Math degree through competence based tests?

I read previous posts about math certification, seems getting a degree in math through competence base tests and getting certified is the faster route. Could I do this with Excelsior College? I didn't find any infomation on their website. Also, any schools offer master's degree in math teaching based on tests in math areas?

 

Thanks for the quick reply, Steve. I will talk with them tomorrow.

Do I receive grades for those thirty credits of Math? Or just a math diploma?

 

You will receive credits, but they won't be broken down in any fashion into specific topics. So you may recieve 12 hours of lower-lever math and 18 hours of upper-level math, but you won't get 3 hours of topology, 3 hours of modern algebra, 12 hours of calculus, 3 hours of linear algebra, 3 hours of differential equations, etc...

While GRE scores will count towards specific degree requirements, they don't code the hours as being those requirements - they simply note that those requirements are filled.

 

I think it should also be pointed out that if you simply take the GRE exam as suggested but have no other college credit, you won't get anything from Excelsior. You have many other credits to accumulate before getting the degree from them. That exam will simply cover the math requirements necessary.

So you won't take the test, submit the scores and get a math diploma. You would take this test, transfer any other credit you have, take more tests, etc and when you complete the requirements for the degree (which will include representative credit from several subjects) then you get the degree.

clint

 

rongrong99,

You can get a few undergraduate math credits through Ohio University's Course Credit by Examination program. Otherwise, you'll probably end up having to register for class although you can minimize time spend in seat through colleges like UNISA.

Good luck,
Mark

 

Thanks everyone! I just learned that I couldn't get a second bachlor degree from Excelsior, so I'm planning to do it with TESC. Does TESC offer the same program where I could collect credit hours by tests?

 

Thomas Edison State College offers a BA in Mathematics and a BA in Natural Sciences/Mathematics. Credits can be earned via testing as well as transfer and actual coursework at TESC. I think I read somewhere on their web site that 30 credit hours beyond the first degree is required to earn a second undergraduate degree (unless all your credits applied to the degree at Excelsior College were transferred in from external sources).

 

Actually most credits applied to the degree at Excelsior College were transferred in from another college, but I do need another 30 credits in math to get a bachelor degree. Do they offer a master's degree in Math too?

 

Thanks for your info. I checked their website, Charter Oak doesn't offer Bachelor or Master degree in math, only in liberal arts with concentration in math. Will the degree be looked at differently from BS or MS in math?

 

Almost certainly. Anything that looks out of the ordinary invites scrutiny from prospective employers and schools. You might need to answer questions and explain the content of your program. That's not to impugn COSC or the quality of curriculum you'll assemble; it's just fact.

In the case of my TESC BA in Natural Sciences/Mathematics, I had only to submit my transcript when a question was raised. With relatives and friends, I learned quickly to call it by the shortest title possible (a "Bachelor degree," or at most, "a BA in science and math") to avoid the inevitable death spiral of interrogation when the unwashed first encounter nontraditional education.

Good luck,
Mark

 

COSC admissions office told me I couldn't get another bachelor degree from them without special permission from someone in charge there, if I already have a bachelor degree from Excelsior,

 

Will TESC offer prospective students another bachelor degree if they already have one from other colleges?