Has anyone ever used the Prior Learning Assessment at Thomas Edison State College? I'm looking for the fastest way to complete a degree, and this looks like a great way to do it. Also...is there a degree plan that anyone knows about that can be completed 100% CLEP/DANTES? If not 100%, at least the majority of the upper-level course work?
I am enrolled at Thomas Edison State College (TESC). I have not done the PLA, but I believe the charge is $165 per hour attempted, so it can really add up quickly. TESC does not require 300 or 400 level classes for its bachelor degrees because they consider 200 level upper division. You should be able to complete an entire degree with them using CLEP, DANTES, and perhaps a few PLA's. What degree level are you seeking, and in what field?
I really don't know yet. My past majors were all science related. My current major is a history one, but I really dislike short essay, and discussion type exams. Do you know which degree plan TESC has that can be completed 100% with CLEP/Dantes?
With 93 college credit hours accumulated at the University of Houston and Houston Community College already completed mostly in the sciences and some in history, based on this thread, you could look into a BA (Natural Sciences/Mathematics) at Thomas Edison State College. You could probably test out of the remainder of the credit hours. The BA (Natural Sciences/Mathematics) is great for those of us with a lot of science credit hours in multiple areas.
A reminder that the last 2 or 3 editions of Bears' Guide has a fairly detailed description of Steve Levicoff's PLA portfolio at Edison, in which he got 90 units of credit from 30 or more experiences, from playing the piano to knowing word processing.
The PLA route at TESC is inexpensive monetarily, but expensive in terms of time required to properly prepare the PLA. Though it is definitely a good way to turn experience into academic credit. PLA is useful for translating non-credit courses into academic credits as well.
