thank you for your time![/B][/QUOTE]

Congrat's thus far Hong Konger. Check out National American University. http:\\www.national.edu
They use test proctors that are your choice. They have to be ethical choices (not your Mom) with a bachelor's or higher. I have taken two classes through them, both were excellent. RA and all that too.

Jim