Help, my Degree is messing me up!

Hello,

I’m new to this forum. I came here because I just found out I am getting messed up with my degree from Columbia Pacific University. I graduated from them back in the early 90’s and had no idea they were put out of business by California until I got laid off recently and started looking for a new job.

It’s hard enough in this economy to get interviews and then further crushing to find you didn’t get the job because H.R. investigated your diploma and found it is tainted. Nobody wants to listen to you when you explain that your degree was legit and State Approved when you graduated. So I need to pick up the pieces fast and get a bachelors degree that won’t give me problems, so I can get the job without raising H.R.’s eyebrows.

This is what I have if I don’t count anything from Columbia Pacific University. I have 163 units that are WASC approved from California State Santa Cruz and National University. Ninety percent of my units are in Math and Engineering and I have 12 years experience in my field. I’m just light in the liberal studies. If I go back to either of these two Universities I have to re-enroll and matriculate for a minimum of another year. I can’t wait that long. I need to get work soon and my experience doesn’t cut it alone to get a job; a Bachelors degree is required.

If any of you could direct me to another College that would take what I currently have, as equivalent to a Bachelors, without having to take a bunch of tests or courses would, be a great help. At this point it doesn’t really matter what the degree Major is in, as long as it is legit and won’t give me future problems.

Thanks

 

I didn't know there was such a school. I thought Santa Cruz had only the UC campus (banana slugs and all).

 

Bachelors level education quick.

Bosco1000,

The quickest route to establishing a Bachelors level education is through certification. I don't know what your major is but the Society of Broadcast Engineers is one respected certification in my field. The test is fair and direct.

The employer who reviews your credentials could view certification as equivalent but their is no guarantee. See the Dantes certification website for more details on other career areas. The American learning Exchange (ALX) or Federal Learning Exchange (FLX), as it is sometimes known, has a listing of several certification programs for your review too.

The City and Guilds Institution of London is another legitimate way to establish degree level knowledge. See my discussion topic in the "Distance Learning Discussion" area.

Paul Clark

 

This is a very sad story. I am sorry for you. I will pray all goes well with you in your educational pursuits and securing gainful employment. Blessings, my friend.

 

Sorry Oxpecker

You are right I did not proof my post.
Correct spelling is "University of California, Santa Cruz"

Thanks

 

I'm certain that many on this forum would steer you to one of the "Big Three" (Excelsior College, Thomas Edison State College and Charter Oak State College). Each of these will award credit for work done at regionally accredited colleges/universities elsewhere and do not require the residency units that other institutions do.

Since a typical bachelor's degree requires 120-128 units, you might be eligible for a degree with little or no further study, if your units fit within one of these college's majors. You will need a certain number of upper division units, general education units and specialization units.

http://www.excelsior.edu

http://www.tesc.edu

http://www.cosc.edu

Tony Piña
Faculty, University of California-San Bernardino
(oops! I meant California State University-San Bernardino...just wishful thinking, I suppose )

 

I would think with that many hours TESC or one of the other big three might be a possibility?

 

Thanks Laser 100.

hello,

I do have a couple of certifications but I didn’t list them because they aren’t academic credentials.
I’m from Silicon Valley area and people with certifications are very common, and also unemployed.
Much more respect is given to people with the degrees and experience. Because there are so many people here with certifications only, it is not enough to get the job anymore.

Thanks for the suggestion anyway.

 

Thanks obecve & Anthony Pina

Thank you for the tips about the big three. I'll check out each of their programs and see which would be best for me.

I'm really a newbie to the alternatives. Thank you for guiding me in the right direction.

 

Re: Bachelors level education quick.

Do you have a URL for City and Guilds ? Do they offer programs in US/Canada ? specially Computer/IS/IT programs

This raises a question which I am sure has been discussed before. What if you have a recognized degree from a College which later closes down but at the time when you got your degree, it was accredited and doing good. What will happen to your degree ? This can happen to any College even the big three ?

Thanks.

 

Check out BAin4weeks -- it contains catalogs and other info for the big three distance degree schools. I had similar credits to you, and I took a bunch of lib studies coures to get my BS from Excelsior (formerly Regents/USNY). Two schools accepted this degree for entrance into their masters programs.
I'm sure people here will continue to help and encourage you. Good luck.

 

Response to etech

The website for the City and Guilds Institute of London is:

www.city-and-guilds.co.uk

I believe in Canada it will be more respected than in the USA. You should ask an educational specialist in your area on how well it will be accepted. The City and Guilds endorsement could be another feather in your cap and the more feathers you have the better.

Certification along with the a City and Guilds endorsement might provide a strong representation of one's skill.

Paul Clark

Ps- If you forget the URL you can enter City and Guilds into any major search engine and it will come up.

 

etech

etech,

The ultimate way to go is through one of the big three as discussed by Anthony Pina and others on this page. Excelsior, or Thomas Edison will be better than the City and Guilds endorsement in the USA educational system.

Keep in mind, a degree is always better than a certification or Guilds endorsement.