Seeking advice regarding Master's degree completion

My wife completed 19 s.h. of graduate credit while enrolled full-time an MS program at Purdue University from May, 1993 to May 1994. Her graduate GPA was 3.68, and she did well in her teaching assistantship, but she left after a year for reasons unrelated to school. Now she would like to find a school that will accept some of her prior coursework in transfer toward any Master's degree (MS, MA, MBA, MLS, Masters in xxx). The problem is that most schools we have researched and/or contacted will only allow credit that is less than 5 to 8 years old to be used toward a Master's degree.

She really wants to make use of at least some of the courses which she's already taken, if at all possible, and would like to find a degree that she could complete by taking 6-8 courses or less. She also wants something that is affordable. She is willing to consider almost any field of study, since she mostly wants to do this for personal fulfillment, but she is especially interested in Instructional Design, Training and Development, Educational Technology, and Human Resources; her prior coursework generally fits into those areas. She would like a degree that might qualify her to do part-time work of some sort (such as instructional design) from home, but this is a secondary consideration. She is a full-time homeschooling mom, so she prefers asynchronous courses, and would especially prefer a correspondence style that doesn't need to be completed according to a fixed timeline within a semester, though this seems very rare at the graduate level. The most important thing for her at this point though is to find a program that will accept some transfer credit and can thus be completed relatively quickly and inexpensively.

Here is her 1993-94 graduate coursework (all credits are in semester hours):

STAT 511 Statistical Methods (3 credits) - A
STAT 512 Applied Regression Analysis (3 credits) - B
EDCI 572 Intro to Instructional Development & Communication (3 credits) - A
EDCI 672 Advanced Instructional Development Systems Technology (3 credits) - A
CSR 590 Financial Planning (2 credits) - A
CSR 690 Employee Benefits (1 credit) - A
OBHR 690 Human Resource Systems (2 credits) - B
CSR 600 Colloquium in Consumer Sciences & Retailing (2 credit research methods course) - B

She has a Bachelor of Science in Financial Planning and Counseling (honors program) from Purdue with a 3.54 GPA.

Any recommendations or advice would be greatly appreciated, especially if anyone has experience with a similar situation, or knowledge of a program that might work out.

Thanks!

Edited to add: A foreign degree would be fine, as long as it meets GAAP.

 

Perhaps the school most likely to accept these credits is Purdue itself...they do have at least one Masters level DL program that I know of (Management, I think).
Jack

 

Good Morning, I think the idea of dl at Purdue is great but may cost more then other good options. I believe Fort Hays will take 15 credits. My daughter is taking a graduate level course there and is very satisfied. I believe Lawrie Miller posted she would have some new graduate options to try in the spring. I hope she reads your posting to comment. Have a great day. Hille

 

I don't believe that Purdue offers any true DL programs other than Vet Tech. AFAIK, the management program, while top notch, requires residency sessions and is very expensive. She did contact Purdue about completing the program that she was originally enrolled in, but they have a time limit of 5 years (at the time that the degree is awarded) for coursework that is applied to the degree.

The big problem seems to be the age of the coursework. Fort Hays was one of the first schools that we contacted, but unfortunately they require that all coursework used toward the MLS degree be a maximum of 6 years old at the time that the degree is awarded. They suggested that she should keep trying to find a program that will accept the credits. We had our hopes up about FHSU because of the liberal transfer policy (15 s.h.) and affordability. The way that the catalog entry is worded, it makes it sound as though the time limit only applies to their education degrees, but it actually applies to all of their Master's degrees.

Thanks for the suggestions, keep 'em coming!

 

Have you tried Central Michigan University? They have a complete online MS in Administration program. I am not sure of their requirements (What transfers, age of old credits, etc.) but it may be worth a shot. Hope this helps.


B.S. Business Administration, Mount Olive College
M.S. in Administration, Central Michigan University
J.D. Thomas M Cooley Law School (04)

 

Your wife may want to look into the M.S. in Instructional Design and Technology program offered by Emporia State University. The ESU catalog lists a maximum of 9 transfer credits with a "B" or higher, but contains no mention of limitation on the age of the credits. It looks to me as if her prior statistical and instructional developoment course work are compatible with the aims of the IDT program. It is a semester-based program, but offers a fairly good variety of courses related to instructional design, educational technology, and distance learning.

