Master Degree by Prior Learning?

Discussion in 'IT and Computer-Related Degrees' started by JimmySDG, May 3, 2008.

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  1. JimmySDG

    JimmySDG New Member

    Dear all,

    Firstly, I chanced upon this forum by accident and I must say it is an interesting one.

    I'm an Australian Resident currently residing in Asia, I have a Bachelor in IT from an Australia University and a Master in Computing from a UK University (via distance learning).

    My question is : Is it possible to earn an entire Master Degree in IT/Computing (or related major) by prior learning just like one can for a Bachelor?

    I understand from the previous threads that -COSC, TESC and Excelsior allows for Bachelor, the reason why I'm asking is, in addition to my Bachelor and Masters, I have the following;

    1) Post Graduate Diploma in Medical Informatics
    2) Post Graduate Diploma in Inforcomm Security
    3) Post Graduate Certificate (Equlavent) in IT Project Management
    4) MCSA, MCSE, MCDBA
    5) Advanced Teaching Certificate
    ... I think I got some more but can;t remember off hand.

    The idea of trying to get another Master Degree by prior learning never occurred to me until I chanced upon this site and the main motivation is: I wanted to do a Master in Information Technology Management by U21Global and realise I have to restudy 85% of the subjects as I covered them before in other qualifications.

    And I do apologize if this is a dumb question, I tried browsing the old threads but didn't really find any good reference.

    Again, my question is: My question is : Is it possible to earn an entire Master Degree in It/Computing by prior learning just like one can for a Bachelor?

    Thanks alot for reading this and I thank you more if you can point me in the right direction.

    Regards
    Jim
     
  2. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    >>

    If you mean testing out, I'm not sure I can help you. But, if you already have master level credit, you should start by looking for programs with good transfer policy. Like you said, you may already have many classes completed. Perhaps someone here in your field can point you in the direction of a transfer-friendly program. Good Luck!
     
  3. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

    I think only the Australian institution: Charles Sturt University is closed to what you're looking for.
     
  4. edowave

    edowave Active Member

    University of Southern Queensland might be another option. I'm not sure which part of Asian you are in, but when I was in Japan, the Australian Embassy would occasionally hold an education fair where representatives from various Australian universities would be there to talk about their online programs. You might want to check if your local embassy is having one.
     
  5. friedrich

    friedrich New Member

    As mentioned before CSU is a reasonable chance.

    See also:

    http://www.itmasters.com.au

    A search in this this forum for Charles Sturt should come up with a discussion of this program.
     
  6. JimmySDG

    JimmySDG New Member

    Hi everyone,

    thank you so much for your valuable suggestions.

    1) Charles Stuart University
    I've visited their website, unfortunately, they require the MCSE to be on Windows 2003, mine is on Windows 2000
    Also, they only accept exemptions up till the certification level, the rest of the modules have to be taken over again

    2) University of Queensland
    I called the university and understood that the maximum credit exemptions is 50% of the course load, that is still alot of repeated modules.

    I guess that for Master Degree, one cannot submit prior learning and earn an entire degree the same way one could for a bachelor.
    This is mostly regretable.

    I reckon the next viable option is (as cookderosa mentioned), to find a transfer friendly university. Anyone has any suggestion?
    I don't mind where the university is based as long as the master degree is legit (it is afterall, a bonus / good to have)

    Thanks
     
  7. sentinel

    sentinel New Member

  8. JimmySDG

    JimmySDG New Member

    Hi Sentinel,

    Thanks for the link.
    The university looks interesting, I'd most probably go through it to see if there are any other interesting Master Degree that I would take instead.

    The MSc in IS most probably won't work for me as I'm looking at converting existing post graduate qualifications gather from different places over time into a full MSc, retaking it from stratch isn;t exactly appealing :)

    Thanks for the information anyway (it is useful in another manner)
     
  9. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

    The majority of the institutions don't accept more than 9 credits in transfer; however, some gives you up and no more than 50% of the degree completion credits. I believe Mountain State University, Aspen University, Charles Shurt University, and University of Queensland are the only institutions accept up to 50% or 18 credits. I guess there is no short steps to the Master degree or the second one. If I am in your situation, I would go to Northcentral University for Ph.D degree.

    S/F,
    Henry
     
  10. Jonathan Whatley

    Jonathan Whatley Well-Known Member

    At Excelsior College, the M.A. in Liberal Studies will take a very close 15 out of 33 semester hours in transfer, and the M.B.A. 24 out of 48, and "Anything above 24 credits will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis for possible approval." Of course, these are subject to content application to the degree program in question.

