Completely a BA or BS with only CC level classes?

I thought I saw there was a school that allowed you to complete a BA or BS with mostly underlevel courses. Is that true? Which school?

 

not true

 

The Excelsior College BS in Liberal Arts Studies requires at least 30 units to be upper division out of the 120 units required for the degree. So the degree can be earned with mostly lower division credits.

 

I think TESC accepts many lower level credits as upper level.

Abner

 

Most, if not all, 4-year schools limit the number of credit hours accepted from a 2-year college. Thomas Edison State College is the only 4-year institution now accepting 120 credit hours of 100-level and 200-level courses, however, their mapping scheme puts some lower division courses into upper division equivalencies. The limit on credit hours accepted from a 2-year college remains in effect. As always, read the information available on the web site of each school in which you are interested to determine the most up-to-date policies.

 

Jennifer recently said that the TESC policy changed re lower division credits..

 

Charter Oak requires "At least 15 credits must be at the upper level". You have to dig a little to find it.

 

Thanks you guys for the info. I'm still just planning for plans B and C

 

>>

www.tesc.edu TESC used to, but they changed for some of their degrees. HOWEVER, you can use your community college to transfer in 90 credits for any degree. The remaining 30 may be testable. I say may, because you can't just earn credits - they need to meet specific degree requirements for your major.
Of the remaining 30, if lower level is allowed (and may be for many) you can use CLEP www.collegeboard.com which are 100/200 and do not count toward your 90 credit community college cap.
Then, look at DSST www.getcollegecredit.com for many 300/400 level exams.
If you have credits still to earn, Excelsior college offers upper level tests that will allow you to test the remainder.

I suggest testing, but you don't have to use tests, you can enroll at any college offering the courses you need and transfer them into TESC. There are many options. I wouldn't say you need to switch to plan B just yet, if you let us in on your plan A, maybe we can offer some targeted suggestions!

 

Thanks Jennifer. Actually, like you, I was interested in a nursing degree. I needed a BSN as I want to be a psych NP and there is not a direct entry program near me, so the only method available was BSN then MSN.

I've been plugging along with the BSN prereqs, all A's, and am actually enjoying the science classes more than I thought I would. However the economy has hit our family, just like many others. So, I'm working fulltime as well and am quickly coming to an end of prereqs. I'm trying to be realistic with myself as working fulltime, with my other obligations, probably won't cut it during the clinicals.

And for the last almost two years my husband's work options have pretty much been chase contracts in a different state or unemployment, with no predictability. We have no other family to help w/ the kids.

So, I don't want to just quit school altogether but find a program or a route that will allow me to get somewhere that I would actually enjoy and be a career that will still be a good ROI and help my family financially.

If I had a BA or BS I'd have more options. I could still become a psych NP by applying and moving to a direct entry program. I could apply to graduate programs and become a clinical psychologist. I could apply to PA schools. I could even finish up some sciences and apply to med school. Many of these options may result in my pursuing a military scholarship.

So that's a bit of a glimpse, into my seemingly tangental thinking

 

You did not say if you are already enrolled in a program but the following info is provided just in case you overlooked some of them:

Excelsior College:[/B]

Nursing https://www.excelsior.edu/Excelsior_College/School_Of_Nursing/RN_BS_in_Nursing_Degree
(There may some restrictions on who can pursue this degree.)

Health Sciences
https://www.excelsior.edu/Excelsior_College/SCHOOL_OF_HEALTH_SCIENCES/BS_IN_HEALTH_SCIENCES_DEGREE

Liberal Arts with a major in Psychology
https://www.excelsior.edu/Excelsior_College/School_of_Liberal_Arts/Bachelors_Degrees_in_Liberal_Arts


TESC:

Health Sciences
http://www.tesc.edu/2313.php

Psychology
http://www.tesc.edu/1925.php


COSC

Applied Behavioral Science
http://www.charteroak.edu/Prospective/Programs/Concentrations/AppliedBehavioralSciencePsychologyFocus.cfm

Health Studies
http://www.charteroak.edu/Prospective/Programs/Concentrations/HealthStudies.cfm


When you say "If I had a BA or BS I'd have more options" are you looking for a degree other than nursing or psych?

 

Hi Ian, I've actually sent for TESC's info today. I'd looked at E in the past, with yours and this board's assistance actually, but didn't think that was the right program for me.

