A question of "if"s, "and"s and "but"s

Allow me to say that I have found this site to be a great font of information on DL and have (tentatively) pick out my course of action (still working out the paying for it part) but this question was sparked by a friend at work.

If....
You wanted a bachelors degree
and
you wanted to go the DL route
but
you didn't want to go the "testing out/big 3" way
but
money was an issue:
where would you go?

For extra points: What European DL University would fill the previous "bill"?

The main story behind this is a girl I work with is trying for a position that she has the schooling/training for, but a prereq for the position is a bachelors (it doesn't matter what in). Any suggestions would be great.

 

I think the DANTES External Degree Catalog (Bachelor Programs) is a pretty good place to start. The programs listed on this link are all DL and RA, so start looking at the area of study your friend is interested in.

As far as the price - your friend will need to click on each program link of interest to determine if the prices are acceptable.

 

Is time a concern?

There are many, many DL RA schools that are relatively inexpensive. If time to completion is a concern, the list of possible schools may change.

-Travis

 

My answer: The University of London

 

My understanding is that time is not the greatest concern. I believe that price is most likely the foremost concern. With the "process" being a close second. I spoke with her about the possibility of "testing out" and she expressed some concern. I am not sure as to whether it was as to her performance or the difficulty of the tests.

- PHD2B:
Interesting web site. One I have to bookmark.

- Zoyd:
I mentioned UoL, but couldn't find a link or list for testing centers in the US. (I did find the snail mail address for info on them though.) So that was of some concern. Not out of the question though.

 

If your friend wants to avoid standardized tests, the University of London probably would not be a good fit. From what I understand, UoL courses are generally self-study with a test at the end. If self-study/test is acceptable, the big three would be your answer.

Where does your friend live?

 

Northern Arkansas.

I think the issue with the tests was: I told her about UoL and I think that at the end of each unit (?) there is a written (multi hour) test (sa) I thing that scared her off of that. She asked if it was handwritten or computer aided. I said I had no idea, but it says "written". And one of the problems with the Big 3 was the distance to the nearest testing center is about an hour and half (75 miles) away and she wouldn't feel comfortable with taking more one test at a time (in a self paced/taught format).

 

The best deal may be the LSU/University of New Orleans Bachelor of General Studies program.


Link

 

of the 'Big 3', I can only speak for TESC, but you don't have to go to a 'testing center' to take TESC exams.

From the TESC undergraduate bulletin:

You may take Thomas Edison State College examinations
at any accredited college or university or at any
public library. It is advisable to find a location close to
your home or work so you have easy access on test day,
especially if you are taking more than one course a
semester. For Guided Study courses, be sure your proctor
is available during both the midterm and final weeks.
(Note that many institutions close for spring break and
holidays.) Contact your local college or university and
find a full-time member of the testing office or a full-time
professor or professional staff member. Adjunct and part-time
professors do not qualify. Another option is your
local library. A full-time librarian is qualified to proctor
examinations. Librarians at elementary and high schools
do not qualify. Active duty military personnel should use
the base test control officer (TCO) or education services
officer (ESO). NOTE: We do not send examinations to
employers, corporate training offices, members of the
clergy, family members or friends.

 

Does your friend have any credits already?? You mentioned schooling/training, but didn't know if that translated into college credits.

If so, look at some BA/BS completion programs.

For instance, New Mexico State offers a completion degree in .
Sociology, Business Administration, Human and Community Services and Information and Communication Technology.

The good thing about NMSU is that, as an out-of-state DL student, you can take two DL courses at in-state tuition rates. If you take more you will be charged out-of-state rates for all courses. So, if your friend does have prior credits this is a good option for him/her.

Cal State Bakersfield offers a completion program in Environmental Resource Management. I believe it is still a good deal at about $650.00 per 5 quarter unit course.

 

- anthonym
Hey! Thanks for that info. I think that may well be the route my wife goes down. Looks like a pretty good deal.

- AKelley728
Thanks for that post. I guess when I was talking with her about it I was talking to her more about going the DANTES route for testing out of the classes. That the tests for the TESC classes can be taken like that may be a consideration. I wish that the DANTES test centers were closer. I might even give that a whirl myself.

- tmartca
I know she had some college. (From the local community college.) But I'm not sure how much. (She didn't get her associates, I know that much.) But I will ask.

 

Well if you're going the credit by exam route (DANTES/CLEP) remember that TESC has TECEP tests too, which are credit for examination tests similar to CLEP or DANTES. I'm pretty sure you can take TECEPs in a similar way to the TESC class examinations.

TESC has a ton of TECEPs available, covering many of the same subjects as your CLEP or DANTES exams. The only downside to TECEPs are that they 3x more expensive than CLEP or DANTES, but they are more convenient.

 

- AKelley728
Do you know if the TECEP credits transfer to other colleges? (on average, I know it would be up to the college)

I plan on discussing this with her today. I'm printing out this thread so we can talk it over. All the help is certainly appreciated.

 

Well there's a few ways to go about this. If you become a TESC student and take TECEPs for some of your credits, those credits will go on a TESC transcript, making the acceptance of those credits easier.

If you don't become a TESC student, TESC also has their 'credit banking' service available. TESC allows people to bank credits that are earned in a non-traditional way (testing, portfolio, ACE evaluated courses) onto a TESC transcript, which can be sent to any college.

As far as colleges accepting TECEPs directly (like DANTES/CLEP), I know that more and more colleges that accept CLEP/DANTES are now accepting TECEPs, but it's on a credit-by-credit and school-by-school basis.

 

Charter Oak accepts most (if not all) TECEP and ECE exams.

-Travis

 

I understand that for say military experience and ACE evalulated college-level training programs that the receiving college would want to see transcripts from the original training institution.

However, I'm curious to know what would be the difference between me, as a TESC student, taking a CLEP or TECEP and that appearing on my transcript vs. a person taking these tests and then via credit banking having those tests appear on a TESC 'transcript' that's created by credit banking.