OK, I've been looking at this on and off for years and with this current poor job market I am finally ready to act. Seems that maybe I should start with the basics and get an assoc in science gen ed that can be transferd to any RA college. Make sense? does anyone do this all by exam except for the big three? thanks for your help.
oh yeah, I forgot to ask. Portfolio credit seems to be expensive and a little time consuming vs. just taking some CLEPS. any thoughts?
Well, you have a lot of questions that might be hard to answer without some specifics. First- regarding an AA. Some 4 year school set up agreements with community colleges to accept the AA as a block of credit- so you enroll as a junior. Once you step away from the articulation agreements, you are looking at a "credit-by-credit" evaluation. In other words, the necessity of completing an AA on the way to a BA is removed. For me, I earned my AA and BA at TESC- but that was totally a personal decision, it had nothing to do with an advantage of any kind. In fact, because of dragging my feet on my science requirement, I could have completed both my degrees in the same term LOL. Portfolio credit, in my opinion, is a waste of serious time and money when compared to CLEP unless you have a special area to earn credit that doesn't exist. Let's say you have a lot of musical experience. This would be an area you could probably earn portfolio credit (no test available) but you have to decide it a) it fits in to you degree plan - and not just a free elective or b) it's worth the effort. Portfolio credit is FULL COST tuition and can be denied! Free elective credit can be obtained for no cost through a few sources, never pay for free elective credit. I know of one school that offers grades for DSST, but not CLEP. www.excelsior.edu As far as I know, every college only offers pass/fail for CLEP. Finally, I didn't use exams for all my credit, but I did use many for my gen ed requirements. I'll hold my tongue and personal opinion about testing out of entire degrees, but it is possible in certain majors at some schools. (start with the big 3) While it is allowed, it isn't technically possible for every major- so remember that the availability of exams will determine how much you can test.
thanks Jennifer I spent 20 years playing in bands and owned my own music store. Then got into technical sales, then into telecommunications and computer networking on the tech side, then back into sales. (I am currently a recruiter for a private specialized technical school), and I hate sales, but I love business. I am in my late 40's and don't want to spend years in school. I would like to go to the local university, but they only accept 30 CLEP credits. I was thinking if I could get a quick associates degree by testing, then I could transfer in as a junior, and maybe a late junior with some CLEPs added on to the associates transfer. that's my hope in a perfect world but it probably doesn't work that way.
"Free elective credit can be obtained for no cost through a few sources, never pay for free elective credit." I'm not sure what you mean by this?
Well FEMA Independent Studies courses are free and can possibly apply toward all your free elctive requirements at certain universities. Do a search on this board for "FEMA" and you will find many threads discussing it. Here is a link to their site: http://training.fema.gov/IS/
Check the policies of the Big Three (Charter Oak State College, Excelsior College, and Thomas Edison State College) regarding any limitations on credits earned by CLEP examinations. Also, check BAin4Weeks web site for additional information on quickly earning an undergraduate (AA/AS and BA/BS) degree. Depending on your ultimate goals and use for the degree you might want to look into Andrew Jackson University's sponsored tuition offering as a means to completing a BA/BS in business, for example, after wrapping up the AA/AS via testing out. There are undergraduate and graduate schools which accept nationally accredited (DETC) undergraduate degrees. Best of luck on your educational endeavours.
>> Exactly, I hate to sound so radial, but you can move much faster and for less money if you take your local university off the table. (which has pros and cons, I'm just stating that if speed and cost are factors, there are options. Certainly there are multiple advantages of earning your degree locally, so that's up to you) TESC- associate and bachelor degree. No limit on CLEPs. In the business degree, there is one course you have to take...I think it's business policy but don't quote me...otherwise, you are wide open to test as much as you want. I took 1 year of classes along side my testing and, for me, worked well. TESC doesn't care where you take classes, so you can take them butt-in-seat in your town or on line with them or elsewhere. (as long as the college is regionally accredited). Free electives- in the BA track, you can use independent study FEMA classes for up to 27 credits. Business is less, 18 I think. Follow soupbone's link. 27 credits at TESC has a value of nearly $5000. That's free money! FEMA classes are open book taken in your own home online. Sweet huh? Bachelor's degree (if completed in 1 year) can be obtained for $5000-$10000 and you are welcome to apply for financial aid. I got a pell grant for $4500 and a student loan for $5500. Andrew Jackson University- MBA degree, free tuition. Fees of only around $400 per semester. Fully online. So....what would you spend for 2 years at TESC and then 2 more at your local university? Add in an MBA? The use of FEMA, CLEP, and then tips on this board can get you through all of it for a fraction of the cost.
I am a big Brian Tracy fan so I like the Brian Tracy school Executive MBA, and almost free to boot, whats not to like. But DETC, don't I want to stick with RA schools?
If you intend to be self-employed, there is no real advantage to an RA school apart from what a few purists advocate. There are doctoral programmes that accept graduate degrees from NA/DETC schools should you want to pursue doctoral studies at some point. There was someone (dys.func.sh.null) here who earned a DETC MBA (Aspen University) and was approved for the chartered accountant organization and examinations in Canada. He also earned an undergraduate engineering degree from a Canadian university prior to the MBA. Yesterday, I received an email from Andrew Jackson University advertising an MBA for approximately USD3000.00 through the sponsored tuition programme. Aspen University used to be the least expensive MBA at approximately USD4500.00 during certain annual marketing campaigns.
>> Oh yeah, that's a loaded question here LOL. There are pros and cons. My master's will be RA, my husband's will be NA. Really, it just comes down to what your needs are. You can always take RA credit into an NA school, but not always take NA credit into an RA school. I work in a college, so I wanted to stick with RA. My husband works in industry where no one cares beyond the word "accredited" (which NA is), so again, it just depends on any possible limitations you might have at some point. I'll just say this- if you plan on a career that requires a license issued by your state (doctor, CPA, nurse, teacher, etc) then you probably need RA...otherwise.... <shrug>
