AACSB accredidation for Big 3 or Other Schools That Confer Credit for Tests

Discussion in 'CLEP, DANTES, and Other Exams for Credit' started by lalearner, Jul 2, 2016.

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  1. lalearner

    lalearner New Member

    Hi,

    Thank you to everyone for the wealth of information you provide about obtaining college degrees through test for credit. I am in my mid 40's, have worked in financial services for 20+ years, and am considering one of the Big Three schools, or any college that confers college credit for tests; in pursuit of my baccalaureate degree in preparation for a future job change. As I have less than 10 college credits to transfer; I would plan to "test out" of the majority of credits needed for my degree. I was leaning strongly toward Charter Oak or Thomas Edison, but see that none of these schools are accredited by AACSB. My concern is that I would like to have the option of pursuing a Master's Degree in Business or another major; following the completion of my Baccalaureate degree from one of the Big Three; and I was advised by Cal State Northridge's Graduate Admissions Department that they will not recognize a baccalaureate degree from an institution not accredited by AACSB. I noticed that both Texas State University and Arizona State University will allow students to "test out" of up to 60 credits through credit by examination (CLP, DSST, etc.); and these schools are accredited by AACSB. For those who are pursuing a degree through one of the Big Three via credit by examination, how do you plan to obtain a Master's degree, if you are; and has anyone specifically chosen a school like TSU or ASU in light of the AACSB accreditation issue? I am a California resident, and would be paying out of state tuition fees at any of those universities. As I am employed full time in a fairly challenging role at the moment and am a parent, etc; I have a pretty restricted time schedule, so physically attending classes would be burdensome, if not impossible. I am 44 and not wealthy; so am doing a lot of research to locate a program that is: 1) relatively fast, working at my own pace, with the ability to "test out" of as many credits as possible and 2) the least expensive option available; as well as 3) offers a baccalaureate degree that is recognized by both employers as legitimate, and recognized by master's programs in other schools, such as the Cal States, as a pre-requisite to a graduate degree.

    My final question is whether any person on this forum has had, or heard of others, having their degree from one of the Big Three considered less legitimate than other degrees conferred by colleges such as the Cal States, by prospective employers.

    Thank you so very, very much for any feedback or advice you could provide! I am deeply indebted to each and every one of the contributors on this board who have so selflessly given their time and knowledge to help one another in achieving their educational goals.

    In my post below is a link to the AACSB site I referenced earlier.

    Warmest regards,

    LA Learner



    AACSB-Accredited Schools Worldwide
     
  2. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    There are plenty of AACSB-accredited MBA programs that don't require a bachelor's degree from an AACSB-accredited school. As a matter of fact, most MBA programs don't require a business degree; you just need the prerequisites. Judging by CSU Northridge's website, they don't even require a business degree. There is also nothing stated about AACSB accreditation on the admissions requirements page. Why should a school have AACSB accreditation as an admissions requirement when they don't even require a business degree? AACSB only accredits business and accounting programs. They only mention AACSB accreditation when it comes to waiving the foundation courses. Either you received bad information, or there was a misunderstanding.

    MBA Program Structure | California State University, Northridge
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 3, 2016
  3. AV8R

    AV8R Active Member

    If Cal State Northridge won't accept a non-AACSB undergrad degree for their grad program, there are plenty of schools that will... guaranteed.
     
  4. lalearner

    lalearner New Member

    Hi all,

    Thank you very much for your responses. I was specifically told by a representative in the CSUN MBA graduate admissions department that they would not recognize a degree conferred by a school that was not AACSB accredited for admission to their MBA program. I called back a second time, and was advised that an undergrad major other than business would be accepted, but that any undergrad major other than business would add another year to the MBA program, as the candidate completed their business major foundation courses. During my second call; I was advised that CSUN does accept international degrees, but that they are evaluated on a case by case basis, and the coursework in the international undergrad degree is evaluated for acceptability. I left a message for the office of admissions and records, credit transfer division per the advice of a representative that was not familiar with Charter Oak, Excelsior and Thomas Edison; and will post back again as soon as I get more clarity about this. I think it is an important point, if someone obtaining an undergrad through one of the Big Three wanted to pursue a graduate degree from a school like CSUN; and was denied entry due to the AACSB accreditation issue.

    Thanks again for your feedback!
     
  5. foobar

    foobar Member

    Huh? MBA programs are DESIGNED for students without business degrees. A substantial proportion of students in any MBA program do not have business degrees, and since AACSB only accredits business programs there is obviously a disconnect here. I sure the CSUN is not turning away potential students with engineering degrees, which of course, are not AACSB accredited.

    You are clearly getting bad information or misinterpreting what you have been told.
     
  6. Neuhaus

    Neuhaus Well-Known Member

    Incorrect. Though many MBA programs admit non-business majors the original intent and overall design of an MBA is for a mid-level business practitioner to get a higher level business education to prepare them for executive level positions. If you are an accountant and have a B.S. in Accounting and begin working your way through the ranks then, eventually, a broader business education is going to be more useful. You'll need to understand a little bit about HR. If you eventually become a CEO then you should have some understanding of marketing, operations, accounting, finance etc even if you only "came up" through one of those fields.


    To lalerner:

    Admissions Representatives are often wrong.

    These are the requirement posted on the website:

    No mention of AACSB.

    Sanantone addressed what was likely intended by the representative's advice; that non-AACSB coursework might not allow you to waive foundations courses. Foundations courses are the "extra year" of study that non-business majors have to complete. If you show up with a business degree then you can potentially waive those courses. If you are coming from a non-AACSB program to an AACSB program you might not be able to waive them or you may only be able to waive a small number of them.

    This isn't an issue of "recognition." The fact that you are using that word in this context tells me that you either spoke to someone who really didn't understand the question (or possibly their job) or, perhaps more likely, that you are receiving the information from the university and your brain is spinning it into a different narrative that you can understand because you don't understand all of the nuance.

    In any case there are many options for your MBA, both AACSB and otherwise, that you can pursue with a degree from TESU. If testing out is your preference and the most likely means of completing your degree in your desired timeframe then you should focus on that first. There are too many degree programs out there to really get caught up in this sort of thing at this stage.
     
  7. Hi,

    I haven't visited this site for a couple of years but wanted to respond. As someone who did an Excelsior total test-out degree (120 credits, 1 year) to continue on to a MBA from Indiana University (distance learning) it is possible to parlay a Big 3 degree into a top business school.

    I have found my degree's utility to be fine. Worry about grad school AFTER you finish.
     
  8. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    I ended up at a top tier grad school thanks to my Bachelor's from Charter Oak. It wasn't B-school, but I thought I'd throw that out there anyway.
     

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