Credit Consolidation Into Masters Degree? Any Ideas?

Hi all! Merry Christmas or Happy [insert the holiday you observe here]! :wave: It's been awhile since I've posted, and that's because I went back to undergrad and I've been really busy; but that's a different post.

I'm writing this post because it occurred to me that from my time at National University, in their digital cinema and digital journalism programs, I was only 1.5 credits shy of having enough credits for a 30 hour MA degree in digital media or new media. I wanted to know if anyone had any ideas for what university I could submit a transcript to and be awarded a MA based on work already completed? What to do about earning the 1.5 credits I need would, of course, be decided upon with my advisor/mentor at the university that would award my MA.

I'd prefer an American university with an accreditation recognized by the Dept of Ed via CHEA. However, I am completely open to a foreign university as long as it's legal, legitimate, and recognized as an institution of higher learning in the country it operates in.

Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks!

 

I hate to be discouraging but I don't think it's going to happen. I don't know any school that will just accept credits in transfer and then hand you a Masters degree. If nothing else, they want you to spend your money in their store, not someone elses.

 

I figured that much, and I'm not opposed to earning a few credits from the awarding school or paying an evaluation fee.

 

The rule of thumb here -- and in many places, the law as well -- is that no more than 25% of the credit for a Master's can be transferred in, and even that much is rare. In all the years that I followed such matters closely, I never heard of a legitimate school with a different policy. And yet, the reason I always put a "Bending the Rules" section in my books is because I often heard of exceptions on a case-by-case basis, inevitably accompanied by the statement, "Yes, we did this, but for goodness sake, don't put it in your book." Thus: no harm in asking.

 

Excelsior College's MA in Liberal Studies allows up to 15 transfer credits.
Excelsior College | Masters Degrees | MA Liberal Studies | Master Liberal Studies | Online

APUS allows up to 15 transfer credits.
Graduate Students | AMU Admissions

Amberton allows up to 12 transfer credits.
Graduate Admission Standards | Amberton University, Garland and Frisco

Aspen University is nationally accredited and accepts up to 18 transfer credits, but they probably don't have any program that will fit with your digital media credits.
Accreditation - Accredited Online University | Aspen University

 

How many years have elapsed since you left National University and does the program still exist? If you're only 1.5 credits shy of graduation, then...

 

I'm not 1.5 credits shy of graduation. I still need 6 courses to finish the MA in digital journalism at National U. What happened is that I started at NU in one program then transferred into another and between the two programs have accumulated 28.5 credits. I'm trying to see if there's a school that will take these credits, let me do something to earn the needed 1.5 credits, and then award me a 30 credit hour master's degree.

 

Mr. Bear,

Thank you so much for answering my question. I am honored! You mentioned case-by-case basis... do you think I would qualify and if so, could you recommend any schools? I'm totally physically disabled due to lupus and I'm so tired right now, yet I keep going.

I know the best thing to do would be to just finish the six courses for the MA in digital journalism from National University, but I ran afoul of their super strict financial aid policies (they go above and beyond the federal regulations) when I was hospitalized twice in close succession. They cancelled my financial aid and left me owing for the class I was in when I had my second hospitalization, then told me I couldn't file a financial aid appeal. I don't have the money to pay for that class out of pocket.

So, I was just hoping there was a way to use the credits I already earned to get a master's degree from somewhere. Thank you, again.

 

Case-by-cases basis means exactly that...you have to present your case to each individual school. I know that sounds tiring and tedious...because it is tiring and tedious. There simply isn't any way that anyone can predict that in advance. It's not as if there is a university that specializes in making exceptions to the rules.

 

Thank you much for this interesting list. I had no idea that there were schools that accepted so much transfer credits, especially ones that were RA. The one thing I will note, however, is that in looking through them most have some odd duck courses. I think that many students would be hard pressed to find matching courses to transfer. The one exception I thought was APUS. Their entire set up is very interesting.