Excelsior Accepted my NA Credits, But....

That is certainly the exception rather than the rule. Of the millions of jobs presently listed on Monster.com, fewer than 200 contain the specification "regionally accredited". Nearly all of the postings that do contain that term fall into one of two categories: positions at regionally accredited schools or positions that require some type of licensure or certification from a state government.

 

I completely agree with you, 100%. I am just suggesting that there are positions out there, public and private, that will mandate a RA degree. Maybe that number is somewhere between 5% and 10%, which is VERY small, but wouldn't it be VERY disappointing 5 years down the road if the job you REALLY wanted fell into that 5%-10%?

Just because the term "regionally accredited" does not appear in the ad doesn't necessarily mean the requirement isn't there. I don't ever recall seeing an ad that specified AACSB accreditation, but some employers do in fact require it. I would also suggest to you that at the higher levels of managemet, jobs are not advertised on Monster, they are recruited by head hunters. I doubt you would ever see a job offering on Monster for an Executive Vice President or a Chief Financial Officer, but I am contacted constantly by head hunters for these positions. If the head hunter isn't open to NA, the company will NEVER even see your resume. I can tell you from experience that head hunters ARE getting wise to accreditation and program format. Many will not accept resumes from applicants whose degrees were earned from online schools (as opposed to traditional schools with online programs), let alone fully online NA schools.

I am the Vice President of a property management firm the the Washinton, DC area. We manage over $600,000,000 in assets and have 400 employees. Head hunters call me every week. I have discussed education with several of them, here is what I have been told they look for in a degree:

1) Regionally Accredited
2) Earned from a traditional school (they have asked)
3) Earned on campus or hybrid (they have asked)

I am not suggesting that EVERY recruiter has these standards or that EVERY recruiter asks these questions, that is certainly NOT the case, but it is becoming more common. I think the recruiter probably wants to feel as secure in his/her referral to the hiring company as possible. They are the gate keepers for the executive jobs.


Pug

 

You bring up good points Pug. Most of them have been discussed over and over again. Most of the individuals in this forum and in this thread know the limitations of an NA degree. Nobody is disputing that. I would also contend the individuals who chose the NA route are professionals with extensive experience, and are capable of deciding the best degree for them. To say or insinuate that an NA degee is good for "self enrichment" gives the reader the impression that is all an NA degree is good for. This is simply not the case.

If I have misread your comments, I apologize.

Abner

 

No need to apologize. In my opinion, NA degrees are good for A LOT more than personal enrichment. I think they're equal to RA degrees most of the time. I also think they're a great supplement to a RA degree or as icing to a ton of professional experience. I work with someone that graduated from an AACSB RA school at the undergrad level. he went on and earned his CPA and has been working for years with those credentials. He recently enrolled at Andrew Jackson (NA) to earn his MBA. I think that is a GREAT example of how a NA degree can really benefit someone. I just think that there are some limitations to a nationally accredited BA, as we all know. Someone suggested that those limitations "go away" if the student goes on to earn a regionally accredited masters. I disagreed. The limitations may be reduced, but they will never be eliminated. It's unfortunate because a few of the NA schools I have attended are actually much more demanding than are the RA schools!

Pug

 

My goal is to one day own my own business, and be the "executive" of my own firm. For me, it is the knowledge that is most important, not whether I impress some head hunter.

By the way, many, many CEOs have less-than-impressive educational credentials. There are even some college drop-outs in the bunch. In the business world, it's usually WHAT (and who) you know that is most important, not HOW you know it.

 

The CEO's you are referring to that are dropouts are typically founding members of the organizations before taking them public. I will agree with your opinion that who you know is important. I will respectfully disagree that "how" you know what you know is unimportant, unless of course you're in buiness for yourself. It should be unimportant, but unfortunately it is. Unfortunately that little diploma is VERY important. Again, I am talking as a very experienced business professional and my wife is employed by a Fortune 100 company. I don't mean to be antagonistic, so please don't take it that way. If you plan to go into business for yourself, where you earn your knowledge is far less important, but it still matters. Banks and other lending institutions WILL look at your academic credentials when applying for business loans as a startup.
Pug

 

Thanks for keeping this thread alive...its interesting that the guy who says to go for the Masters has this signature...

NCU DBA(working on dissertation, early 2009? maybe..)
MIT Executive Certificate in Strategy and Innovation (Currently Enrolled)
Multiple NA and RA degrees
All around great guy
The Aspen University Alumni Association is in the process of electing officers!

and the guy saying to get an RA Bachelors has this signature...

AAS Occupational Studies - Thomas Edison State College
BA Leadership - Bellevue University (in progress - anticipated graduation August 2009)

I was fascinated by the MIT Executive Certificate in Strategy & Innovation credential...and then it dawned on me that he could pay for his entire DBA and then some with a couple of consulting gigs from networking with others in the MIT program. This guy thinks outside the box. I'll put my money on him.

 

I understand what you're saying, and I appreciate your position. However, I think you are trying to relate how everyone views an NA degree to your own personal experiences, rather than how most people view them. Do some companies specify "RA only"? Sure they do. I have also seen ads on Monster.com that say "no grads from UoP or DeVry" too.

No matter which distance learning school one chooses to go to...NA or RA...everyone's mileage is going to vary. Like I mentioned previously, there is more bias against DL degrees in general than there is against NA degrees specifically.

