Math Degree via Independent Study

I'm attempting to change careers and have decided to get another Bachelor's Degree. I currently have a degree in Computer Science but want to get one in Math with a minor in Physics.

I'm attempting to find a university/college that offers a distance learning program that will let me get a BS in Math. I've searched all over the internet but have yet to find one that offers the classes and does not have a regimented study program. That is, I need to be able to do this via Independent Study (study at home on my own time constraints not on a semester based program).

I thought about studying the information from various bookstores and then taking the various tests but I'd rather actually go through a college/university to get taught the information.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

G-Man

P.S. Creative ideas on how to do this would be appreciated as well

 

If you're comfortable with exams, I think the University of London offers an interdisciplinary B.Sc. in mathematics and physics.

Good luck!


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)

 

Thanks but since the exams are scheduled it wouldn't allow me to get feedback as I progress through the various topics in my degree. Keep the ideas coming please!

 

You could try Unisa, though it may prove too inflexible with regards to prerequisites, transfer credits, and so on. Also the number of depth credits required in each major at Unisa is very high compared to the US norm (since in the SA system there is no general education component to an undergraduate degree -- you focus on your major throughout).

Groetjes,
Gert

 

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by wanting to do independent study and being taught. Do you mean that you wish to follow an established curriculum?

Here is another possibility (University of Southern Queensland):
http://www.usq.edu.au/handbook/2002/interfaculty/index.htm
http://www.usq.edu.au/handbook/2002/interfaculty/progoffer/combined/babbsc/index.htm

 

What I'm trying to find is a college/university that will allow me to study at my own pace and whenever I want taking exams whenever I want.

So, if I found algerbra 1 to be extremely easy, I could complete it in a few weeks vs waiting for the semester to end. This also allows me to start classes whenever I want.

I've yet to find any colleges that match this except for a couple that offer what they call "independent study" classes which are basically correspondece courses. However, I haven't found any that offer math degrees via this type of learning.

Is that a bit clearer now? USQ goes by a semster based system (if I recall correctly - I looked at a lot of universities in the past few days).

On a semi-related note, I found a link from degree.net to http://www.degreeconsult.com/

Any comments on these types of services in general or this one in specific would be appreciated.

Thanks for the help!

 

HI,

I recently was trying to find ANY distance degrees for Math and haven't been having much luck.

I've been looking through the Bears' Guide and I took a look at
all the colleges listed in the book which had math degrees but on their web pages I don't see any courses listed that are higher than maybe 2nd year math courses such as linear algebra (if that!)

I've already taken calculus (it was a 2 quarter sequence at the university I used to go to and it covered differential and integral calculus). I also took discrete math, linear algebra and a first
course in diff.eqs. Its been a few years however so I don't know if I would have to study some of the course material again or just review.

Anyway has anyone found other options besides the ones already mentioned in the thread? (university of london sounds potentially good if they have examinations in NYC but I don't know if I would be accepted into their program as I did not leave my last university with a sparkling record.

any advice is much appreciated!

All the best

-Shoshana Ziskind

 

As an alternative you could try the graduate certificate route (part way between a BS/Ba and a Masters). some programs include:

East Carolina University - Graduate Certificate in Statistics
University of Central Florida - Graduate Certificate in the Applied Mathematics Program
George Mason University - Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Applied Statistics

 

You can obtain a BA or BS with a math concentration from Excelsior.

 

Somoene suggested exelsior for a math degree...


I checked out excelsior but I can't figure out from their information
how someone would actually go about getting that degree.

One option is taking the GRE which to me seems very
daunting. I'm not a good standardized test person at all and I
can't imagine trying to understand all the material that a BA
would cover and then taking one massive test. I do MUCH better
with tests and homework along the way.

The other way would be to take the courses at another institution
and I'm simply not seeing upper division courses given via
distance learning. Maybe I'm not seeing all the options which
is why I posted but I check websites for universities listed here
and except for u of london I'm not finding anything higher
than multi-variate calculus. so it looks like I could either do the
GRE or take classes at a local institution and if I'm going to be
taking the classes at a local institution why should I even bother
with excelsior to begin with? It becomes more like a 'middle man' which I don't need.

My ideal is to be able to take these courses by reading the book and doing problems and take home tests or proctored tests and
having access to tutoring options. I thought that would be easy
to find but it doesn't seem so easy.

Thanks again

-Shoshana Ziskind

 

http://www.ohiou.edu/independent/ccewords.htm


If you are familiar with a particular subject or are able to master content without assistance, you may be able to earn credit through a single comprehensive examination. You receive a course syllabus, obtain the textbook, and prepare for the examination without assistance from an instructor. As in courses by correspondence, you may enroll at any time, but you must take the examination within six months. Your grade on the examination becomes your grade for the course.

 

and also

http://www.fridaycenter.unc.edu/iscatalog/howind.html

How Independent Studies Works

When you enroll in an Independent Studies course, you will receive a course manual that contains all of your lessons, assignments, and instructions. Once you receive your textbooks you can begin submitting assignments. Our staff will receive and record your assignments and forward your work to your instructor. The process works like this:

Step 1. Student submits assignment to IS

Step 2. IS receives, records, and forwards assignment to instructor.

Step 3. Instructor grades and returns assignment to IS

Step 4. IS records grade and returns assignment to student.

Step 5. Student takes final examination after completing all assignments.

 

I actually checked up on the ohio university learning by examination and it would be good if I needed to redo any lower division math courses as they have mostly everything, but the thing is I already have credit for those courses so I just need to review the material, really probably, without needing the credit.

I think my problem with trying to find a degree program was that I can't find any upper division courses available for math except for university of london and I was a bit wary about acceptance rates (as in how I would be able to get in) and doing only one test for one course. (for me the more I'm tested the better, really.)

So after going through the excellent Bears' Guide I find myself turning to traditional education again. I'm applying to Touro College (expensive but the environment I want to be in) and CUNY (very inexpensive -I studied for a year at UCSC and this is probably what UCSC charged when my sister was going there in 1987)

Thanks everyone who posted their ideas

All the best,

Shoshana Ziskind