Ohio University: BSS w/Concentration in Nothing

Greetings.

I thought I'd share what I recently learned after corresponding & chatting with two people in Ohio University's "External Student Program". http://www.ohiou.edu/independent/

The only 4-year degree that Ohio U offers is a "Bachelor of Specialized Studies" (they also offer a very few AS degrees). Previously, like COSC (www.cosc.edu), you could only customize the degree by selecting a "concentration" (although OU has more stated restrictions than COSC). This has changed. I'm told that you can no longer title your degree with a concentration. No hint of a concentration will appear anywhere on your degree or transcripts. It will be left to whoever reads your transcript, assuming anyone does, to figure out what you majored (concentrated? <g>) in. This was described as an improvement, although I'm not sure I agree. Then again, I'm not sure I disagree either. <g>


Cordially,
Richard Kanarek

 

Well, that stinks. I considered Ohio's BSS a couple times (I switch schools I want to enroll at almost weekly ). I wonder why they chose to do this? So they don't have to worry about whether or not the degree concentration name is legal or not?

At any rate, they still have a whole crap load of correspondence and complete by exam courses.

Best Regards,
Bill

 

You know what? I guess it wouldn't matter (well you probably would want a specific degree title to get your resume passed the HR guys/gals). Once the hiring manager has your resume he will want to see your transcript right? Just as long as you have course work which jyves with the position your applying for...

Best Regards,
Bill

 

But the concentration is still required, isn't it? Or is their Web page out of date?

"Complete their approved Area of Concentration, consisting of a minimum of 45 credit hours, which has coherence and educational purpose equivalent to an established major."
--http://www.ohiou.edu/univcollege/degree/special.htm#graduation

It's "equivalent to an established major", so when somebody asks you what you majored in, you can reply "Physics" (or whatever) and add, "Technically, it's called an 'area of concentration', but it's equivalent to a major." And if you put "Bachelor of Specialized Studies in Physics" on your résumé, you wouldn't be lying.

I can't agree that leaving the specialty off the diploma is an "improvement". But I'd be more concerned about the fact that the degree is not called "Bachelor of Science".

When I say "I have a Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta, and a Master of Computer Science from the University of Ottawa", I think that's more impressive than if I state what my Bachelor's was in (also Computer Science, which is actually called "Computing Science" at the U of A).

 

You too? <g>

I must object. Ohio U's assortment of *real* correspondence course -- not online-"crap"-- is anything but "crap". Their College Credit by Exam test are also an absolutely wonderful resourse. While their distance degree offerings are, admittedly, sub-optimal <g>, their other good works demand respect.

Cordially,
Richard Kanarek
Possible Ohio Univ External Student

 

Dear Mr. Israel:

Greetings.

Yes, Ohio University's web page would appear to be out of date. I interrogated the woman at Ohio U's external student program quite thoroughly, and I believe she is in a position of authority. According to her, there are *NO* concentrations any longer. Of course, anyone curious would do well to verify this information -- which, even if correct, could certainly change -- themselves.

Also, observe the somewhat odd parenthetical comment I inserted into my original post: "...although OU has more stated restrictions than COSC..." Notice I wrote "STATE restrictions". There *seems* to be more discontinuities between OU's stated BSS requirements, and those they actually in force, than just the concentration-existance issue. On one of OU's web pages, it describes the BSS concentration as *having* to be a combination to or more subject areas. Of the two people I spoke to at OU's external student office, both utterly dismissed the requirement, and one was unaware of its existence. It is wonderful how, so far, OU's bureaucratic impediments are disappearing from my path by their own volition. It does, however, make me wonder if/when my luck will change, and OU will start inventing new obstacles, rather than discarding old ones.


Cordially,
Richard Kanarek
Integer vitae scelerisque purus

 

Let me rephrase that, Richard:

They have a WHOLE BUNCH of correspondence courses and complete by exams.


So, have you taken the exam only courses from Ohio? Do they give you a study guide and some time to study (I would imagine they do..)? Or, is it like a CLEP... You get no official help you just take the test when you think your ready?

