Can I take Masters Courses before Bachelor Completion, to get a head start?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by jobee, Aug 14, 2010.

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  1. jobee

    jobee Member

    Hello. I am planning on finishing up my Bachelors shortly, however I would like to take some Masters courses to get a head of the curve. I'm not looking to matriculate, just want to take some courses in my chosen field. I know its risky because I haven't chosen the graduate school, but I am considering the big 3.

    Do you think any of the big 3 would turn down my Masters level transfer courses simply because they were completed before my Bachelors was done?
     
  2. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    As long as you do not apply the masters courses to your bachelors degree it should be ok.

    But why are you thinking of the big 3 for your masters - although I'm a big fan of the big-3 for UG degrees I think their masters degrees are not very interesting and better, lower cost, options are plentiful.
     
  3. jobee

    jobee Member

    I'm looking for aLiberal Arts Masters, and I would be seeking the abilility to transfer in as many graduate courses as possible. EC does 15, TESC is 12, etc. If you know any RA that allows this level of transfer in, I would love to hear it.

     
  4. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    Most upper level courses have lower level prerequisites. If you've got sufficient background you can typically take any course you want.
     
  5. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Like I said to another poster, why would you want to do this? I would suggest that you finish up your current degree as fast as possible and then move on to the next. You might find that it actually moves just as quickly as it would have if you tried to do two at once.
     
  6. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    Have you looked at this MA
    Virtual Campus - Online Programs
    They allow less transfer units but have lower tuition costs (provided you stick to 6 units per semester).
     
  7. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    Amberton has an MA in Professional Development and allows for 12 credits to be transfered in. That would leave 8 classes at $700 per class for a total of $5,600 for an MA. That is hard to beat.
    Details - http://www.amberton.edu/Degrees/Graduate/PDF/MA_PROFDEV.pdf
     
  8. jobee

    jobee Member

    I have a lot of available time over the next 8 months, and my bachelors program only holds a certain amount of classes per term.

     
  9. JBjunior

    JBjunior Active Member

    I agree with Ian. Where do you plan on getting all of this graduate level credit to transfer in? You can get undergraduate credit from anywhere but where (I know there are plenty in certain areas for graduate credit) do you plan on getting graduate credit cheaper than the big three and transferring it in? And if you name an institution that is cheaper why don't you choose that school to actually get your degree?
     
  10. TMW2009

    TMW2009 New Member

    They could pick up 15 grad level credits through the VESI program, via Morningside College, for less than $100 a credit and xfer those...

    Not sure of the total cost of a Grad degree through Morningside, or if they even offer one using the VESI stuff, but they will transcribe them.

    And EC isn't that cheap for Grad Credit... $1350 per 3 credit course adds up real quick. Haven't paid any attention to TESC's cost.

    I almost fully concur with Ian though... WNMU is a great choice as far as cost. But I'd be hesitant to go through them until they start finalizing the exit requirements for the different areas that they offer. There have been several forum members who've run into a brick wall because the school can't seem to tell them what it wants them to do for the exit requirement.
     
  11. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Ah, that makes sense. Does the school you are currently attending offer a master's degree? I would think that would be the easiest way to earn graduate credits.
     
  12. peejcj8

    peejcj8 New Member

    My school said no when I asked. Maybe it was because in order to take courses I needed to be in a program, and to be admitted into the program I needed to complete my BS. That is what I understood anyway.

    The reason I wanted to start my MS was that I had one class left for my BS, a lower level class that I decided to study for and Clep (DANTES). I studied for it for about 6 months, which ended up being overkill. Anyway I wanted to start my MS while I was studying and was told no.
     
  13. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Interesting. I wonder if they would have allowed you to take a couple of classes without formally enrolling in the program. That's all the OP needs.
     
  14. JBjunior

    JBjunior Active Member

    VESI was what I was thinking about while writing the post as far as cheaper graduate credit, just trying to see what the OP had in mind for a plan.
     
  15. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    Last I checked, yes, you could use those towards a degree from Morningside, however the expense for the remaining classes would offset any benefit in choosing them over another school to transfer them to.

    To the OP: American Public University allows up to 15 graduate transfer credits and has graduate tuition that is remarkably less than Excelsior, and there are many more fields of study to choose from.
     
  16. jobee

    jobee Member

    Who has gotten EC Graduate Credit for VESi classes?

    What you suggest below is what I would like to do. If I can bang out 15 units in the next 8 months, then I would be in good shape to start the Grad program. So I looked at the MA in Liberal Studies page at EC, and it looks like IF they accept the credits from Morningside I only would have 4 Tier 1 classes plus a Thesis? That would make it around $8K or so I think.

    The question now goes who has had EC accept 15 Grad Credits through one of VESi's partners (Morningside, etc.)? I remember seeing a page at EC that referenced only giving credit for theory type classes, but not teaching classes themselves.

     
  17. JBjunior

    JBjunior Active Member

    So you're willing to pay more even though there are better colleges that will accept the same 15 credits and are cheaper per credit? I personally would never get a graduate degree from the big three due to selection, price, and to the fact they are "the big three."
     
  18. jobee

    jobee Member

    That's fine, there are others who have. Open to your ideas on what other program transfers in 12 - 15 units from another program.

     
  19. JBjunior

    JBjunior Active Member

    This was posted earlier, I haven't verified. The big three definitely have their place.
     

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