Degree for the impatient...

Very curious as to what school as well. Challenging to bypass a bachelor's seems very interesting. I always wondered locally if I could try it but I'm having too much fun studying and testing out (not being sarcastic).

 

I wondered, 3 years ago, but didn't ask, if you might possibly be (or know of) my one-time penpal Charles Hayes, founder of Autodidactic Press in Alaska, who has written some excellent and charming books on getting ahead in life without degrees. www.autodidactic.com

This is from the review I wrote years ago for his excellent, Proving You're Qualified:
"For more than twenty years, I have been writing about the disparity between learning and credentials. I show people with skills but no credentials how to earn the degree that will open doors for them. Now comes the perfect complement to that work. Charles Hayes' wonderful Proving You're Qualified, shows people with skills but few credentials how to parlay their skills into employment and acceptance without benefit of degrees."

 

ONLY Hard Science GRE ( apart from Psychology)

I noticed all seem to revolve around Physics, Chemistry, CompScience.

How about a GRE in Modern Language, such as a Spanish GRE or an English LANGUAGE not Lit GRE ?

Come to think of it , how about a FINANCE GRE ?

 

I'm curious too.

 

WHO decides on instituting a subject GRE ?

I am sure subject GREs in Finance, Accounting, Modern Languages ( Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Urdu, etc ) would be welcome for the USA to play a stronger role in International Affairs.

Many Americans would benefit on investing in themselves by learning such subjects on their own and validating their newly acquired knowledge and skills through writing a subject GRE .

Can we contact the GRE deciders to sell them on the wisdom of creating new GREs ?

 

maybe not the right place for this question, but...
Auto mentioned he was thinking of taking a GRE in (physics/biology?) and getting a degree solely on that. Possible??? How close can it get you to a Bachelors degree?

Also, with specific regard to Excelsior College, does anyone know what courses the computer science GRE would susbstitute for?

Thanks.

 

I wondered the exact same thing, but have the advantage of being able to peek at registration data

I don't think the poster is Charles Hayes... his email address seems to indicate another name... but I would second John's recommendation of the book "Proving You're Qualified." I see on Amazon that it's still in print and available, and I think it's a great choice for anyone seeking to advance their career but hasn't yet had the time to complete a degree.

And I am also interested in knowing the name of the school in question

 

Answers!

The trick is that instead of going through a US school, where there's only Bachelor's, Master's and Doctorate, I'm going through an Australian one, where there's Bachelor's, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Master's, and Doctorate.

I believe this link will explain everything.

I don't have an undergraduate degree in the field - in fact, I've never had a single class in it.

But for the last 5 years, I've been working around a lot of people in the field, assisting them and whatnot, so I have a lot of experience in a variety of positions that are "relevant."

So I'm going for the Graduate Certificate. If I'm successful at that, I will then look at applying for the Graduate Diploma. And if I'm successful at that, I would almost surely apply for the Master's.

I do not, however, intend to pursue a Doctorate in the field. I have no desire to be a researcher, nor a tenured professor. I just want to know more about the science so I can do my job better, and also be able to get better jobs.

The cost is comparable to what I would pay for undergraduate studies where I live, and I'd rather study half-time for 3 years to get a Master's than full-time for 4 years to get a Bachelor's, at this point in my life.

 

An update...

I got accepted to the GradCertSc program in late 2008. I took 2 classes a semester in 2009, from March-May and August-October.

I had been working for almost 5 years part-time at a small facility in my field, at the time, and as I noted before, was pursuing grad school to better understand the work I was doing, and the science it related to.

About 2 weeks before my first class started, I saw a couple job postings for the same kind of work, but full-time, at large facilities (this is a field where 'size matters'). One wanted an Associate's in the field (which I didn't have). I applied to both, and noted that I didn't have undergraduate qualifications in the field, but was starting work on a GradCert.

In my first month of class, I had a phone interview and an in-person interview at the larger of the two facilities. Then a month of being asked for more supporting documentation, past transcripts, etc. (I basically had none.) Finally, about 2/3 of the way through my first semester, I got the job.

I went on to complete the classes for the GradCertSc last fall, but was working so much I missed the deadline to file forms for graduation in December, so I wound up graduating in late April and getting my certificate in May. I didn't fly to Australia and attend graduation in person, though, because I had to work about 24 hours before it. Fortunately for me, the Deputy Director of the department at the university happened to be over here from Australia, working with me that night, so he could vouch for my alibi!

Given that my "adjusted gross income" for 2009 vs. 2008 went up by about four times what the classes cost, I think it was a good investment.

I've taken 2010 off to graduate and deal with a busy life, but starting next spring, I hope to take more classes toward an eventual MSc. Since I'm now working full-time in the field, I'll probably only take one class a semester, though.

 

Congratulations! I remember this thread, and I'm glad you were able to find and complete a program in your field. Keep us posted on your progress with the MSc.