Northeastern, Granite State College, can anyone tell me more about these schools?

Hello~
I am looking into completing my Bachelor Degree in Psychology and plan to continue on to Masters with my career goal of becoming a school guidance counselor.

I just read Bear's Guide to Earning Degrees by Disyance Learning and was disappointed that there was no info. on several of the schools I am considering.

Can anyone tell me about the distance programs at Northeastern and Granite State College? I would appreciate any information on these schools or any other good schools for my education and career goals. I prefer schools in the Northeastern States but am open to all schools as long as they are regionally accredited.

Thank you very much in advance!
Sincerely,
Sue

 

Hi Sue,

While I do not have any information regarding Northeastern or GSC, I can provide you with a non-comprehensive list of schools offering BS/BA psychology degrees online (all of the schools in the following list are Regionally Accredited):


Drexel University

Penn State University

Peru State College (least expensive school on this list)

Athabasca University (Canadian School w/ U.S. RA)

University of Phoenix (not personally a fan, but still a viable option for many)

American Public/American Military University (Sister institutions - take your pick)

Walden University

Of the schools listed above, I have only attended one, Drexel Univ. I enjoyed my experience there and would recommend the school to others.


Good Luck!

Tom

 

Northeastern University is a large private, non-profit institution in Boston which has a good local reputation and a decent one nationwide. However, their programs are rather expensive ($900+ per 3qh class) for what you get; I would save the money for a prestigious graduate school.

Granite State College is part of the public University System of New Hampshire, and is a fairly new addition. They're kind of like the TESC of New Hampshire; mostly online and DL programs through the undergraduate level only (for now). Nothing spectacular as far as reputation, but a good if rather generic RA college.

If you have a good amount of transfer credit and/or do well on standardized tests, you should also consider "The Big Three";

Thomas Edison State College - http://www.tesc.edu/1925.php

Charter Oak State College - http://www.charteroak.edu/Prospective/Programs/Concentrations/Psychology.cfm

Excelsior College - https://www.excelsior.edu/Excelsior_College/School_of_Liberal_Arts/Bachelors_Degrees_in_Liberal_Arts

 

Hi Tom,

Thank you for responding. I looked at Universoty of Phoenix, and I am not a fan either. I will look at the others you have listed, thank you very much!

Hi Bruce,

Northeastern is $301 per credit hour (no other hidden fees) which was not a lot more than Granite State College and many others I have looked at online. I am torn, do I go to a less expensive school and hope to get admitted to a really good Grad program or spend a little more and attend Northeastern which is a presigious school here in the Northeast, it also made the top 100 in US News College Review and ranks high on the Princeton review. I agree, I would rather spend more on a prestigious Grad school but worry about getting accepted based on where I finish my undergrad.

I was hoping to get some input from people who have taken classes at Northeastern.

Can anyone tell me about the experience with undergrad psychology degrees earned online and if they were able to get into prestigious/better grad schools for guidance counseling?

Thanks!
Sincerely,
Sue

 

Hi Sue,

One thing to keep in mind is that Northeastern is on the quarter-hour system, not semester-hour; a typical Bachelor's degree requires 120-126 semester-hour credits, while the same degree on the quarter system is about 160+ quarter-hour credits, which adds considerably to the overall cost.

If prestige is important to you, japhy listed programs at Penn State and Drexel which are reasonably prestigious nationwide.

 

I don’t think anyone mentioned this one:
Also, U of Wyoming has a B.A. in Psychology through their Outreach program. You can complete it through online classes (although it does require that you transfer in existing credits in specific classes).

http://outreach.uwyo.edu/ocp/psychology.asp

$136/credit hour (undergrad + course delivery fee every credit) which isn’t bad at all. I considered attending for a second B.A. (But I’ll most likely go for their M.S. in Education instead)

 

Hi Suzie - I went to school just down the street (literally) from Northeastern and I can tell you that it has a good rep in the Boston/New England area. Considering the number of schools in Boston, that's not a small thing. My school (Wentworth) still hasn't developed even one distance learning degree program.

I don't think that you said what subject areas interest you most but if you're thinking about Granite State then you might want to take a peek at Southern New Hampshire University.

http://www.snhu.edu/online.asp

Also, if you're in love with New England (I am too) then you should always look at UMass.

http://www.umassonline.net/Home.html

Good luck!

 

Hi Kizmet!

Thanks for that information! I am planning to look at SNHU again, I think I looked online and it was expensive, but will double check. I looked at UMass, great school but did not have the program I am looking for and it was very expensive.

I am starting a spreadsheet to keep track of all the schools I am looking at and comparing costs, etc.
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Hi Patsgirl!
Thanks for the info., I will go look at that school, hopefully my program is available and I have the transferrable credits required.
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Hi Bruce!

I just realized that about Northeastern when I submitted my request for information! As I mentioned above, I have started a spreadsheet and recording all the schools that offer my program of interest and I am tracking credits required, cost per credit, fees, etc., so I can asses the overall picture.

I am will be looking at all the schools recommended here. I just want to be sure that my undergrad choice will be the right one to get me into a great grad program.

I appreciate all advice given here and welcome more input! Anyone out there become a school guidance counselor through online education/degrees?

 

You might have missed that UMass-Lowell offers a B.A. in Psychology 100% online much cheaper than Northeastern;

http://www.umassonline.net/degrees/NewPsychologyDegree.html

 

Suzie, I maybe a head of the game here, but if you plan on being a school counselor most employers don’t get worked up over the prestige of your undergraduate school, they just want you to be licensed. That prestige thingy usually applies for research jobs, and teaching at top tier schools etc. However, if you want to become a school counselor then a good field practicum program and passing the licensure exam (if needed for school counseling), is the key. Save your dough for grad school. By the way,that grad school doesn’t have to be top tier, but should be known for the field you want to concentrate your career in.

Paul S Rogers, LCSW, RN, CNS (retired)