College degree advice needed

I am a 44-year-old career woman with two teenage children. I was employed as an office manager/events coordinator and administrator in the mental health/addiction field for a nonprofit company for 18 years. Due to recent budgetary cutbacks from the state of New Jersey I was laid off. My knowledge and experience in this field are comprehensive and my contacts throughout the state are extensive. The difficulty is that I have no college degree and most companies want this piece of paper no matter what your career experience consists of. Needless to say, I can't spend two or three years going to classes to earn a degree. So what's the quickest most efficient way that I can get a degree, I certainly have the knowledge and work experience to qualify for one.

Christine

 

Do you have any previous college credits? what type of degree are you seeking?
do you have any professional certifications? are you proficient in a 2nd language?

 

Hi Christine,

Welcome to degreeinfo.

Since you live in New Jersey an excellent option for you is to earn a degree from Thomas Edison State College (TESC) http://www.tesc.edu/

They offer a wide variety of degree programs including associates and bachelor degrees. Their tuition rates are lower for NJ state residents.

Check though the various degree options and let us know which ones interest you - we can then start suggesting ways for you to earn credit including taking challenge exams from CLEP http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/clep/about.html and DSST http://www.getcollegecredit.com/ . CLEP and DSST exams are low cost and their web sites have information as to content and reference books.

With your experience perhaps a degree in business or helth services would be appropriate.

Start off with an associates degree - it gives you something to aim for in the nearer future plus it gives you a credential you can show to prospective employers. TESC degrees are listed here: http://www.tesc.edu/677.php

Several members of degreeinfo earned degrees from TESC and went on to earn masters degrees.

You might find it interesting to read though Lawrie Miller's web site (BA in 4 weeks). This is a geniune site. http://www.bain4weeks.com/ I don't think it practical for most people to earn a degree in 4 weeks but 4 months might be a possibility.

 

Dear Christine

New Jersey is arguably the best state to be in for someone in your situation. Not only is Thomas Edison State College among the very best in turing experiential learning into college credit (and degrees), but the school is also quite well known in the state, which is an advantage. Indeed, once you have begun the process, you can properly add the line to your resume or job application letters, along the lines of "Enrolled in Bachelor of Arts degree program at Thomas Edison State College, Trenton. Degree expected in March 2011."

You may wish to check out the "credit for prior learning" chapter in my book, Bears Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning . . . especially "The Levicoff Portfolio," which shows how Steve Levicoff earned 90 semester units at Edison, entirely based on things already done. Fortunately, this chapter is available free on line, from Google Books: http://tinyurl.com/yh8tzuh

Best wishes in your quest.

John Bear

 

There are a variety of credit-earning options available including testing-out (CLEP, DSST, DANTES, ECE, etc.), prior learning assessment (PLA), professional licensure and/or certifications, and last but not least taking courses.

Since you want to earn a degree as quickly as possible the Big Three (Charter Oak State College, Excelesir College, and Thomas Edison State College) each have no academic residency requirement, though at least one of these schools now requires a capstone course prior to graduation. That said, these schools are the most flexible in terms of how credit hours can be earned. Personally, I recommend completing an associate-level degree before continuing on to earn a bachelor-level degree for the simple reason you gain a marketable credential sooner.

Thomas Edison State College offers the degrees mentioned below which seem applicable to your experience and interests:

*Associate in Science in Business Administration (ASBA)
*Associate in Science in Public and Social Services (ASPSS) with specializations in Community Services, Social Services, or Social Services for Special Populations

Alternatively, you could earn a traditional Associate of Arts (AA) degree.

After earning an AA or AS degree you can apply these credit hours towards a BA or BS degree.

Thomas Edison State College offers the degrees mentioned below which seem applicable to your experience and interests:

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA)
Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences (BSHeS)
Bachelor of Science in Human Services (BSHS)

Charter Oak State College offers:

Associate in Arts in General Studies (AA)
Associate in Science in General Studies (AS)
Bachelor of Arts in Health Studies (BAHS)
Bachelor of Science in Health Studies (BSHS)
Bachelor of Arts in Applied Behavioral Science - Pyschology (BAABS)
Bachelor of Science in Applied Behavioral Science - Sociology (BSABS)
Bachelor of Arts in Health Care Administration (BAHCA)
Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration (BSHCA)

Alternatively, a Bachelor of Arts in Individualized Studies or a Bachelor of Science in Individualized Studies might be of interest.

Other contributors will undoutedly have additional suggestions to further assist you in finding the right school and degree to meet your specific needs or goals.

