What does Excelsiors diploma look like?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by ellenDJ, Dec 19, 2001.

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  1. ellenDJ

    ellenDJ New Member

    Although I'm not impressed with the new name, it seems to be the one I'll go for for my needs. I've read what COSC's looks like, but they don't give letter grades....con.
    I'm planning on clepping and testing my butt off the next year, and I've found invaluable information from this board. ThankYou!!!
    And thank you in advance for my future bazillion questions! :) ellen
     
  2. ellenDJ

    ellenDJ New Member

     
  3. EllisZ

    EllisZ Member

    I really hope that this does not come across the wrong way .... but why does it matter what the degree looks like?

    The piece of paper itself is totally void of value. If mine burned up tomorrow I would care less. I've never been asked by an employer to show it .... I've never hung it in my office. (It actually hangs in a room at home that's rarely used.)

    I suppose if you want one that looks nicer than they one that they "give" you you could go down to a printer and have them print up a really nice one to your specifications. It's still the same thing as the school will provide your academic record to back up your work.

    In short: Don't get worked up over things like degree appearance. That would be my very last criteria in choosing a school. Choose one that will enable you to meet your academic goals in a reasonable time frame.

    That said: Regents College degrees were 8x10 standard diploma looking things. (Similar to what I got from high-school.) I imagine Excelsior is similar.

    (Ok ... since I am on my rant ... why is the name Excelsior so dis-liked?)

    ----
    Ellis Z.
    B.S. CIS - Regents College
    M.I.T. - American Intercontinental University (Cand.)
     
  4. ellenDJ

    ellenDJ New Member

    I was just curious, to answer your question. And I'm not hung up on the matter. Again.....just curious. Thanks anyway for your input.
     
  5. Tom Head

    Tom Head New Member

    My 1996 USNY/Regents diploma is about 8x10, black and white, with the USNY logo at the top and a gold leaf seal in the lower left corner; pretty basic, but par for the course in my experience, as most diplomas I've seen from other schools look roughly the same. (The CSUDH diploma is an exception--and so much prettier, with a nifty three-color purple/gold/black arrangement, and four signatures instead of two.)


    Cheers,

    ------------------
    Tom Head
    www.tomhead.net

    co-author, Bears' Guide to the Best Education Degrees by Distance Learning (Ten Speed Press)
    co-author, Get Your IT Degree and Get Ahead (Osborne/McGraw-Hill)
     
  6. triggersoft

    triggersoft New Member

    8*10 what? inches?
     
  7. StevenKing

    StevenKing Active Member

    I agree that "what" a degree looks like means little...some of us are just curious about the effort institutions place in their diplomas.

    Steven King
     
  8. drwetsch

    drwetsch New Member

    I didn't like the name at first but I found that it grows on you. When the College went independent and had to choose a new name Excelsior won out. It keeps intact a connection to its New York roots as Excelsior is the NY state motto. For those of us with the old USNY diplomas you can note the words "Excelsior" on the state logo. It means "ever upward" and is a good motto in itself for a college.

    John
     
  9. EllisZ

    EllisZ Member

    John,

    The first thing that *I* thought of when I heard Excelsior was "how appropriate" being that it's a New York school. (I'm from the area so I knew that. <GRIN> )

    BTW: You have no clue but you were the one taht introduced me to Regents a long time ago. (Before I actually NEEDED it.) As it turns out I own my success to you. (I don't think I would have ever heard of them had you not mentioned it back in 95 or 96.)

    Anyway:
    Ellen, again I didn't mean it bad at all. I am very sorry if I came across as crass in any way.

    FWIW: Last week I was in an office of a person who was a Georgia Tech grad. He had a degree in Electrical Engineering. His degree was displayed on his wall and it was HUGE! I wish all schools gave out degrees like that. You wouldn't need wallpaper for at least one wall in your home. <GRIN>

    ---
    Ellis Z.
    B.S. CIS - Regents College
    M.I.T. - American Intercontinental University (Cand.)
     
  10. EllisZ

    EllisZ Member

     
  11. ellenDJ

    ellenDJ New Member

    No harm done Ellis. You were just expressing a thought, as I. :)
     
  12. slappy

    slappy New Member

    I graduated in May and my Excelsior diploma says University of the State of New York, twice.
     
  13. drwetsch

    drwetsch New Member

    Ellis,

    It is good to hear that Excelsior turned out for you. What year did you complete your B.S.?

    I am somewhat into the aesthetics of diplomas. They range from the plain to the ornate. I am drawn more to the ornate and like the diplomas with Latin prose. With diplomas size may matter. Back in the 80's the University of North Dakota used to issue small relatively plain diplomas in the 80's. I think my wife's B.A. is a small 5 x 7 inches. They would then give a larger one for the masters degree -- I would guess closer to the 8.5 x 11 inch format. The doctoral diplomas were about 11 x 14 inches (my wife's J.D.). When I received my UND B.S. diploma this year it was a new format, nicely done color seal, 5 signatures, and nice lettering at 8.5 x 11 inches. SO now I have bragging rights at home as my BS is bigger than her BA. :)

    I also need to comment on the usefulness of a diploma. I have had occasion where I needed to produce a diploma. My company required all employees to provide copies of diplomas and certificates earned. Also, when I took an adjunct position at a large research university in 1999 they requested a copy of my doctoral diploma.

    John
     
  14. Guest

    Guest Guest

    I had to provide a copy of my diplomas three months ago for the first time in over 20 years of teaching. I had just received my masters diplma so that was no problem but my bachelors diploma was who-knows-where after three moves over the years. So I had to call the registrar and order a new one. That was expensive!!!!!!!

    My masters diploma from Cal State fits nicely in the fax machine. My bachelors diploma from James Madison U was three times the size of that!! What a major pain in the buttons -- had to scan and resize and all that stuff. Personally I have no use for hanging diplomas on walls -- they just gather dust packed up in some box somewhere.

    Sunnie *whose phd diploma in two years will gather dust too*
     
  15. ellenDJ

    ellenDJ New Member

    Hi Sunny, just curious as to what it cost you for that 2nd copy of your diploma. Just doesn't make sense to me that they'd charge anything, but then again I'm suprised every day re: the "business" of education. :)
     
  16. Guest

    Guest Guest

    Ellen, the durn thing cost me $50!!!!! And worse -- it took two months to print another one. I just about dropped the phone when they told me that. I was tempted to go looking through boxes for the original -- but not tempted enough LOL
     
  17. ellenDJ

    ellenDJ New Member

    Good lord!! One would think it would just take a phone call from your employer to the University. Money, formalities.....AAAAA!!!!!
    It's driving me insane, and I havn't even gotten my associates yet! [​IMG]
    thx [​IMG]
     
  18. Guest

    Guest Guest

    Yeppers -- been there done that and still doing it LOL Good luck [​IMG]
     
  19. EllisZ

    EllisZ Member

    John,

    Yes ... Regents worked out TERRIFIC for me. (I probably wouldn't have had my B.S. if not for them. I wasn't about to redo all or most of my undergrad work as some of the local colleges wanted me to do after my relocation.)

    I finished my B.S. at Regents in early 2000. I'll finish my Masters (at AIU) in about 3 months from now.

    ... onto the doctorate. (And on to paying for the student loan for the masters.)

    - Ellis
     
  20. Tom Head

    Tom Head New Member

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