Failed Out, Now What to do, PLEASE HELP.

Yes I already have the certs (Microsoft, CompTIA etc...). I am not on their CIS program but will enrol soon. I am working out a plan right now on my own. There are many requirements that you can fulfill without enrolling. You can do the same, for example one of the requirements for MIS degree is Macro and Microeconomics. You can get those credits using either on-Campus, DL courses from various US colleges or can take CLEP exams. I am working along the same lines for CIS. If you enrol the best thing is that the advisor can work out a plan for you, so there is less ambiguity but you have to pay yearly fees. I am yet to see how good the advisors are.

 

also note that the Excelsior MIS degree is from Business department and CIS is Technology so keep this in mind if you plan to do MBA later.

 

masterj,

As far as granting credit, these types of things may apply to a portfolio assessment, but not direct credit. COSC and TESC (and other places) will do portfolio assessments. However, unless you feel that you can get a significant amount of credit gained through portfolio it may be faster and cheaper to simply test out...which is where your prior experience helps.

For example, I took last week the DANTES MIS exam, which I found very easy due to 15 years of varied IT experience. You may find that you could test out of Chemistry with only a few hours study if the AP test was fresh in your memory.

At Excelsior as they are a credit accumulator you need to earn the credits elsewhere and then they will fit them into a program. For example, I just received back a DANTES score report, which states:

* ACE RECOMMENDED CREDITS: 3 BACCALAUREATE

Therefore, if Excelsior recognizes this as a source of credit they will give me 3 credits for it. I don't know if they accept AP scores, but it's worthwhile to check.

I have found the academic advisors OK, but to be honest I only use them as approvers of what I've researched myself - I sent in my course plan and they responded back with a suggested tweak, which was approved in my second draft. Everything else I've planned independently (ordering of courses, study materials, frequency of exams) as I figure I'm my own best counselor.

 

Masterj:


Yes indeed, it is a nice list and does come from COSC’s new web site. It should go a long way in assuaging any anxiety that you might harbor about the perceived validity of a degree that you might receive from any of the RA DL schools. Any where that you graduate from there’s going to be someone or some group out there who thinks that they’re higher on the pecking order than you are. That includes traditional colleges as well. The fact of the matter is that it’s important that you finish the degree any way that you can if that's what YOU want to do.

I wouldn’t worry much what other people think. Going to school is for you not them. Quite a few of my on-line professors at COSC are products of DL themselves so the State of Connecticut doesn’t seem to have a problem with DL graduates. If you’re still worried think about the fact that Sylvan Corp. has a very sizable investment in DL. Them and companies like them are filling a gap. Yhey will continue to develop technology and programs that will make the on-line experience even richer than it is now. There’s a growing market, driven by need, for quality DL pedagogies. I would love to hear the opinions of some of the senior members of this board, like Dr. Bear, as to what the ultimate perception of on-line degrees will be in this and other countries.

Anyway MasterJ, good luck in your quest. If I can do anything to fill you in on COSC I’d be happy to email or speak with you on the phone about my personal experiences.

 

masterj,

I am having the same issues as you are regarding the Excelsior BS/MIS degree as that I cannot test out for the entire degree because some of the upper/concentration level requirements are not available as CLEP/DANTES/TESC etc tests.

Heres what I put together to get me through the BS/MIS degree at Excelsior. (this is my interpretation and have not cleared this with Excelsior yet)

Arts & Sciences :
60 credits ( including 4 requirements eng comp, ethics, macro and micro econ)

Business Component:
18 concentration credits total of which 9 need to be upper concentration and 3 need to be advanced business plus required classes.

Business Reqs:
Org Behavior - DANT
Ethics: Throey & Practice - DANT
Principles of Acctg - CLEP
Principles of Financial Accounting - DANT
Business law - CLEP
IS & Comp Apps - CLEP
Principles of Mgmt - CLEP
Principles of Marketing - CLEP
Production/Operations Mgmt - ECE (Excelsior)
Business Policy & Strategy - ECE (Excelsior)

Upper Division Bus Req
Money & Banking - CLEP

Upper Concentration
MIS - DANTES
Integrated Technical Assessment - ECE
<need a third class here>

Example Concentration Requirements (technical MIS track)
Programming - Certificate Credit
Database Design - Certs
Operating Systems - Certs
Networking - Certs

(I have no idea where I will be taking the follwing classes for my degree, but I'll figure it out when I get there )

Example Concentration Requirements (management MIS track)
Programming - Certs
System Design & Implementation
Systems Integration
Project Management

I am definitely going the management route. It just suits me.

HTH,
Boomer

 

yes boomer was having the same questions when reading through and trying to lay it out, it looks like i have more for the CIS route already though... different requirements for my university and them i guess.

does anybody know if any of the big 3 offer stafford loans, i know one is out and do not (excelsior)? if not then is there anybody close to them which would accept credits like mine? reason being i do not want to start paying my student loan off quite yet b/c tight on money and they will let me continue it if i can get into a school with it.

 

The old USNY alumni association (now Excelsior) used to publish a booklet on graduate programs and majors that graduates have been admitted to. This book is no longer available but let's say that the list is long and that there are 100,000 Excelsior graduates.

John

 

There are many financial aid programs available at Excelsior. I don't know if you have checked this out yet online but look at http://www.excelsior.edu/fs_finan.htm

John