Best Regards,
Bill

 

Bill,

Howdy.

So far I've completed two CCE (College Credit by Examination) exams, and I'm working on my third. The two completed exams were in AC Networks & DC Networks (its been a couple of years, so I'm probably screwing-up the titles somewhat). The exam I'm currently preparing for is Calc I, 263A.

Upon purchasing an exam -- but not before! -- you are sent an exam booklet which contains two or three dozen pages of information, forms, suggestions, etc. The exams are based upon courses that employ one or more textbooks. The name of the textbooks are supplied, and the sections of the text book that contain information relevant to the test are identified -- or, at least, this has been true with each exam I've taken thus far. Note that the multitude of CCE exams are prepared by a multitude of instructors; the quality & quantity of the exam-relivant information in each booklet will vary, possibly widely.

You have 6-months to complete an exam after purchasing the right to take it. The exam must, of course, be proctored. I believe a short extension may be purchased (3-months?), but I have not done so previously, and do not intend to do so currently.

I was quite pleasantly surprised at how exceptionally useful my 263A exam booklet APPEARS to be. Not only does it contain the sort of information I've already described, but it also includes a sample test AND (at least somewhat) worked-out answers. I do not recall my previous exam booklets containing such extensive exam preparations material, but it may be my memory and not the booklets that is faulty. <g>

I might add that OU seems to spare no effort when creating its test, although whether their efforts produce tests that accurately gauge the capabilities of students is I question I'm not qualified to answer. Their tests do not rely upon multiple choice questions and computer scannable bubble-sheets; real humans (or possibly grad students <g>) are employed to score the answer sheets. Additionally, besides giving you your score, they give a terse (but cheerful) review of your strengths and weaknesses. You should be terribly ashamed of the disparaging tone you originally took when you referred to Ohio University's independent study offerings! <g> (You are, however, free to disparage their External Student degree program. <g>)

Cordially,
Richard Kanarek

 

I guess I can't get over the oxymoron that OU has created. They are offering a "Specialized Studies" degree with no specialization (ie. concentration.) If they continue on this path they should just make it a BLS (Bachelor of Liberal Studies) and get it over with.

Back in the 80's before I chose then USNY/Regents I had considered the OU program. I didn't sign up for the degree program but I did later complete an OU independnet study course.

John

 

Dear John:

Regarding:
"I guess I can't get over the oxymoron that OU has created. They are offering a "Specialized Studies" degree with no specialization (i.e. concentration.)"

It says something about the regard that I have for academia that, until you mentioned it, I found nothing particularly odd about OU's non-specialized Specialized degree.

Clearly, the would has gone insane, and this is probably the least significant manifestation of the psychosis.

Cordially,
Richard Kanarek

 

Greetings.

Just an update on the Ohio University BSS (http://www.ohiou.edu/independent/, then follow the "External Student Program" link).

I just spoke to a third person at OU's offices, and he somewhat contradicted the other two people I spoke to previously. Just in case anyone might be considering a OU BSS degree (other than just me), here are excerpts from his email:

(As propriety demands, I shall not reveal my correspondents name.)

Regarding Concentrations:

Surely this is a somewhat artificial requirement? Are there any engineering related concentrations/majors that do not include at least a bit of math?

It also bears pointing out that OU has some unpleasant concentration (quasi-concentration?) requirements. According to OU's stated policy, not only can't your concentration have the same title as any existing degree program at OU, but it can't duplicate the same curriculum as any OU degree major either. Of course, it would be a nifty trick for someone to duplicate a residential OU degree by distance learning, but the requirement still riles me. <g>

Just in case anyone else might be interested in using Ohio University's BSS program in order to craft a low cost, traditional correspondence, distance engineering degree that will be entirely free of prestige, respect, or marketability <g>, be warned than my new pen pal repeated the warning I've received from virtually everyone else at OU: the EE department at OU is notoriously uncooperative as far as creating "Special" credit opportunities (http://www.ohiou.edu/independent/isproj.htm) for distance learners. Yet another example of electronics related "professionals" disgracing themselves (and, by association, me). You'd think that, after 20 yrs in electronics, I'd be used to it by now, but it still makes me want to pull my coat over my head and hide. :-(

 

Just out of curiosity, does COSC list the concentration on the diploma, or just the transcript?