    To Tekman's suggestion of seeking to have them all taken together as a sort of master's equivalency for direct application to a doctoral program, I would add that institutions other than Northcentral may also be amenable to this. I would make inquiries of any institution with a doctorate you were interested in.

    Good luck!
     
  11. JimmySDG

    JimmySDG New Member

    Hi TEKMAN,

    Yes, I've come to realise that the same game cannot be played for a Master Degree (I didn't know that when I first posted the thread).

    May I enquire why Northcentral University, any particular reasons? (please pardon my ignorance)

    Regards

     
  12. JimmySDG

    JimmySDG New Member

    Hi Jonathan,

    Thanks for the headsup, I will check out Excelsior College.

    I do already have a Master of Science in Computing (from UK), I had initially thought that I can utilise the rest of my post graduate qualifications to get another Master Degree (or at least get prior learning credits so I do not have to restudy them again).

    The Phd is an interesting thought, I;ve actually not thought about it until TEKMAN and you suggesting it. :cool:

     
  13. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

    I thought if you have a Master degree. Then if I am in your situation, why would I want to take another 6 classes to earn a second Master. Why
    don't you just continue 51 more credits to get a Ph.D degree; however, it is not that easy. After taking the amount of courses that can be awarded a Master degree,you can opt out the Ph.D and get the second Master degree.
     
  14. JimmySDG

    JimmySDG New Member

    Thanks all for the suggestions.

    I'm not ready for a Phd yet (but the idea is still lingering in my head)

    I did some more search (through this forum and the Internet) and found 2 universties that offer up to 18 transfer credits

    1) Aspen
    2) American Sentinel University

    Any comments?
     
  15. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

    I wouldn't go for these schools..well, I took two courses at Aspen University, and I couldn't transfer to regional institution. In the forum, at one point somebody mention either Mountain State University, Empire State College, or Fort Hays State University offers up to 18 credits in transfer. You should consider these school 'cause they are regional.
     
  16. JimmySDG

    JimmySDG New Member

    Hi Tekman,

    As always, I'm very thankful for your advice.

    I did check the Mountain State University, Empire State College and Fort Hays State University but they do not have a postgraduate IT program (I don't think they will accept non-relevant credits)

    Can I ask you a few questions

    1) Other than Aspend and Amercian Sentinel University being NA and not RA, are there any other 'interesting facts' I should be aware of?

    2) How was the course like for Aspen? As in content, delivery, overall sastification etc

    3) Why did you choose to transfer them to a RA insitute? Any particular reason why you chose not to complete the course at Aspen?

    4) Any other information deem useful

    Thanks
     
  17. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    It seems that you are looking for a school that can grant you a degree almost with no extra work. Most of the schools would accept up to 50%, otherwise what is the point for them to grant you a master's degree for free? Another possibility is to go with Excelsior college and complete 15 credits to get a masters degree in liberal arts (Not IT but a masters).
     
  18. Jonathan Whatley

    Jonathan Whatley Well-Known Member

    Only 6 of the 15 semester hours the Excelsior M.A. in Liberal Studies will accept in transfer credit "may come from non-liberal studies disciplines, such as technology, management, or education," and even then only "if the subject matter relates to the focus topic you choose for Tier II," the individualized portion of the degree where transfer credit is accepted. The also includes degree includes 12 semester hours in Tier I core liberal studies courses through Excelsior, and a 6 semester hour Tier III capstone study through excelsior, for 18 semester hours in distant residence there.
     
  19. JimmySDG

    JimmySDG New Member

    Hmm, I already mentioned that 50% is fine.
    I am now looking at a MSc ISM, hence either Aspen or American Sentinel University

    The rationale is - I'm not ready (personally) for a full MBA (my employer are paying for it though) so a semi-management master degree is 'do-able' for now. (I already have a MSc in Computing from a UK university)

    Thanks all for the input, feel free to provide more valuable insights and comments. Also if possible, about Aspen or American Sentinel University (more on Amercian Sentinel uni, there are quite a few threads on Aspen)

    Thanks
     
  20. Jonathan Whatley

    Jonathan Whatley Well-Known Member

    Well, American Sentinel's graduate tuition of 330 to 390 per semester hour is not exceedingly competitive for a self-funded student looking for a degree in a field offered widely.
     

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