OL School That Accepts Master Level Transfer Credits

Hey everyone. I was taking masters level Sociology classes at a RA university, but was unhappy with the quality of instruction. Are there any online RA universities that will accept masters level transfer credits? The more the better.

 

I'd say it's about a 50/50 shot that a school will accept graduate transfer credits. Also every example I'm aware of that takes transfers, only takes a maximum of 9 credits.

 

There are a lot of schools that accept masters-level transfer credits, but most, from what I've seen, will only accept 6 to 9 credits. Excelsior will accept up to 15 credits; Amberton will accept up to 12 in their professional studies program. Your biggest concern should be finding a program in which sociology credits can fit. In other words, even if you can find a school that will accept a lot of transfer credits, your credits may not fit into the programs they have available.

 

Yes. That is what I think will be the biggest challenge. Even if I could apply the credits (21 semester) to another social science program, it would be better than nothing at all. .

 

The American Public University System accepts up to 15 credits, but I didn't see a program that could utilize sociology courses. I think some Liberty University programs allow you to transfer in up to 50% of the required credits. You can see if your credits will work in their human services program, but it's focused on counseling. Counseling is more related to psychology and social work. Purdue Global will let you transfer in up to 50% of the required credits, but their human services program is 45 credit hours, which is longer than normal. It's possible that you would have one fewer class to complete if you transferred 15 credits into a 36-credit program than if you were to transfer 21 credits into a 45-credit program. If any of your credits were focused on criminology, then they might work in a criminal justice program. Excelsior College will accept up to 15 transfer credits.

It will be difficult to find a good fit since online sociology programs aren't as numerous as psychology and criminal justice programs. General social science master's degree programs are even less common. You might have some luck with human services programs.

 

I think Purdue Global might be on the quarter hour system, so a 45 quarter hour program would be the equivalent of a 30 semester hour program. If that's the case, then you would only be able to transfer in 15 semester hours.

 

Excelsior has the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies which allows 15 credits of transfer. It might fit there. https://www.excelsior.edu/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=a346f838-a64e-49c8-a9b0-e8b18915e8f7&groupId=12408

 

Do they still have the program? I noticed that they removed it from the website.

 

Not sure, I searched for it and that popped up. There was "exciting" news of adding new concentrations around 18 months ago so it would have been a quick phase out of a program they were expanding if it is gone.

 

I've been in a sour mood today. Maybe its all this rain. Anyway, my first reaction to this thing is "What good is a Masters of Liberal Studies? Maybe if you're a HS Social Studies teacher it might get you a raise. But otherwise? I don't know, it seems a little like one of those doctorates in Leadership. Could it really be worth the cost? Where might it actually lead? In any case, a year of grad Sociology credits might get you 9 transfer credits if you're transferring into a similar program. Of course, some slick admissions rep might tell you that they'll accept them all in transfer. If you get that offer then the next question you should ask is, "So then how many of the program credits am I relieved from taking. You see, they might accept all your credits and still require you to take the entire program. Not that admission reps are ever deceptive. No, never.

 

I don't see the program in their graduate catalog.

 

The “good” is to allow someone to take advantage of leftover credits that will likely not apply anywhere else. Either do five classes to finish something or throw them away and do 10 classes to finish something else.

 

Or do nothing at all. Maybe it's just "throwing good money after bad" to finish a degree that gets you nowhere.

 

That is a personal decision for each person to make based on their financial situation, their goals, and their path to get there. You are right, the rain is getting to you.

 

You're right. It's a personal decision. Anything that anyone does is a personal decision. I'm just expressing the point of view that ROI is a factor and that, in all likelihood, a Masters in Liberal Studies has a low ROI. Now for some people the "intangibles factor" plays a big role. Maybe the OP loves Sociology and just wants a Sociology degree. That's fine. There are a few around and he could just pick a different one and hope to transfer a little bunch of credits. But Liberal Studies? Really? Spend your hard earned money to take a bunch of unconnected courses without a focus? Why?

 

You have good points, I wouldn't choose to complete it and it seems you wouldn't either. As you get to graduate studies you are supposed to master a subject and it is hard to do that with a diverse subject matter compiled of many subjects. It seems there are others that think the compilation is more closely related than we might think it is, "An interdisciplinary degree in liberal studies enables the learner to think more broadly, creatively, and critically, argue more effectively, and behave more ethically. Students in this program are able to explore issues and topics of their own interest from a variety of interdisciplinary perspectives and explore connections between issues and their historical and social context." Maybe it fits what they are looking for, maybe it doesn't....

 

A degree in liberal studies doesn't have to be unfocused, but it will require additional explanation to potential employers. On your resume, you can add a line underneath the degree detailing the areas you focused on. In a cover letter, you can mention that you mainly took sociology and related courses.

It wouldn't be a top choice of mine, but it is a last resort option. Like JBjunior said, it depends on one's goals. You can have a bunch of loose sociology credits and get no return on your investment, or you can get an MSLS and possibly get a small return.

If you're a K-12 teacher, a master's degree can get you a pay bump. If you're applying for a federal government job, a master's degree can qualify you for a GS-9 position. If you want to become an adjunct or community college instructor, then you're going to need at least a master's degree to teach most subjects. You'd have enough sociology credits to teach sociology.

 

Thank you everyone for the help. Much appreciated.

 

At least it's not raining today. Yet.