 

Engineering degree at Ohio University

RKanarek,

I find that comment to be quite frivolous. Why did you start it in the first place? The beauty of these degrees is that you are in charge of designing your curriculum. If the final degree has no merit to employers, well, maybe you should blame yourself, as Ohio University is a well-known institution in the States, high tier in Newsweek. In addition, you can take the examination to be a Professional Engineer in the State of Ohio once you finish your four-year degree whether the program is ABET accredited or not. Do you think you could pass it? That would shut up many critics. I strongly encourage you to take as many math courses as you can (including linear algebra and differential equations, Laplace, Fourier). Without those, you don’t have a chance. Perhaps a Master’s degree after you complete your Ohio degree would help you a lot. There are plenty of them online, and you can expect that the offer increase by the year.

One more thing, if you want to find inexpensive (but challenging) engineering courses; don’t limit yourself to America. ZA, UK, AU, etc,… have good engineering and mathematics courses that would certainly enhance your degree (and your options to pass a professional examination). You’ll have to check it with Ohio, but I think you’ll be able to transfer them to OU.

Good luck,

JLV

 

IMHO, the best use of Ohio University is to accumulate credits, either by exam, or by taking courses from their voluminous collection, and bank them somewhere else (Edison, CHarter Oak, Excelsior.) That way, you have the flexibility that the other schools offer without the weird requirements of Ohio U.

 

Dear JLV:

My comment, which you quoted, was intended more as a sardonic swipe at the cruel injustices of life, as well as an exercise in self-deprication, then as an attack against Ohio University. If you look carefully, you might even find a bit of wisdom in it too.

It is, I think, unfortunate that the university does not differentiate in any way between those residential students, who might well choose a Specialized Studies degree for exactly the reasons outlined at http://www.ohiou.edu/univcollege/degree/special.htm, and external students, who have the degree option foisted upon them, and for whom the previous BSS description rings specious. Still, OU's degree offering should not be taken lightly, and I don't think I suggested that it should. Their fees are extremely "economical" (AFAIK, even cheaper than the big three), they have a panoply of proper correspondence course AND College Credit by Exam offerings, they have (thus far) supplied rather friendly & accommodating service, and they have some name recognition (or word recognition: "Ohio" and "University" are apt to be at least triflingly more amenable to even those unfamiliar with "Ohio University", than, for example, the single word "Excelsior" would be to the similarly obtuse). If one intended to extensively avail oneself of OU's external offering, and didn't intend to pursue credit via Subject GREs or DANTE exams (neither of which OU accepts), then, IMHO, OU's degree option certainly demands consideration.

Clearly, it's Chip you have a quarrel with. <g> But don't rile him, he'll cut-off your account! (ONLY KIDDING!)


Cordially,
Richard Kanarek

 

My dear Host:


Regarding your recent post:

Ah, but what school doesn't have weird requirements? The Engineering Studies concentration at COSC (www.cosc.edu, a swell assessment college), for example, requires calculus-based physics classes with lab. I've previously taken non-calculus physics classes with lab. When I asked COSC if I could take calculus physics classes w/o lab, I was told no. This won't be a problem at Ohio University, since I'll have a concentration in Nothing! (Well, technically, the Dean & I will know what my concentration was, but I'm sure we won't tell. <g>)

And on the subject of weird requirements (sort of), a few additional thoughts on JLV's post:
a) I think there is little reason to pursue a PE licensure in Ohio just because one obtains a degree from an Ohio university.
b) Based upon hearsay, Ohio's PE licensure board/rules were/are (?) about as unpleasant as any anywhere in the country towards non-ABET degree holder.


Cordially,
Richard Kanarek