The per credit cost for courses in the program is about $135...a deal in these parts for any program; residential or DL! The cost is the same for all students, regardless of residency. Dr. Armand Seguin, the director of the program, has been very helpful to me in my inquries about the program. I am sure he would be willing to answer specific questions about your wife's situation, as well.

 

Thanks for both suggestions!

Wow, CMU allows 15 graduate transfer credits, and they'll even do 10 of that as portfolio assessment credit! I don't think that I've seen graduate credit for portfolio assessment before. The CMU Graduate Bulletin does say that "transfer credit that is more than 7 years old at the time of graduation will not count towards a degree program," but they even allow portfolio assessment in the College for Extended Studies, so there is a chance that they may be forgiving in this area. We'll email them to find out for sure. If they would apply 15 transfer credits then this degree sounds like a good option since she'd only need 7 more courses, but I don't know if that much would fit into the curriculum.

As for Emporia State, we did look at that program and it would be perfect for her except that in the FAQ they say that all transferred courses must be less than 7 years old at the time of graduation. They even put it in bold, so it sounds like it's a pretty firm rule. It's ashame, because other than that it's exactly what she's looking for. I really don't understand these rigid policies, it's not as though course content in an area like statistical methods would change much over a period of 10 years, and I imagine that most of the instructional design fundamentals are the same or very similar.

Thanks everyone, please keep the ideas coming!

 

I found CMU's College of Extended Learning Bulletin. Unfortunately, this program won't work either. Here is the relevant excerpt from the section about graduate transfer credit:

"Exceptions to any aspect of this policy will be considered only in extraordinary circumstances and will be granted at the discretion of the dean of the College of Graduate Studies. However, transfer credits may never exceed seven years from the student’s completion of the master’s degree on which the transfer credits are to apply."

Doh!

 

You are correct in that Perdue only offers a Dl degree in vet Tech, but the entire Indiana higher education system (Indiana college network has an exstensive program with many of them offered through the Perdue system

Graduate Degree Programs--

Graduate Degree Programs--

Master of Arts
Master of Arts in Education in Educational Administration and Supervision (BSU)
Master of Arts in Education in Elementary Education (BSU)
Master of Arts in Education in Special Education (BSU)
Master of Arts in Executive Development Public Service (BSU)

MBA
Master of Business Administration (BSU)
Master of Business Administration (IU)
Master of Business in Food and Agricultural Business (PU)


Master of Science
Master of Science in Adult Education (IU)
Master of Science/Master of Arts in Criminology (ISU)
Master of Science in Education in Language Education (IU)
Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PU)
Master of Science in Electronics and Computer Technology (ISU)
Master of Science/Master of Arts in Health and Safety (Specialization in Occupational Safety Management) (ISU)
Master of Science in Health Administration (USI)
Master of Science in Human Resource Development (ISU)
Master of Science in Industrial Engineering (PU)
Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Engineering (PU)
Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (PU)
Master of Science in Nursing (Adult/Family Nurse Practitioner) (Nurse Educator) (BSU)
Master of Science in Nursing (USI)
Master of Science of Occupational Therapy (USI)
Master of Science in Recreation (Therapeutic Recreation Emphasis) (IU)
Master of Science in Student Affairs Administration (ISU)


Plus many undergrade and degree completetion programs.

 

If your wife feels that she still remembers the material from her old graduate courses and is comfortable with portfolios, there is one masters program in ed. tech. that is 100% examination and portfolio based: Western Governors University.

http://www.wgu.edu/wgu/academics/lt_listing.html

This is still just a candidate for regional accreditation, and by some accounts the program still has some bugs to work out, but it might be something for her to look at.

 

Excelsior?

According to the FAQ, the Excelsior MLS program will accept up to 15 hours of transfer credit, with no time restrictions.

http://www.excelsior.edu/exold/mls/index.htm

 

Excelsior MLS tranfer credits

The Excelsior Master of Liberal Studies program is indeed very generous with transfer-in credits. Up to 15 hours, and no time limits. That's great! HOWEVER, these credits are understood to be in the liberal arts (and in 2 different disciplines), which the courses from Purdue clearly are not. It is, after all, a liberal arts graduate degree, not a specialized degree.
There *is* one way around this, if only partially, at Excelsior. You can transfer in up to 6 credits of non-liberal arts (e.g., education, technology, management, statistics, etc.) if these are applicable to one's intended thesis project.
Good luck.
Peter

 

Peter is correct, her courses don't fit into the Liberal Studies category, so Excelsior would probably only take 6 credits. If only Excelsior had more graduate degree offerings with the same transfer policy... Oddly enough, TESC will only accept 6 s.h. of tranfer credit for their graduate degrees. Given the nature of their undergraduate program I would have thought that they would be more open to accepting transfers.