 

That would be my friend, the infamous Dave Lady. He is also working on a doctorate from Harrison Middleton. The guy is a genius. I tend to take his opinions very seriously. Dave has had proven success with NA degrees prior to receiving his RA degrees, so one could say he definitely knows what he is talking about. The brother has extensive top level executive experience. You can draw your own conclusions.

Abner

 

QUOTE <<<Thanks for keeping this thread alive...its interesting that the guy who says to go for the Masters has this signature...

NCU DBA(working on dissertation, early 2009? maybe..)
MIT Executive Certificate in Strategy and Innovation (Currently Enrolled)
Multiple NA and RA degrees
All around great guy
The Aspen University Alumni Association is in the process of electing officers!

and the guy saying to get an RA Bachelors has this signature...>>>

AAS Occupational Studies - Thomas Edison State College
BA Leadership - Bellevue University (in progress - anticipated graduation August 2009)

I was fascinated by the MIT Executive Certificate in Strategy & Innovation credential...and then it dawned on me that he could pay for his entire DBA and then some with a couple of consulting gigs from networking with others in the MIT program. This guy thinks outside the box. I'll put my money on him.


You are obviously entitled to your opinion. I also have extensive top level executive experience. I am a VP and the highest ranking executive in the firm that is not an owner. I have been EXTREMELY fortunate in my career. That said, I would absolutely LOVE to change companies, even change fields, but I don't have the academic credentials go with my executive experience so the options are limited. My "circle" of friends include presidents, VP's, and CFO's for numerous companies, so the advice I give is from 1st hand knowledge. You are free to do with it as you wish.

Fact: RA AACSB degree will work 100% of the time
Fact: RA non-AACSB will work less than 100% of the time
Fact: NA degree will work less than the above two

I feel like I am being perceived as being down on NA. That is absolutely not the case. I just think it's important to be fully aware of the limitations. Will everyone with a NA degree face road bloacks? No, of course they won't.

Pug

 

I think you may have missed the bigger picture. I was noting the posters credentials. You could drop a few grand and get a MIT Executive Certificate in Strategy and Innovation from Sloan (one of the top business schools in the US)....I would think that would elevate someones academic credentials immediately. Between the content (I assume its cutting edge) and the networking, the utilty of this, it is a bargain considering the cost. It isn't RA or NA, it is however MIT. Its a conversation piece considering that most people haven't gone to MIT, and would certainly be a talking point for those curious about the Sloan philosophy and methodology.

I don't think anyone is going to ask you about the RA Bachelor program at Bellevue or my RA degree.

The MIT credential stands out. He thinks outside the box. That's my point.

 

Yes, that would certainly add some spice to the resume. Regarding Bellevue for me, it's a necessary stepping stone for grad school. As long as I keep my GPA up, my professional experience combined with a RA bachelors degree should be sufficient to get into several of the grad schools in my area. I am looking at George Washington and Loyola (both highly ranked and AACSB). I'm also looking at University of Baltimore and Frostburg (not ranked, but AACSB), it really just comes down to how much I want to spend.

Pug

 

I have to say that I agree with Pug...while most on this board do understand the limitations of NA degrees, there are still MANY that do not...

It is important for people to know what they are getting into when choosing a school. That is, after all, the point of this forum: To educate and share knowledge about education opportunities.

I am all for NA degrees, but I want to teach one day, and I am fortunate enough to have had someone tell me a few months ago the limitations that I would have if I got my MBA from a nationally accredited school. I am so thankful that I learned that information before I made a decision that I would later regret, let alone the fact that I found an RA AACSB MBA program that will cost less than $10,000.

People are smart...if the information is out there and we all share our different experiences, then people will learn and make educated decisions...

 

"I came to MIT to get an education for myself and a diploma for my mother." - a statement found on the Internet (no attribution available).

 

Excelsior and NA credits

Excelsior will accept up to 30 NA credits if you go through an appeal process. It is fairly straight forward and costs $85.00 but you must apply first.

 

Here's my unofficial evaluation from EC:

General Education (Arts & Sciences Requirement)
17.00 semester hours at the lower level PLUS
12.00 semester hours at the upper level

Written English Requirement
3.00 semester hours in Written English

Depth Requirements

A depth in the Arts & Sciences

AND

Applied Professional Credit or Additional Arts & Sciences
23.00 semester hours lower level in any academic area
3.00 semester hours upper level in any academic area

Keeping in mind I have 25 FEMA credits that I haven't done anything with yet.

That leaves me with 3 - English and 29 - General Education.

The Gen Ed should be fairly easy with CLEPS and Dantes, I think.

 

Have you done it?


Abner

 

I used (3) 6 credit CLEP's for an Excelsior degree. They each cost $70, so $210 total for 18 credits.

Social Science & History
Humanities
Analyzing & Interpreting Literature

Invest $20 in the Official Clep Guide that includes practice exams for all of their tests. Flip through them and if you can answer most of the questions for a cretain subject, you are good to go. I noticed that you have an Intro to Sociology credit...I did too, and they still gave me the full 6 credits for SS&H.

 

I found the princeton review 'cracking the clep' really good it gives you tips and it 'talks to you'.

 

Hey Skidadl were you able to receive letter grades for the NA credits Excelsior accepted?

Thsanks