Colleges or Universities in UK or Australia

Is there any colleges or universities in the United Kingdom or Australia that operate similarly to that of Charter Oak State College, Excelsior College, or Thomas Edison State College whereby you can earn a college degree from various schools with no residency or course work required to earn a degree? If so, could you please let us know. We're familar with the ones in the United States, but wanted to know of there are any schools in the United Kingdom or Australia that operate in the same manner as the three listed above. Thank you.

 

I do not know of any in the UK.
But in the UK an alternate to a degree is membership in a professional institution and they may accept a collection of credits from various schools. Likewise the C&G may acccept them (I recall that someone on this board did this).

 

There are some that are but it depends on the College/University and degree program. My area is Philosophy/Theology so I only speak to those that I know of directly. The discussion board might be able to direct you further if we knew what area of study you were interested in.

HTH,

cbryant

 

There are universities in Australia that do not require any attendance in the degree programme. There will be some who will offer some recognition for prior learning on a case by case basis. I know of none that operate like Excelsior College or Charter Oak.

Most universities have a distance learning programme. Distance learning in this country has a very long history and is well accepted. You will never be asked here if you got your degree by distance learning, nor will the degree be noted as being earned by distance learning. In any case, distance learners are admired more than classed as second rate.

There are private universities here, but they are few. All universities are subject to government regulation and oversight. This is very tight and the equivalent to RA accreditation in terms of acceptance.The quality differential between the universities is minimal. It is more a matter of personal experience and opinion than quantifiable data identifying which is the "best".

The Australian dollar has dropped significantly against the greenback and universities here are a lot cheaper for those paying in US dollars. Not as cheap as South Africa, but probably less bureaucratic. Here is a site that may be of interest:

https://www.open.edu.au

 

cbryant stated in previous entry: There are some that are but it depends on the College/University and degree program. My area is Philosophy/Theology so I only speak to those that I know of directly. The discussion board might be able to direct you further if we knew what area of study you were interested in.

Could you (cbryant) please mention the colleges or universities that you're aware of that offer this. You mentioned that your area is philosophy/theology so if you know of an actual school do you have the name and perhaps a link to their web site for reference? Is it entirely possible to earn a degree from a college or university in the UK, with the existing credits that one would have and not have any residency (course work requirement) at the UK school?

Also, I did check out the Australian link that you (ebbwvale) provide, but not sure how you go about determining how much course work would be required. It does seem that they will accept prior credits on a case-by-case basis, but would like to know a little more about what would be required. Has anyone here earned a degree from an Australian college or university?

We're curious as to what other schools are out there besides the Top Three -- Charter Oak State College, Excelsior College, and Thomas Edison State College. Thank you.

 

potpourri,

The University of London has quite a few distance learning. Here is the link
http://www.londonexternal.ac.uk/prospective_students/undergraduate/index.php
The University of Wales, Lampeter has some postgraduate degree schemes are are offered distance learning. I don't know about their undergraduate schemes.
http://www.lamp.ac.uk/
These are two that come to mind. There may be others on the discussion of the board who might be able to provide more insight.

HTH,

cbryant

 

I am not sure if this helps. Here is an excerpt from the Open university website;

"Credit for previous study
If you’ve already completed some study and want to use it as credit towards a qualification, you’ll need to speak to the qualification coordinator. You’ll find their contact details on the qualification outline in 'What to study'.

If you’re a university student and want to use OUA units towards a qualification, you’ll need written approval from your home university. Don’t worry about sending us a copy, but make sure you do have written approval BEFORE you enrol with us. We cannot refund you in the case you do not receive credit from your home university.

If you’re a Vocational Education and Training (VET) student and believe you are eligible for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), contact the relevant course coordinator.

RPL evaluates the skills and competencies you have gained through education, work and life experience"

I guess by e-mailing the qualification co-ordinator you may be able to get some assistance on prior learning and how much credit will be given for the proposed degree..

 

We appreciate the other two posters information. Apparently there isn't any other schools in the United Kingdom or Australia that allow you to earn a degree without doing some type of course work with them such as Charter Oak State College, Excelsior College, or Thomas Edison State College. We were looking for some college or university in the UK or Australia that didn't have a residency component or where you had to do any course work with them in order to earn a degree.