Salary Survey of Excelsior and Other RA Bachelor Grads

Hey all. Just wondering how everyone is doing in the job market with online bachelor degrees (and masters). Please tell a little about your successes and salaries if willing. I am considering completing my Bachelors through Excelsior and looking for more info. I would also like to know your experiences with transfer acceptance by traditional B&M schools for Masters programs. Please limit answers to Reg. Accret. colleges.
Thanks,
Matthew

 

I have a BS from COSC and had no problem getting accepted to a B&M graduate program (Regis University).

As far as salaries go, I don't think you will get any real valuable infomation. When it comes to traditional FT classroom based undergraduate degrees, most of the students start out at the same place. Young and some work experience but not usually in middle/upper management. It is easier to compare salaries in programs where students have similar starting points.

In many cases, DL students are very diverse in work experience and abilities. Salaries of DL graduates mean nothing because many of us have high paying jobs and significant amounts of experience before we even start school. Sorry I don't have a better answer.

I think you will get much better salary info at www.salary.com. Look at the salaries of jobs in which you hae interest and check out the salaries and educational requirements for those jobs.

 

Jt, Thanks for your reply. What field are you in and did you see an improvement in your career upon obtaining your undergrad degree.(New job, advancement, raise etc.)? I'm interested in hearing victories from people who've earned Dist Degrees.

To get this started...I have a Respiratory Therapy AS from a community college with about 80 hours in various courses. I've been in medical sales for last 8 years and am currently own an EEG contract service for Doctors. I'm making about 96K/yr all said and done but looking to solidify my credentials in case this good gig dries up.

Everybody please share!

Thanks

 

I am the Corporate Marketing Director for a publishing company that owns a number of daily newspapers along with other publications. I was (and still am) a leader in my field before I received my BS from Charter Oak. I am also in the final semester of an MBA with Regis University.

My COSC degree was earned by "testing out" of courses through CLEP, Dantes, etc... I really didn't learn any new information in getting the BS, I just took the tests to prove I didn't need to learn any new information to qualify for an undergrad degree. My MBA in not finished yet and I have not told anyone I know (other than my wife) that I am in graduate school. I have learned a tremendous amount through my graduate studies and I am certainly more effective at my job because of it. I will be more marketable because of the things I have learned in grad school. While my improved skills will translate to more money, the degree itself will probably not do much. So now that I am "talking" this through, I guess I could have saved a bunch of time/money/trouble if I had just went to the library instead of grad school

 

Excellent! Thanks for sharing. Keep it coming

 

Hi Matt,

I will be getting a promotion this February for completing my A.S in Liberal Studies degree from Excelsior. Currently, I am a Financial Analyst for a DOD contractor, so I was making decent money before, but they like to see credentials here. I will also receive a promotion for completion of my B.S. from Excelsior expected this October. I think jtaee1920 hit the nail on the head with his/her comment about many of us working in the field prior to getting a DL degree. This makes it difficult to gage salary against either experience or education. However, I believe the distance learning option is better for someone that already has some experience in the field they want a degree in.


HTH

Rhonda

 

I completed my MPA through a bricks and mortar school but did take some distance learning classes along the way. The degree hasn't directly impacted my career at this point but I recently competed in a promotional process within my police department and did very well. If everything goes well I'm hoping to be promoted by late spring early summer. The new position will offer an immediate 10 percent raise which becomes a 23 percent raise within three years. I think the graduate degree has kept my writing skills sharp and has allowed me a greater understanding of city government as a whole. One of the big pushes within my agency is to work more closely with the other city departments and I think my knowledge of those issues really did help me in the process. The MPA is also the academic credential I would need to compete for a chief's positions down the road. I'm not sure I want to do that but I definitely hope to take at least one more step up the ladder to the middle management ranks and should be well positioned to achieve that goal. If I do get promoted I will be on the young side at 33 for achieving the rank of sergeant within my agency and I have to think that my graduate degree has been beneficial as I was the only one in the process to have completed a graduate program.

 

Although I'm doing my MBA via an online program, the admission requirements were the same as Kelley's B&M program. I had no problems whatsoever, but then again I have 17 years working experience in my field and did well on the GMAT.

It shouldn't be a limiting factor at all, other things considered.

Cheers,
Mark

 

Thanks Cumpa and Mark. This is great information and inspiration for those of us considering distance ed.

Mark-What kind of work do you do and have you gained any professional benefits thus far for earning your degree from Excelsior?

I would also like to know if anyone on this post gained a degree via dist and were able to change careers as a result . Anyone?

 

I am in IT sales. I've received little professional benefits in my current role or employer, but it makes me more marketable should I change employers. I'm finding I'm getting more utility out of my MBA studies, as I expected.

I suppose another benefit is greater confidence in having completed my bachelor's - something intangible but nonetheless personally gratifying...

Cheers,
Mark

 

Well my AS degree was mentioned during my promotion board which combined with my (learned) writing skills during the testing phase played a good sized part in my promotion to Sergeant within a Federal law enforcement capacity eventually leading me towards a specialization (which I will not name here, but it's neat).

Additionally I became the youngest supervisor within my agency in the district encompassing 3 states and quite possibly the nation....

But then you specified RA degrees only....so sorry about hi-jacking the thread.

BTW...my RA BS that I am working on has never even been mentioned other than a "get to know you" meeting with the new chief.

Edited to add: as for salary...I like most civil service employees, take it in the back end.