info needed on UK and US grad schools, etc.

Hello. I am glad to have finally “discovered” this website! I have a few questions I hope to get answered. Any Input would be appreciated.

First a little background info: I am finishing a TESC BA this fall and am considering Grad school. I am interested in Anthropology and Archaeology M.A. programs. I hit bottom financially, emotionally and academically back in1992 but since that time have gone back to community college and finally to TESC.

Here are my questions:

1. Q: Will not having a GPA be a hindrance in getting admitted to a graduate program? (I am talking State U.’s not Harvard or Yale, here.)

2. Q: Is there a stigma attached to DL degrees? Even those from RA schools? How have others overcome this problem?

3.Q: Is anyone familiar with any DL grad programs from RA schools offering higher degrees in Anthropology or Archaeology? (please no “integrated studies”, “liberal studies“, etc.)

4. Q: I have considered an UK “DL” M.A. program (not the M.Phil) and have examined three schools in particular (Wales, Leicester and Durham) and was wondering if anyone else has had dealings with these schools?

5.Q: How would a TESC degree translate into the whole UK honour’s degree system for admissions purposes?

6.Q: How well accepted are UK M.A.s here in the US (I would suspect very favorably, but...)

I would be extremely grateful for any info. Feel free to PM me if you’d like. Thanks!

Autodidact

 

MA archaeology

Try the University of Leicester in the UK. They offer a MA in Archaeology and Heritage by Distance Learning. I did my BA hons (archaeology) there.
The University of Leicester is a respectable institution.

 

OK, here's my shot at answering your questions...
1) No
2) Sometimes yes. My sense is that people have dealt with this by educating others about the realities of DL, accreditation, etc. When this has proven ineffective, rude name-calling is sometimes employed (also without success)
3) If you're thinking UK then look at Teeside and Kent at Canterbury as well. Don't forget Australia, especially Melbourne and Central Queensland and of course that school for "one-stop-DL-shopping," UNISA.
4) Sorry, not me.
5) My guess is that they'll consider it to be equivalent.
6) My favorite answer...it depends. You haven't said what you want to do with the Masters degree. The acceptability of the degree depends on the goal/purpose.
Good luck,
Jack

 

A Contrary opinion...

Now to simply confuse you, I'll generally contradict Jack (above)!

1) Yes--if it's a competitive program. Without GPAs, the admissions committee will be thown back on test scores and recommendations to sort things out!
2) No--provided your recommendations for Grad School are there from people of status who know you, your work, and scholarly potential well.
3) --
4) --
5) NOT equivalent! Likely they will have trouble knowing what to do with you because there aren't equivalents in the UK. (On another thread it was suggested that 3.5GPA would approximate a second class honours degree--the generally accepted minimum for "Postgraduate" work.) However, in the UK there is the alternative route of gaining a "Postgraduate Diploma," widely accepted for PG admissions there.
6) While this time I agree with Jack ("it depends"), my experience with contacts at a Wash. D.C. area think tank that recruits young talents and grooms them for academic careers in the humanities and social sciences is more optimistic: UK credentials are well received in the US for doctoral programs!

--Orson

 

Re: A Contrary opinion...

Jack

 

An item from...

FROM a post on another thread, January 30, this year:

"quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Lawrie Miller:
4) Excelsior awards letter grades (from which GPA may be calculated) for proficiency exams, TESC does not.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lawrie,

I raised this issue in a conversation with an "admissions specialist" at TESC yesterday. I asked her how TESC graduates worked around this problem.

She said that if you are their BA/BS graduate and ask for it, they will provide you with a GPA. From what hat they will pull this from I declined to ask.
....

David"
-------
Perhaps another query from TESC will elicite useful, specific information about how they go about providing GPA?

--Orson

 

Another thread...?

On March 4, 2002, Lawrie Miller avered:
"Excelsior awards letter grades (from which GPA may be calculated) for proficiency exams, COSC and TESC do not. Some believe that a GPA is unnecessary for grad school. I would (and have) argued strongly to the contrary. Most graduate schools and most graduate programs require some minimum GPA (usually 3.00 for the last 60 hours of credit). It may be a candidate will be accepted into a particular graduate program without a GPA, but he may not. Not having a bachelor's degree with a GPA would likely reduce one's options down the road. Excelsior College is the only one of the three assessment institutions that letter grades proficiency examinations.

The foregoing is a double edged sword, of course. If you're scoring "C"s in the exams, that fact might be best left unrecorded by opting for a college that only awards pass/fail grades."
----
But the thread I alluded to above seems to elude me...perhaps someone else will direct us to it?

Meanwhile, there is exhaustive discussion of a too general nature (should you care to wade in), on this thread"
"International Comparison of Academic Qualifications (External and Internal)"


--Orson

 

AND this...

This July 16, Roy Maybery from Canada had this post (in part):

"I did my first degree in the UK (archaeology at Leicester University) and got an upper second. For my pay (on the grid) as a teacher in Ontario I am placed the same as a four year honours graduate from a Canadian or US university. Also, to be admitted to do post grad studies (MA etc) in Canadian universities the British upper second is pegged as a B+ ave. "

--Orson

 

Re: Another thread...?

This is a quote from an old March 2001 thread (not 2002), BA in 4 Weeks EARN A BUSINESS DEGREE IN 4 WEEKS. http://www.degreeinfo.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1172&highlight=lawrie

This guide is now well out of date. Among other things, COSC now grade certain proficiency exams. See the BA in 4 Weeks web site page "WHICH COLLEGES", for an update, at http://www.geocities.com/ba_in_4_weeks/Whichcol.html




Lawrie Miller
http://www.geocities.com/ba_in_4_weeks

.

 

I did some checking on this a while back (1998) and posted more than once to AED (as LAW11) some real-life examples with cites - see http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&selm=353F7D0A.9A4FFBC4%40ix.netcom.com for some sample "rates of exchange".


Requirements vary widely, but ballpark,
US GPA acceptance level for entry into UK graduate programs . . .

US 3.00 - 3.49 . . . UK 2.2
US 3.50 - 3.89 . . . UK 2.1
US 3.90 - 4.00 . . . UK First



Lawrie Miller
BA in 4 Weeks
http://www.geocities.com/BA_in_4_Weeks

.

 

My assessment of exchange rates is similar to Lawrie's. See this post: Honors degree? How to apply to an Irish grad school?

 

Thanks for all the input!

Thanks everyone, for the info! BTW, others have told me that TESC will type out a letter stating a GPA for you and send along with the transcript if asked. Anyone have any info on this? How do they calculate it?

Autodidact