BA/BS based on transferred courses

My question is: what are the best (most respected) colleges/universities that will confer an undergraduate degree while allowing transfer of all or virtually all of the courses required for the degree?

(In the 1970s I completed 3 years of undergrad work with Claremont McKenna College (CMC). In the 90s I completed about a year's worth of correspondence courses from UC Berkeley Extension. CMC are now demanding too much in terms of further courses and fees in return for a degree. I have basically done enough courses for a batchelor's degree; I just need an accredited institution willing to give me one!)

Any suggestions or ideas?

 

that is a very interesting questions for me since I'm in the same situation, having taken classes at a foreign accredited University- more than half of the Master degree program-, and 2 colleges in US...and all pertinent classes, not sewing or japanese decorating....if anybody has a suggestion it would be appreciated
thanks
A.J.

 

It is normal for schools to require the last 30 (of 120) semester hours be completed through them.

Your best bet is with one of the three most popular "assessment" schools, all properly accredited. They are Excelsior College at www.excelsior.edu , Thomas Edison State College at www.tesc.edu , and Charter Oak State College at www.cosc.edu .

Keep in mind, however, that it is not just how many credits you've amassed, but in what areas and at what levels, then compared to the school's requirements. But all of the above schools should allow you to transfer in everything applicable to one of their degrees, even to the point of completing all degree requirements.

 

I assume, but...

I assume you've checked wthis Clarmont to see if you could transfer in your UC indepdent study credit? Or else, would they accept CLEP credit?--that way you could test out--or even by taking challenge credt at Claremeont.

THAT would be the most prestigious route, if available.

As for the last 30 credits must be at our school rule, Indiana University's BGS follows it, I believe the University of Iowa nonrad program does, too--but what about the Ohio University program?
Having just visited their web site, and read their lit, it's quite unclear--so this may be a name brand Brick and Mortor option...

Otherwise, as stated above the Big Three are immediately available to you!
Good Luck.

--Orson

 

I agree that the three assessment colleges (The Big Three) are your best bet.

Charter Oak State College has accepted 109 transfer credits from the four Colleges/Universities I have attended over the years.

I am going to complete my degree requirements with DL courses from the University of North Dakota, the University of Alabama, a CLEP test (Principles of Management), a DANTES test (Technical Writing) and through Special Assessment of professional certifications.

In reply to AJ -
Charter Oak State College and Excelsior College both use ECE - Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin for evaluation of foreign educational credentials.
www.ece.org/
It only costs about $120 to $150.
ECE is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). The membership list is at http://www.naces.org/members.htm .
I believe that Thomas Edison State College does foreign credit evaluation in-house, but I'm not sure.


TaneaG

 

Re: I assume, but...

Couldn't the last 30 credits at Ohio University be met by exams if credits are needed in the areas in which exams are offered, or must they be courses?

--Matt

 

Re: Re: I assume, but...

I'm not speaking for OU, but, typically, the 30-credit rule applies to new coursework done "in residence" at that university. Actually, it would be very rare indeed to find a traditional school without this requirement. I don't know of any.

 

Try Roger Williams University in RI, they are flexable, user (student friendly), and willing to work with your situation. I have a good friend that attended USC for 5 years and never got his BS. RWU worked with him, he completed 9 units in work studies and he received his BS, as a side note the cost - was $1,000 per unit or a total cost at around 10K

here is some info off their web site: - it states a 30 unit rule, but they are flexable............


Distance Learning
Prospective distance students may apply for admission to the Open College if they enter with advanced standing (based on credits already acquired from previous college attendance, military training, creditable employment/life experiences, and/or CLEP examinations) and if they have various educational resources available to them in the event such resources need to be incorporated into the student's programs.

Distance students are eligible to apply for the following bachelor degree programs: Business Management, Criminal Justice, Industrial Technology, and Public Administration, Social Science.

External Study
Students can take advantage of the external approach to education offered through the Open College. Instructional methods available to off-campus students include non-classroom courses, internship external courses may include guided instruction via telephone, mail, fax, E-Mail, and the internet; packaged course and study guides; cooperative education or supervised field experiences; computer-assisted and/or self-paced instructional programs; use of video and audio aids; and direct faculty interactions or meetings with students.

In addition to other requirements, external courses usually require that students complete at least one proctored examination. Such exams are administered by approved proctors from within the student's local area. Students may be required to present positive identification to the proctor prior to beginning of exams.

Courses at Other Colleges and Universities
With the approval of a faculty advisor, enrollment in selected courses from other colleges and universities may be arranged and incorporated into a student's program of studies.

No Campus Residency is Required
In addition to other academic and program requirements, all students in the Open College are required to complete a minimum of thirty (30) credits at the University, although these do not have to be completed in the classroom or on the campus. Normally, students are required to meet with their advisors and to complete a variety of activities on the main campus. If applicable, these activities may include assisting in the development of an educational plan, the submission of materials for student records, a credit documentation review, initial meetings with adjunct faculty, etc. However, with the approval of a faculty advisor, the on-campus visit may be waived for distance students.

