self-paced bachelor's degrees

Hi everyone!

I am looking at self-paced bachelor's degree programs at regionally accredited colleges. to start a degree from scratch. Does anyone have experience with NAU's self-paced degree, Patten University or other similar schools/programs? I know lots of people here recommend the Big 3 and I might transfer to COSC but for now self-paced looks like a good option to me for a number of reasons.

I kept this post short & sweet, but I am happy to share any info I've accumulated so far on these self-paced programs, particularly Patten.

Thanks!

 

Startingfrom scratch.
Then you can start piling up RA credits by taking courses at multiple RA colleges and by passing challenge exams such as CLEP and DSST. Courses such as English, Math, History, and Science usually transfer with no issue.

This can be a low cost approach to obtaining your degree.

I earned almost all my BS credits (100+) from around a dozen colleges/universities before enrolling at Excelsior (plus I was able to accumulate courses that I was interested in).

 

Hi Ian, I appreciate your advice about testing out as much as possible. I may end up doing some testing. But for now I am looking for an actual degree program. The newer options that allow students to pay for 6 months or 12 months of study at a time are less expensive than paying per test plus test center fees, plus my employer will give me money toward an actual degree program – not testing or even just taking classes.

These new programs allow you to “test out” also by showing competency and without incurring additional test or proctor fees. I have had calls with enrollment counselors at both schools and have another call with NAU on Tuesday, but was hoping to get more in-depth information on NAU and also see if there are other similar programs I should be looking at.

Do you mind my asking what you ended up getting your degree in and how many different tests you took? Thanks.

 

What are you interested in getting a degree in, and to what end?

 

I think that I understand his questions and so I'll rephrase them for you.

1) What area of study interests you? Business? History? Biology? Sociology?
2) What are your goals once you finish you degree? Employment in what area? Grad school?

The answers to these questions might influence our members responses as well as your choices.

 

My degree was Liberal studies but was about half engineering and business and the rest general education. I took mostly in-seat courses at about 12 colleges one course at a time (my work was hectic at the time). Two courses were TV courses that I took though a CC (only had to show up for mid and end term exams) and I passed CLEP English with essay (EC no longer accepts that particular CLEP exam).

Also I notice Patten only offers business degrees via distance learning.

The point of my previous post #2 is that most colleges and universities will allow you to transfer in up to 90 semester units and then you have to earn 30-units in residence (anf of course meet their degree requirements). You can transfer near 120 units to the big three schools.

 

I'm still trying to get more info on self-paced and competency-based degree programs. NAU looks great until you start asking specific questions, like what are the competencies, are there papers required, etc. Patten's information is easier to get your hands on. But still I would love to hear from people who have more firsthand knowledge of these and similar programs. Thoughts, anyone?

 

Online University | Western Governors University Online

 

Thanks, rebel. Do you have any experiences with WGU? I have done some research and am aware of WGU but it looks like NAU and Patten are both cheaper than WGU, so I didn't include WGU in my post. Do you have personal experience with WGU? At this point, I am just gathering information beyond what I have found online. Some colleges are so elusive; you practically have to enroll to get information. The kind of information NAU provided in their brochure only touched the surface. I can't find anyone who has in-depth knowledge.

 

I think your math might be a bit fuzzy on six months of tuition being cheaper than testing. NAU charges $2500 for six months. At about $100 a test, that's 25 tests, or 75 credits, and if you take all of the 6 credit CLEP exams then it's more like 90. I have strong suspicions that these competency based programs are not set up to allow three years worth of credit completion in six months, and the only way you save money is if you exceed that number. Furthermore, I know that at least one of them (wgu) does not allow you to transfer in any additional credits once you've been admitted and your initial transfer evaluation has been completed - so you're locked into their system once you start.

Also, most of these programs are very new. You're going to be essentially beta-testing a new system. WGU is fairly established, but most of their degrees have a professional bent, rather than liberal arts. I'd want to ask a lot of pointed question before signing up - are all of the competences required for graduation ready for use? How are grades determined? Who is evaluating your progress and grading your papers? What is the turn around time when you have an issue, or need an assignment evaluated? What is the maximum pace you can complete the program, etc.?

Many people have luck petitioning their employers for exams to be reimbursed, by drawing up a proposal that demonstrates the cost savings involved. (Approx $35 a credit usually beats even the cheapest community colleges). It's worth trying.

So to sum up, I'd say that if your primary goals are cost savings and speed of completion, then you should really take a second look at testing out. If you do decide to go with a competency program, do your research and ask the school to explain their process in detail. If you don't want to finish a degree from one of the big three, your best bet may be to test out of as much as you can, then transfer to one of these competency program. Be sure to ask each one what their policies are for transferring CLEP and DSST (WGU is generous, but only accepts testing you complete before enrolling in their program, and only what applies to your specific program, etc.). Best of luck to you regardless of what you decide.

 

Do you have experience with wgu that you care to share?

 

Well i do understand your desire for information.

For me its a choice of fully testing out of TESC or NAU (after transferring in 64 credits from CLEP,ACE and some old college credits).

I am curious though if you gave a look at UW and what your opinion is on their system

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - UW Flexible Option

It would seem UW is giving their flex system a lot of consideration with more programs in the works for the 2014 period. Personally, I havent paid much attention to their program as they have no business degree available yet. But if you are planning on starting from scratch.
You will be able to complete freshman- and sophomore-level general education, liberal arts competencies in the Flexible Option format with competencies and assessments in biology, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, engineering, physics, psychology, health, exercise science and athletics, women’s studies, business, political science, philosophy, English, Spanish, geography, anthropology and sociology, history, art, and music..... taken from their Site

I thought SNHU was only available for associate programs with "affiliated" companies.

WGU, no idea, as they don't accept foreign admissions for their online programs. So i never checked.

 

Hi,
I was wondering if you ended up choosing a school? I went to Patten for 4 classes and just decided to withdraw. I'm now looking for another school also. I passed my Patten classes with C's. I want to apply for grad school and need a 3.0 average. I had trouble with every single final exam at Patten. I didn't think the finals matched up at all with the course material given. The advisor and professors all had the same answer for me. You can't pass these classes by memorizing. It's competency based learning, blah blah blah. They didn't want to hear that their course material was way too vague. I was told over and over that if you learn each objective you should do well on our exams. I didn't find that to be even close to being true. The staff was very well trained in what to say to you(a lot of jargon). Let me know what you ended up doing. I'm in need of help finding a school also.
Thanks,
Erik