As for WGU, I don't think that it would work for her. She doesn't like exams, preferring courses that are heavy on projects and papers.

I'm going to comb through the Australian schools to see if there might be one that could work for her. The favorable exchange rate should make an Australian degree relatively inexpensive, and I seem to remember looking at one or two Australian schools that had liberal transfer policies. If anyone can point me in the right direction, I'd appreciate it.

If anyone has any other suggestions, please post them!

 

Try USQ. They offer a lot of courses and programs in your wife's area of interest and are very affordable. I am not famliar with their transfer policies, however.

 

master's completion

Hello, I was just reading the Union Institute description and wondered if your wife considered skipping the master completion and moving into a PHD program. She seems like a great candidate for this type of educational journey. I know there are other programs similiar. I'm sure the more informed can advise you. Happy studying. Hille

 

goddard college???

Goddard College in Vermont has several non-traditional masters degrees. They have low residency requirements. The website is quite vague about transfer of credit. They list 3 requirements to receive the masters degree. Knowledge of theory, practice in the field, and a final project or thesis integrating theory and practice.
www.goddard.edu
While the website is vague on transfer of credit. I personally know four teachers who feel like they were treated very well. They had accumulated graduate credits over the years to maintain their teaching endorsements. They reached the point where they could not advance on the salary chart without a masters' degree. It did take 3 semesters, but each spent most of their "graduate time" being mentored by a faculty member. The teachers I know may have worked out "bending the rules" deals, or they may have received the same treatment all graduate students receive.
It might be worth checking out their website and and calling one of the faculty to make a personal relationshiop.
I'm looking for a doctoral program which will accept transfer of many courses too!
Good luck!

 

Vermont is gorgeous, but Goddard? After Purdue?

I would have great difficulty thinking of a school that would fit Gary's wife *less* well than Goddard College. To move from Purdue and courses in Financial Planning and Statistics to a far-left-and-preferably-lesbian liberal arts school sounds bizarre. Unless you want to live your life over again.

I say this with a good deal of admiration for both Goddard and Purdue, two schools operating at opposite ends of American education.

Peter

 

individualized ma at Goddard

I have to thank the previous post for a good chuckle. Don't forget the granola and berkinstocks. LoL
and some of my best friends eat granola and wear berkinstocks.
Actually Goddard has quite a few individually designed MA degrees. A few of the majors that would tie in with previous courses might be, Business & Non-Profits, Labor Management, Community Economic Development, Organization & Development.
The only problem with Goddard is they like to have one week in "residency" each semester. In the past they have allowed a person to have the week at the end of one semester followed by the week for the next semester. But that would be an individual agreement.
Two of the teachers I mentioned were only required to be on campus for two weeks. They actually completed the work for the masters degree in two semesters, but waited a 3rd semester for it to be officially awarded.

 

Anything with a residency requirement would be impossible, unless it's in the San Antonio or Austin, TX area. Even then she'd still prefer a DL program. Political leanings of a school really aren't a factor, though I would consider it very odd for an administration or faculty to have much interest in the sexual preference of it's student population.

I have emails out to USQ and UNE in Australia. USQ will allow 50% of the credit for a degree to be via transfer (they call it exemption). The issue with USQ will be the age of the courses. They will accept courses taken within 5 years, and will consider courses taken within 10 years in some circumstances. The courses also need to be applicable to the program. I am hopeful though that we'll find something that will work!

 

degree completion

Hello, I was wondering about Amber University as a potential college for your wife.They seem to accept 12 graduate transfer credits and are priced right. I know I've read some negatives about this college but maybe it will work out. I also had another thought. If Purdue offers a graduate certificate as other colleges do can your wife convert existing credits to that ? Perhaps if she packaged the credits differently the results would be different. Have a great Monday. I laughed at the Goddard comment since two of my friends are graduates and found it to be a wonderful place. Hille * An extra thought - Bakers Guide to Christian Education- I e-mailed the author with a question some time ago and he kindly answered it. Perhaps you can pick his brain on this dilemma.