Hi, I am looking for an easy way to earn a second masters. By easy I don't mean something unaccredited or anything like that, just one that will accept a good amount of credits from my current masters. I saw that bellevue university allows theirs graduates to earn a second masters with just 18 extra credits but they only allow this for past students, and I want something like that. My first masters is from an on site school and in health care, is it possible to earn a second masters with only 18 credits from some schools?
You didn't mention what field of study you want the second masters degree. Why do you want a second masters?
I'm thinking about english or criminal justice, but really want to see what sort of options are out there for me. I like the field that I am, but a second masters would give me more options.
Normally master degree programs only accept transfer credits if its in a similar subject. You could look for Liberal Arts programs where you can often transfer in credits or programs where you can design your own degree concentration. Excelsior's Online Masters in Liberal Studies accepts 15 credits and they have a self design option also: https://www.excelsior.edu/Excelsior_College/School_of_Liberal_Arts/Master_of_Arts_Degree_in_Liberal_Studies
I was going to mention this degree but could not find whether graduate courses already used for a graduate degree can be used towards a second Excelsior graduate degree. In my case ERAU accepted 9 semester units from my completed MSQA.
Looks like Ashford University will accept 9 credits in transfer. They offer degrees in Education, Public Administration, MBA, Organizational Management, Health Care Administration, and Teaching & Learning Technology. I just graduated with my MA in Organizational Management, and have an additional 9 credits in education from Adams State College. Looks like I could transfer that into their Education or Teaching & Learning Technology, and only have to complete 6 additional classes. With classes that last 6 weeks long a person could complete the program in a year if you transfer 9 credits into the program. I would be interested to hear other about other programs that allow credit transfers of more then 9 credits too.
Yes, by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools https://www.excelsior.edu/Excelsior_College/About/Accreditation and www.msche.org/institutions_directory.asp?txtRange=e.
Most graduate programs will only transfer up to nine credits. Some schools, like Excelsior College www.excelsior.edu and American Military University www.apus.edu will take up to 15 hours in transfer at the graduate level. Note, however, that the schools which take up to 15 hours in transfer offer 36-hr. master's degrees while most schools offer 30-hr. master's degrees; either way, it still makes for 21 hrs. of new work for the master's. John Bear's Guide used to state that Fort Hays State University www.fhsu.edu would accept 21 hrs. in transfer; unfortunately, I've been told by someone with FHSU that that is no longer true. It occurred to me to find out whether Western New Mexico University's www.wnmu.edu online Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies could accomodate you; unfortunately, they do not offer health sciences/nursing as one of their concentrations (though they do offer English and Criminal Justice). The deal with Ashford www.ashford.edu (a new master's for 18 hours, but only their for former students) sounds similar to my deal with City U www.cityu.edu (Get your MBA in Entrepreneurship doing the full program, then recycle core courses when you come back and get your MBA in Marketing). On the other hand, it looks like Fort Hays State University might be able to help you; they offer the MLS with concentrations in Criminal Justice, English, and Health Sciences. Or you could do your Western New Mexico University Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with dual 18-hr. concentrations in Criminal Justice and English. Normally, at the graduate level, the completion of 18 hrs. can qualify one for the Graduate Certificate (if you can find a school offering the Graduate Certificate in your major).
UK option Most UK universities accept the transfer of graduate credits in their Master programs in a process that they call APL (Accreditation of Prior Learning). A UK Master normally has 180 credits (120 of coursework and 60 of thesis) which is roughly the equivalent of 36 american credits. Through APL (it depends on the university) you can transfer between 30 to 120 (yep, one third of the degree!). But I think you can never "transfer" the thesis credits. And they do accept american credits - at least the Universities that I had contacted about this (such as Bournemouth University).
The WNMU master of arts in Interdisciplinary studies would allow you to take 18 courses in English and 18 units in Criminal Justice. Tuition is very reasonable. You would need to check out their web site or contact them re transfer of units from a prior masters degree. http://www.wnmu.edu/VirtualCampus/InterdisciplinaryMasters.htm The CSUDH MSQA would compliment your current degree and career and also give you flexibility to consider other careers. http://www.csudh.edu/msqa/
>> What about adding a certificate? You didn't say what options you were looking at, but i you wanted to teach at a community college, 18 credits in a new subject (loose or as a cert) would qualify- they wouldn't have to be in a new degree. Another thing, maybe you could add another concentration to your existing masters from your prior university.
This used to be true for California State Community Colleges but these days a masters is required to teach most non-vocational subjects. http://www.collegeofthedesert.edu/fs/dept/hr/Documents/minimum_quals_jan2008.pdf
I'm getting my second masters here, http://www.msom.uark.edu/ They accept 6 credits in transfer for a 30cr MS. There are a few concentrations, they have shorter semesters (5 per year) and the tuition is very good (less than $300 per credit hour).
Sequential Master's Degrees at Webster University Shelly1, Here's some information regarding second/sequential master's degrees offered at Webster University: Sequential Master's Degree MA, MS, MHA, MPA A student who has earned an MA, MBA, MS, or MHA from Webster University or another regionally accredited college or university (or its international equivalent) may earn a sequential MA, MS, MHA, or MPA in another major. The sequential master's degree requires completion of all the core courses in the declared major. The student must complete an elective to meet the core-course requirement if the 5000 course is waived. If a student has completed any required courses as part of a previous Webster University master's degree, approval for substitute coursework must be requested and approved prior to enrollment. The sequential master's degree programs in international business, media communications, and procurement and acquisitions management require completion of 21 credit hours of required coursework. The sequential master's degree programs in business and organizational security management, gerontology, health care management, human resources development, international nongovernmental organizations, management and leadership, and marketing require completion of 24 credit hours of required coursework. The sequential master's programs in environmental management (MS), finance (MS core), health administration (MHA), human resource management, international relations, information technology management, and public administration (MPA), require completion of 27 credit hours of required coursework. The sequential master's program in legal studies requires completion of 36 credit hours of required coursework. Art, counseling, and other specialized master's degrees are excluded as sequential master's degree options. The following conditions apply to the sequential master's degree: 1. A Webster University graduate with an MA, MBA, MS, MHA, or an MPA may earn the sequential master's by completing the required core courses (minimum 21 credit hours) detailed in the declared major curriculum. 2. The student who holds a master's or doctoral degree from another regionally accredited college or university may earn the sequential MA by completing the required core courses (minimum 21 credit hours) detailed in the declared major curriculum. 3. MBA prerequisite courses, or other prerequisite requirements, may not be used to reduce sequential degree requirements. 4. No transfer of credit may be applied toward this minimum residency. Here's a link to online master's degree programs currently offered at Webster University: http://www.webster.edu/online/programs/index.shtml abnrgr275