Time-shortened degree programs
Many students find that they can enter our program and enroll with considerable "advanced standing". Students are eligible to obtain academic credit from a variety of sources, and students may reduce the total time required for completion of studies and degree requirements with credits from:

Military service and training (up to 3 years of credit allowed)
Transfer of credits from other colleges (up to 3 years of credit is allowed)
Credit Documentation, which awards credit for life and job-related learning experiences and is applied to the student's program (up to 3 years credit is allowed)
CLEP examinations, or other advanced credit exams (up to 3 years is allowed)
Distance Programs
Distance students who would like their transcripts, credentials and applications evaluated must:

Complete an Application for Admission form and mail along with the $35 application fee made payable to Roger Williams University.
Enclose a brief résumé.
Enclose copies of transcripts of all college-level work completed. (For preliminary evaluation, official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable).
After receipt of these materials, the staff will assess a student's eligibility for admission. The evaluation may take from six to eight weeks. Prospective students will be contacted by a faculty advisor. The Open College may periodically limit the number of distance students admitted to the program.



Open College
Distance Program
Roger Williams University
150 Washington Street
Providence, RI 02903

 

Re: Re: Re: I assume, but...

Kansas State University considers many CLEP, DANTES, and Excelsior College exams as "in residence" courses, even if they were taken prior to enrollment. Moreover, they also assign letter grades for many CLEP exams. See http://www.dce.ksu.edu/dce/forms/credit/CreditbyExam.pdf

• ”Credit is awarded to students who are admitted and/or currently enrolled. If the letter grade is awarded, it will become part of the student’s K-State GPA. This credit is considered resident credit and may be treated as prerequisite for subsequent courses. Non-graded credit by exam will not be counted against credit/no credit limits.”

 

I also have a similar situation.

I have an unaccredited bachelor's from a religious school, which currently has candidacy with the NASC, and an accredited masters degree in semitic languages. As far as I can tell, I would be accepted openly by TESC, and Excelsior is still working on an evaluation of my transcripts. But within the religious sector I have worked hard to attend prestigious schools, and if I transferred my credit to TESC it would probably be a let down (no offense to TESC grads). In this, I sympathize with the original posting here. I want to do it the "best" way, not just the "quickest" way.

I'm looking for someone who is regionally accredited, will take enough credits from what I've done (because they respect the religious schools) so I can turn my un-accredited-seeking-accreditation-with-candidacy degree into a regionally accredited degree (today) with minimal coursework added on---VOILA! That would be great, in an ideal world.

money is no object. tell me folks. am I going to squeeze out of this, or am i another victim of the unaccredited world?

CGreen

 

C Green,

I don't know of any that would work for you, why do you want a RA BS if you have a RA Masters degree ???

Why not go for a doctorate degree that is from a DL/RA school. I only know of a guy from the World Wide Church of God that had a BS degree from CPU at was able to enter UOP's Master of Arts Degree in Organizational Management on a probation basis for the first few classes. This guy was a Director for the church and the chruch had a hand full of students with degrees from Ambassador College attending UOP's MAOM program.

 

Thanks Mayes,

This is a quandary indeed. I just posted some questions elsewhere on the Ph.D. vs. the Ed.D. and I'm thinking of going into education. However, since I want a cognate to teach outside of theology, I'm going to need another degree before I get a doctorate, or a doctorate that is integrative with a second subject included. Since I prefer getting another MA in one subject and then an EdD (or PhD), I'm exploring options to shore up this problem with my BA. Some MA programs, and some PhD programs won't allow me in if I don't have a currently accredited BA. It's a tough world. So if there were an easy way to find an accredited BA, especially just by rolling over the credits I have taken in electives over the years, I may accomplish that with the right institution. Excelsior is looking at my transcripts right now.

Other than that, I'm open to ideas if someone wants to email me in private. Let's not make this thread a discussion on how to resolve Christopher Green's career issues.

C Green

 

But back to jimhere's problem...

Why didn't I remember this at first!

I believe the most "prestigious" is Skidmore College's UWW program. There is no need to complete 30 credits there. Just meet the distribution requirement for your degree (or, indeed, match what you have to a degree)!

Only two tricks to the program. Interview (across the continent), and submitting a final project!

There's only one possible downsideL no GPA listing....
But this may not matter to you or your need, and you'll still have those Claremont credits with grades if you do!

Skidmore doesn't cost any more than TESC for non-New Jersey residents!

So--why not go for it?

--Orson

 

I am knocked out by how great this site is and by how helpful you all have been! I will look into the big 3, Ohio U, Kansas State and Skidmore. Thanks very much. Sidmore sounds particularly promising...

 

Re: But back to jimhere's problem...

The information on their web site doesn't seem to agree with this. In addition, the potential cost of travel for the 3 required visits could boost the cost significantly... Maybe they are flexible about the visits, but I didn't get that impression from the information on their site. If the visits and cost aren't an issue though then the program sounds really promising. I didn't see a reference to the type of degree conferred though.