Re: more options, without a BA/BS I really can't pass go. Getting the BSN might not be in my family's best interest at this moment. I am still interested in a career in mental health or the medical field though. My real interest in the BSN was the psych NP. I would have many graduate level options open to me (a few might require grabbing more sciences) but I can't even apply or consider anything without a BA/BS. This option doesn't preclude me from eventually becoming an NP either if I were to be accepted to a direct entry program (a Master's program for those with a BA/BS but without a BSN).

I'd like to finish up the BA/BA next year so it would be Fall 2011 before I would even be eligible to enter a grad program. Hopefully by then things would have turned around but if not at least I would have a Bachelor's under my belt which still makes me eligible for more options than I am currently.

 

I'm no help...

I just want to say to hang in there. You seem to have a good attitute and it will get you far. I, too, have done the kids/full-time-job/household-management/school/stress routine and it sure is tough.

 

I'll see if I can go find some old nursing threads. I've got a lot of old thread-digging to do, so shoot me an email or a private message if I don't get it done within a couple of days.

 

I want to type you a really long answer, but i broke my finger this weekend and my right 2 fingers are splinted...so this is very dificult. Plus my F key is messed up and my spell check is broken lol, so who knows if you'll be able to read this!

I got my BA before deciding to go for my BSN, but doing so allows me to apply to an accelerated F2F program. As you know, there is nothing accelerated about becoming a nurse- prereqs and degree take a while longer than they lead you to believe. But, I would only suggest that the relationship between BA and BSN is not very fluid- you won't find that the requirements overlap very well.
I know you are looking at NP long term, but I'd put that on the back burner. If your prereqs are done, you should do your RN now. As you know, they expire, and you don't want to go through them again. If dh is out of work, maybe he can watch the kids while you go to school? If you can get into an accelerated program, you'll be done in under 2 years making a great living. If you avoid that first BA and go with the BSN first, you'll qualify for Pell (disqualified if you have a BA) and with dh not working you'll get the unemployment pell bonus- this is just about $9000 per year in all before any loans. Next, apply for scholarships and lastly a student loan. Have dh sell stuff on ebay, have a yard sale, beans and rice/rice and beans, and live very tight. You can do it. We have 4 kids, so I understand the situation!
Sorry- can't type anymore!


ps PA and NPs make more $ than clinical psychologists and the cost to obtain NP is less. Just a thought.

 

Thanks Jennifer for your efforts (despite your difficulties). Sorry about your fingers :-(

Yes, trust me we've been tight for years now. But he's not like unemployed for years, just months, and then employed a few months. We need my income. This also makes military options look attractive.

There is not an accelerated BSN in my area. There is only one public university and the rest private (expensive).

I totally agree with your last sentence and that was my exact reasoning for pursuing psych this way. But there are master's entry NP programs for those with a prior Bacherlor's is something else. Which would require a move though. I almost have all of the BSN prereqs completed so if I went that route the classes won't be wasted. I'm still hoping I can plug along on Plan A get into the upper level BSN class at the private university Fall 2010.

Oh, and if anyone is curious about the clinical psych route with the military, if you are lucky enough to get into USUHS, the navy will pay for your entire education, plus housing allowance and grocery allowance, plus pay you a salary while in school. And once out you are I think your a Capt. so pay is often better than what a civilian psych would make. If you go the HPSP route they only pay your last two years of school but the rest apply.

Their nursing deals aren't as attractive. But the Army has a new program for psych NP but you have to alreayd be accepted into the grad school to qualify for it.

Just some options.

 

your plans sound good. The only down side i found to the direct entry MSN programs, is that you are paying grad school $ for the bridge vs community college or other program. I have long looked at Frontier for CNM/NP and they do the same thing- they bridge non BSNs into the MSN but again, you are paying a lot of money for that.

 

Some credits that can be earned at community colleges are upper division, so it seems theoretically possible to transfer credits earned from multiple AS programs (and community colleges) into a general studies BA.

 

Duh, that totally should have said PUBLIC

 

I think you were interested in becoming a midwife, if that's the case, I've heard nothing but good things about their program for that.

Also there are loan payback programs available for NPs. I've looked into working for a shortage area, usually rural and you can earn $20,000 a year towards you student loans.