EdX: 9 new degrees

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Kizmet, Oct 12, 2018.

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  1. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  2. Marcus Aurelius

    Marcus Aurelius Active Member

    Some of them have great prices. The others -- like Indiana University -- not so much. Why offer a MOOC degree program if you can't beat the market price? What's the point?
     
  3. decimon

    decimon Well-Known Member

  4. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

  5. decimon

    decimon Well-Known Member

    Okay, to keep your interest up I'll post a third thread. ;)
     
    Maniac Craniac likes this.
  6. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    Highly unlikely that I'd ever actually go for it. I just enjoy the daydream of how challenging and satisfying it would be. All the mathematical modeling, all the fancy geek lingo. :emoji_nerd:
     
  7. decimon

    decimon Well-Known Member

    I like the look of the MicroMasters programs. Should be good for people who will not work in the fields covered but still need to know something of them and to have a credential. Or the individual courses for people needing some knowledge but not necessarily the credential.

    These are good times for acquiring offhand knowledge.
     
    Maniac Craniac likes this.
  8. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    You can audit the courses for free, and most of these types of courses were available before the MicrMasters programs. The MicroMasters programs cost money. If the credential is not worth anything for the individual, then he or she can just take the course without paying for a verified certificate.

    For resume and application purposes, I would put a MicroMasters in the certification and continuing education section rather than the education section since these aren't accredited programs.
     
  9. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    Some MicroMasters are actually graduate certificates with academic credit. Typically covering 1/4 or 1/3 of Masters degree program and allow advanced entry at the specific university Masters degree program.
     
  10. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    My post was in response to Decimon's post. Decimon is talking about people who don't need a degree.

    The Micromasters, on its own, is not worth graduate credit. You need to apply and be accepted by the school. You may also have to start taking classes before you can get a transcript. A Micromasters is not the equivalent of a graduate certificate. Credits from a graduate certificate can be transferred to any school that accepts transfer credits. A Micromasters is not transferable. Micromasters programs are more like non-credit certificate programs offered by colleges and universities.

    Another school can choose to award credit for another school's MicroMaster (so far, this is rare), but this is similar to how Charter Oak State College chooses to award credit for FEMA IS courses or ACE-approved courses.

    https://blog.edx.org/top-4-faq-micromasters-credential
     
    Last edited: Oct 14, 2018
  11. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    https://ssw.umich.edu/faq/question/58393-how-may-i-request-a-transcript-for-the-micromasters-courses-to-show-credit-for-the-courses

    https://micromasters.mit.edu/scm/frequently-asked-questions

    So far, these are the only schools that will award credit for MIT's statistics and data science micromasters. Most of them are foreign.

    https://micromasters.mit.edu/ds/pathways-graduate-programs/
     
    Last edited: Oct 14, 2018
  12. decimon

    decimon Well-Known Member

    In short, the MM grants no credits but a receiving schools may choose to.

    My thoughts about the MMs run along more practical than formal lines. Practical to me, that is.

    If I'm a valuable employee with less than sterling credentials then an MM or two may show both than I've learned something and that I'm capable of graduate level schooling. That could work if I'm in the right organization with the right bosses.
     
    cookderosa likes this.
  13. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    University of Maryland

    https://www.edx.org/micromasters/USMx-UMD-MBA-Core-Curriculum

    The MicroMasters program in MBA Core Curriculum has also been designed to grow your professional and social networks.

    A series of credit-eligible courses recognized by the industry.

    Take Your Credential To the Next Level
    Those who successfully complete the MicroMasters credential are eligible to apply for admission to the Online MBA program at the Robert H. Smith School of Business. Once accepted, the MicroMasters credential will count towards 25 percent (14 credits) of the coursework required for graduation from the Smith program.
     
  14. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member


    They are credit-eligible at University of Maryland if you are accepted. It's not a graduate certificate, and it's not portable.
     
  15. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    I understand about the portability. but in general, unless classes match credit transfer between universities is challenging. In case of my wife State university credits didnt transfer to another university within the state as they didn't match exactly the program while it was for the same degree.
    The fact that its graduate-level credit eligible at the University of Maryland tells a lot.
     
  16. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    I didn't have time to type this up earlier.

    Credit-eligible is not the same as for-credit. IT certifications are eligible for credit at some schools, but they are not for-credit. They are not college courses offered under a school's accreditation.

    I thought about completing a graduate certificate at Western Kentucky University and transferring it to University of Nebraska Kearney's MS in Biology program. Even if I didn't complete the graduate certificate, the credits that I earned could be transferred to any biology program that accepts transfer credits because my credits were actual college credits.

    With a micromasters, you have a non-credit certificate of completion. The school that is offering these courses through edX is giving you credit or advanced standing for a specific degree if you are accepted. A handful of schools (mostly foreign) may have also agreed to award credit for that non-credit certificate. However, you cannot apply to just any school and expect to get college credits with your micromasters certificate. They would look at you crazy. They will require a transcript from an accredited school, and you will not have one by simply completing a micromasters program.

    I have a FEMA EMI transcript. COSC will give me college credits because they have chosen to accept alternative sources of credit. I can't, however, expect most other schools to award credit because FEMA is not an accredited college. The same applies to TESU's non-credit certificate programs. TESU says they might give you credit toward one of their degree programs, but these certificates can't be transferred anywhere else.
     
  17. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    It's actually not challenging. If you have a course from a regionally accredited school that is a requirement at another school, then it will usually transfer. Some majors are more standardized than others. Financial accounting is financial accounting; it's required in just about every business administration program. You can take it at a regionally accredited school and expect it to transfer most of the time. If you take it through edX, you can expect it to transfer less than 1% of the time.
     
  18. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    Credit transfer is at the discretion of accepting institution. A class that named the same not guaranteed to be accepted unless they are matching in content.
    I case of my wife both RA universities. It's not that simple.
    As to credit eligible EDX classes, the fact that its credit eligible at MBA level for such school is a very good benchmark.
     
  19. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    They are accepting the course because it's their own course. They're just offering it through edX.

    See my post above. I explain the difference between credit-eligible and for-credit. Just because your wife's credits from one school didn't transfer well to one other school does not change the fact that credits offered directly from regionally accredited schools transfer most of the time when they fit into a degree program. A micromasters, which is a non-academic certificate, will probably transfer less than 1% of the time. Schools need to see a transcript from the source.
     
  20. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    I know the difference between for credit and credit eligible. We disagree in our views on what is academic and non-academic.
    MicroMasters programs are a series of graduate level courses from top universities, it's a valuable addition to academic portfolios as the credential offers a pathway to credit.
    Basically, it's a professional and academic credential for online learners. Transferability is a valid point but it still not 100% defining indicator of the academic level of the courses.
    Micromasters are not the same as vocational certificates because Micromasters are graduate-level credit eligible (even if by one university if the student accepted to the program) what makes them academic.
     

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