DL Graduate Degree

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by livefree93, Jan 9, 2019.

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  1. livefree93

    livefree93 New Member

    Hello,
    I am a nontraditional student who recently completed a BS in Liberal Arts from Excelsior College utilizing transfer credit and CLEP/DSST exams. I previously earned a BA from a state-approved school which closed before attaining RA.

    I am interested in earning a graduate degree, primarily in the fields of business, education, political science, history, or law. Are there any graduate degrees in the US or internationally which allow students to test out of credits?
    Any insight is appreciated.
     
  2. JBjunior

    JBjunior Active Member

    There is "nothing" at the graduate level that compares to what is available for testing at the undergraduate level. For the program at Excelsior, it isn't going to happen the way you are looking for it to. I am pretty sure, others can confirm or deny, there are other options like Heriot-Watt that have exams and/or thesis be a large portion of the degree in foreign programs.
     
  3. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    The short answer is no. Most schools will allow you to transfer a limited number of grad credits (9-12) but that's it. You might be able to find a school somewhere that will accept a few more under some circumstances but at a certain point (IMHO) this becomes a bad way to choose a grad degree program.
     
    SteveFoerster likes this.
  4. livefree93

    livefree93 New Member

    Appreciate the responses. Looks like I will have to shift my thinking a bit.

    Are there any threads which detail graduate school transfer policies? I have 30 Graduate Credits from a year of law school I would like to utilize if possible. It also looks like I qualify to enroll in free or low-cost graduate credit from the Center of Development for Security Excellence.

    I have started taking course I am interested in within the BU EDX MicroMaster in Digital Product Management program. While it seems preferable to other options, I don't think I could afford to complete the full MS.

    I understand that graduate learning is different from "Big 3" model, but I am surprised at the difficulty in finding anything comparable. According to an Insider Higher Education Article, more than 350 colleges are offering competency-based degrees. Perhaps I am going about research incorrectly, but I haven't found significant information about most of these programs or which foreign universities offer exam-based degrees in the model of EBS.
     
  5. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    It's not clear to me how law school credits would be relevant to much of anything else besides law school. In grad school it's not just a matter of accumulating random credits. You have to take specific courses in order to "Master" a discipline. Which other discipline (aside from Law) would law school credits apply to? For example, why would an MBA program accept your law school credits? What good would it do? You still have to take all those MBA courses.
     
  6. livefree93

    livefree93 New Member

    They are regionally-accredited graduate-level credits I have already financed and earned. There are many disciplines to which courses such as Contracts, Business Law, Legal Writing, and others could apply.

    While I understand some might disagree with searching for a graduate program in the same manner as a "Big 3" undergraduate degree, the incentives for those short on time and money are the same.

    I don't see why ACE would bother to rate VESI and CDSE courses at the graduate level if no one was going to transfer them to a degree program.
     
  7. heirophant

    heirophant Well-Known Member

    Hi Livefree. Welcome to the board!

    Take a look at Western Governors University. They may be exactly what you are looking for.

    They are relatively inexpensive, offer masters degrees in business, education and other stuff, they are regionally accredited, and operate by competency assessments. (Even at the graduate level, I believe.) They have a set of things that you need to know in order to receive the degree and various assessments (exams, projects, papers etc.) that you need to complete to show that you know those things. You can proceed through the WGU assessments as quickly as you are able. (You still might have to write a thesis.)

    https://www.wgu.edu/

    https://www.wgu.edu/about/competency-based-education.html

    https://www.wgu.edu/online-degree-programs.html
     
    livefree93 likes this.
  8. JBjunior

    JBjunior Active Member

    I don't have a problem with your incentive but your law school credits are likely sporadic credits, not all within the same discipline. That may not be a big deal because most graduate programs are 30/36 credits and they aren't going to accept all 30 for anything anyway. One option would be to see what you have the most credits in, if they have a theme such as business, and to find a degree that closely matches. I would suspect that the classes are taught in a way, from the legal perspective, that will make it difficult to apply them to much else but it is worth a try.
     
    livefree93 likes this.
  9. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    Very, very few graduate programs have open or free electives like undergraduate programs, so you’re going to have a very tough time finding a school that will take your law school credits, other than a law or legal studies program.

    Texas Christian University has a Master of Liberal Arts program that is probably the most flexible in regards to a degree plan, you just have to amass 30 credits, 12 of which are in a specific discipline, leaving 18 open.

    I don’t know what their transfer policy is, but it’s certainly worth an inquiry.

    https://addran.tcu.edu/mla/
     
    livefree93 likes this.
  10. nyvrem

    nyvrem Active Member

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  11. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

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  12. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    Excelsior College accepts up to 15 transfer credits, and that's the most I've seen for a master's program. They used to have a master's degree program in liberal arts where your law credits would fit, but I think it's been discontinued. If you apply, you can see how your law credits will fit into their public administration and criminal justice programs.

    In addition to Western Governors University, there are competency-based graduate programs at Capella, Walden, University of Wisconsin, Northern Arizona University, Purdue Global, Brandman, and a few other schools.
     
    livefree93 likes this.
  13. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    I just thought of another option; Liberty University has a Juris Master (J.M.) in American Legal Studies that will accept 15 transfer credits (out of 30 required). That’s probably one of the best options to make use of law school credits.

    https://www.liberty.edu/online/law/masters/juris-master/american-legal-studies/
     

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