 

Well you just got the best advice - BTW I'm a TESC degree holder. Also, check into thier GUIDED STUDIES for the gaps if any! (General Education requirements)


Accounting
Principles of Financial Accounting (ACC-101)
Principles of Managerial Accounting (ACC-102)
Federal Income Taxation (ACC-421)


Art
A World of Art (ART-100)
History of Western Art I (ART-166)
History of Western Art II (ART-167)


Astronomy
Introductory Astronomy (AST-101)


Biology
The Science of Nutrition (BIO-208)


Business
Introduction to Business (BUS-101)
Business Mathematics (BUS-161)
Business Policy (BUS-421)


Chemistry
Survey of Chemistry (CHE-101)


Computer Information Systems
Computer Concepts and Applications (CIS-107)


Communications
Introduction to Mass Communications I (COM-120)
Introduction to Mass Communications II (COM-121)
Public Speaking (COM-209)
Elements of Intercultural Communication (COM-335)


Computer Science
Introduction to Computers (COS-101)
C Programming (COS-116)
C++ Programming (COS-213)
Assembly Language (COS-231)
Data Structures (COS-241)
Computer Architecture (COS-330)
Operating Systems (COS-352)


Controls
Electronic Instrumentation and Control (CTR-211)


Earth Science
General Earth Science (EAS-101)


Economics
Macroeconomics (ECO-111)
Microeconomics (ECO-112)
International Economics (ECO-490)


English Composition
English Composition I (ENC-101)
English Composition II (ENC-102)


English
Technical Writing (ENG-201)


Environmental Science
Global Environmental Change (ENS-314)


Film
American Cinema (FIL-110)


Finance
Principles of Finance (FIN-301)


Geology
Physical Geology (GEO-151)


History
Western Civilization I (HIS-101)
Western Civilization II (HIS-102)
American History I (HIS-113)
American History II (HIS-114)
American Civil Rights Movement (HIS-210)
American Civil War (HIS-235)
Introduction to Chinese History and Culture (HIS-261)
African History and Culture (HIS-301)
War and American Society (HIS-356)


Journalism
News Writing (JOU-352)


Law
Business Law (LAW-201)


Literature
Introduction to Children’s Literature (LIT-221)
Analysis and Interpretationof Literature (LIT-291)


Management
Human Resources Management (MAN-331)
International Management (MAN-372)
Managerial Communications (MAN-373)
Small Business Management (MAN-432)


Marketing
Introduction to Marketing (MAR-301)


Mathematics
College Algebra (MAT-121)
Precalculus for Business (MAT-128)
Precalculus for Technology (MAT-129)
Calculus I (MAT-231)
Calculus II (MAT-232)
Discrete Mathematics (MAT-270)


Nuclear Engineering Technology
Radiation Biophysics (NUC-412)
Radiation Interactions (NUC-413)


Philosophy
Ethics and the Business Professional (PHI-384)


Physics
Physics I (PHY-111)
Physics II (PHY-112)


Political Science
American Government (POS-110)
Constitutional Issues (POS-310)


Psychology
Introduction to Psychology (PSY-101)
Developmental Psychology (PSY-211)
Thanatology: An Understanding of Death and Dying (PSY-300)
Worlds of Childhood (PSY-317)
Research in Experimental Psychology (PSY-322)
Introduction to Counseling (PSY-331)
Abnormal Psychology (PSY-350)
Organizational Theory (PSY-360)
Social Psychology (PSY-379)


Religion
Introduction to World Religions (REL-405)
Eastern Religions (REL-406)
Western Religions (REL-407)


Sociology
Introduction to Sociology (SOC-101)
Marriage and the Family (SOC-210)
Social Gerontology (SOC-315)
Cultural Diversity in the United States (SOC-322)
Complex Organizations (SOC-361)
Sociology of Work (SOC-362)


Social Sciences
Drugs and Society (SOS-304)


Spanish
Elementary Spanish I (SPA-101)
Elementary Spanish II (SPA-102)
Elementary Spanish III (SPA-103)


Statistics
Principles of Statistics (STA-201)

 

Avoid degree mills

Christine,
Be sure to avoid degree mills - these degrees are not regionally or nationally accredited - and employers do not recognize them.
Degree mills have sophisticated web sites and make lots of promises but they are out to get your money.
If in doubt about any school ask here.
Ian

 

I have to say that I agree with John Bear on this one. Since you live in New Jersey the tuition for you as a resident would be slightly lower than those who reside out of the state. Thomas Edison State College would be your best bet and you could maximize the amount of credits by getting into a variety of ways to earn credit. You could do portfolio assessment and also take tests to earn credits as quickly as possible. The other thing that you may wish to do is to see if you can find an employer that will be willing to help with tuition and so forth. Yes, you may not have the degree right now, but you have much experience and an employer that realizes that someone has worked a long time and this shows determination.

 

How much prior college do you have? If your problem is that you have 120+ credits (more than enough for the degree) but you just need to get all your credits to march towards the same school, Charter Oak State College www.cosc.edu in Connecticut, Excelsior College www.excelsior.edu in New York, and Thomas Edison State College www.tesc.edu in New Jersey are the most generous for transfer credit.

If you are starting from scratch (or still a significant number of credits), if you would tell us what field you would like to major in, we could develop a list of schools for you.