Transfer of Non-RA AA degree credits to accred DL BA Program

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Dave240, Mar 31, 2002.

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  1. Dave240

    Dave240 New Member

    I recently came across this discussion group and find it very interesting. The people involved with this seem to know a great deal about DL.

    I have an AA degree from Southern California University for Professional Studies in Criminal Justice. SCUPS does not have RA but is "approved" through the California state process.

    Those who are familiar with the school know that it is not a diploma mill by any stretch. I worked very hard for my AA and graduated "summa".

    I am now looking to earn my Bachelor's Degree through DL. I am trying to find out if there are any accredited programs for BA/BS degrees that will accept my AA degree credits in transfer. Obviously the accreditation issue is an important one that will have bearing on any graduate level work that I may ever do.

    Can anyone out there help me with some info on this? Thanks
     
  2. Hille

    Hille Active Member

  3. DaveHayden

    DaveHayden New Member

    Hi Dave

    I think the key to transfering the credits would be to make sure the school you are applying to is aware the SCUPS is a reputable school despite the lack of RA. I would guess that at COSC, EC, and TESC the best way would be either ACE review or using the portfolio process to get credit. At other RA schools it would be finding one that is at least somewhat flexible and then making sure they realize the scope and level of courses you took. You may need to apply to several to find the one that is most willing to work with you.
     
  4. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    A co-worker completed an associate's degree at a non-RA technical college. (I suspect it was accredited by another recognized agency, but I'm not sure.) He chose Bellvue University in Nebraska to complete his degree via DL specifically because they were willing to do an evaluation of his credits and give him advanced standing for it. He graduates later this month!

    On the other hand, a recent survey by Bear indicates a distinct unwillingness on the part of admisssions officials to accept credits from unaccredited schools. They rated the acceptability of credits from a variety of sources. Unaccredited schools with approval from states with some oversight (like California) and states with little or no oversight were rated. Both were dismal, and there was no statistical difference between the two. This would tend to indicate that the respondents didn't think much of state approval, which doesn't bode well for using your SCUPS AA and its credits. But you only need to find oneschool willing to accept them, right?


    Rich Douglas
     
  5. David Boyd

    David Boyd New Member

    Have you tried Northcentral University? NCU is owned by the same individual as SCUPS. NCU is a candidate for accreditation with the RA North Central Association.

    Odds are good they would have full accreditation by the time you graduate.

    David L. Boyd
     
  6. Tom

    Tom New Member

    You may want to ask your school if they have an articulation agreement with a RA college/university. Does not hurt to try.

    Good Luck.
     
  7. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    David Boyd's suggestion is very clever.

    Will Mr. Hecht's right hand (Northcentral) accept the offering from Mr. Hecht's left hand (SCUPS)?

    If they will -- then what have we learned about Northcentral? Would the accreditor that granted them candidacy have concern about such a policy, when almost no other regionally accredited school will accept California-approved degrees?

    If they won't -- then something important has been learned about SCUPS.

    I hope you'll try this, Dave240, and let us know what happens.

    Otherwise, your best bet might well be the portfolio approach at Thomas Edison (see their guide now available in the content section of DegreeInfo), hoping to gain credit for what you know, not how you learned it.
     
  8. Chad

    Chad New Member

    You might want to try one of these smaller schools,

    1. University of Findlay, OH
    2. St. Joseph's College, MA

    You might look at any school that has DETC for your bachelors.

    Just a FYI - I know that some colleges will allow you to enter a graduate program without a BS/A that is RA. I know that UOP (Univ. of Phoenix) would allow students to enter on a probation basis - Example: students from Ambassador College with an earned Bachelors could enter into their MBA or MAOM programs.

    Northcentral sounds like a maybe, TESC most likely will limit most of your credits....

    Chad
     
  9. Dave240

    Dave240 New Member

    Mr. Bear,

    Thank you and thanks to the others that have taken the time to help me with my search for an RA school that will accept my SCUPS AA (non-RA) credits. The people in this discussion group are very helpful.

    I am disheartened to report to you the following:

    NCU was one of the first places I checked. I was aware of the relationship between the schools in terms of the founder, etc.
    I thought for sure that this would be a shoe in for me. Its not accredited yet, so how could they turn me down for credit transfer, I thought. Yet they were on the "road" to accreditation, so perhaps it would be a perfect fit for me, and I would wind up with an RA degree. (Or so I hoped).

    I rceieved the following from them:

    Dear David,
    SCUPS is an approved degree program. They also offer a BA in CJ.
    We can only accept regional accreditation for transfer of credit into our programs.

    Susan Penn
    Admissions Counselor
    Northcentral University
    505 W. Whipple Street
    Prescott, AZ 86301
    www.ncu.edu
    800-903-9381 Ext. #8230
    Fax # 520-541-7817

    I suppose that they are thinking along the lines you suggested; if they accept non-RA, will this be problematic in their RA process?

    I'm going to check out some of the other ideas that were posted. If you have any other thoughts or ideas, or if anyone else can help, please reply.

    P.S. How is UOP? It's a coincidence that I received a mailing from them today about their BA CJ program. It was from UOP Online. Is this a good school / program? Thanks again.
     
  10. Howard

    Howard New Member



    So much for ethics and integrity!!!!!!!!
     
  11. David Boyd

    David Boyd New Member


    I have to take exception to Ms. Penn's statement. NCU can elect to accept transfer credit from SCUPS.

    The North Central Association Handbook states:

    " Commission policy holds that each institution determines its own policies and procedures for accepting transfer credit, including credits from accredited and non-accredited institutions, from foreign institutions, and from institutions that grant credit for experiential learning and for non-traditional adult learner programs."

    Ms. Penn, who was with SCUPS for many years, should be very familiar with SCUPS academic standards.

    If you were a good SCUPS student and believe NCU is your best alternative, I suggest you contact Dr. Hecht directly and ask to be considered as a special student.

    David L. Boyd
     
  12. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    I second John's suggestion about portfolio credit. Find courses from RA schools that match your SCUPS coursework, and then challenge them via portfolio. Use your SCUPS transcript, course descriptions, and copies of papers, quizzes, tests, etc., as supporting evidence.

    If you want to transfer all (or most) of your SCUPS credits, Thomas Edison State College would probably be your best bet, they will accept unlimited portfolio credit and offer a B.S. in Human Services with a concentration in Administration of Justice. I would be careful with UoP, their CJ program is new and therefore an unknown commodity.


    Bruce
     
  13. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    David makes a good point. However, Penn's comment about them not being able to take credits from non-RA schools may be a school policy, rather than a perceived prohibition from the accreditor. Or, they may not want to give the impression to the accreditor that, through accepting SCUPS credits, they've extended their operation to include SCUPS. I'm sure they've taken great pains to separate the two as part of their quest for accreditation, and wouldn't want anything to be perceived as bringing them together. If NCU does it for one SCUPS student, they may find themselves with many such requests. Perhaps the NCA wouldn't take too kindly to that during NCU's candidacy.

    Just a couple of unsubstantiated musings.... :)

    Rich Douglas
     

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