Applying Graduate Credits to an Undergraduate Degree

Is that Possible?
Opinions or experiences?

I know by far they are different animals. I am doing a little experiment to see if this is possible. I got two schools (DETC). I will share the results of the evaluation once done, but I would like to hear from the board.

 

Yes, Japhy applied 9 Aspen MBA credits into a undergrad degree at Excelsior. They probably would have taken more, but he dropped out the MBA program (I assume after 3 classes). I think Dave Lady is going to do something similar as well. I might do something like that after my Aspen MBA just for the hell of it.

Abner

 

Thanks,

For a moment I was feeling alone.

 

No problem. Please keep us posted. The more info. shared, the better for all.

Thanks,

Abner

 

My answer to your first question is, "Yes, it is possible and even potentially useful." Given that you are functioning at the graduate level, your proposition begs the rhetorical question, “With what purpose?”

From my perspective, there may be practical as well as emotional reasons to do this. I had both, the perceived need for a regionally accredited degree and an unfounded sense of inferiority for having my first degrees from Mexico and not from the U.S.

This was my experience. I immigrated to the United States with a “Licenciatura” and a “Maestría” from a Mexican university. My goal was to pursue additional graduate studies in psychology and work in the area of professional counseling. My perception was that no U.S. graduate university would accept my degrees and that potential employers would only accept regionally accredited degrees. I had my degrees evaluated by an international credentials evaluator and both were deemed as equivalent to a regionally accredited B.A. and M.S. respectively. Fortunately, I was able to obtain a counseling job in California within a month of having had my degrees evaluated, probably not because of my degrees only, but because I have them and speak Spanish (I was pleasantly surprised, because I spoke very little English at that time).

Then, I started reading this forum and worrying about having to defend my Mexican degrees to future potential employers (I thought I had only been lucky in getting a job) or graduate admissions committees. I chose to apply to Excelsior College and submit the credits from both of my degrees. They accepted all of my undergraduate and graduate level credits, including those from my master’s thesis. Since I already had earned two degrees, they required my to complete 30 more new semester credits in a different area of study than my previous degrees. Finally, Excelsior conferred me the B.S. in Liberal Studies (BLS) with two areas of emphasis: psychology and Spanish. Given that my master’s degree from Mexico is in the marriage and family therapy area, I had enough credits for a third area of emphasis: family studies, but Excelsior only noted two areas of emphasis on your transcript at that time, and they may still do. Completing the additional new 30 semester credits required was relatively easy. Informed by this forum (by the way, thank you very much!), I took the CLEP, ACTFL and NYU Spanish tests, and for these three cheap and easy tests, I received 40 semester credits; 12, 16 and 12 respectively. Not all of the credits were taken into account for the degree, because CLEP’s and NYU’s overlap, but the excess credits were noted on the “Additional Coursework” section.

Incidentally, I also applied to Athabasca University’s 3-year Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) when I applied to Excelsior, and Excelsior was much more generous in accepting previous coursework. What Athabasca did was to only recognize and accept credits for courses parallel or equivalent to the ones they offer at the undergraduate level. Additionally, they only accepted courses with three semester credits or more, and I had several courses with two semester credits; therefore, they only gave me 62 semester credits from my previous undergraduate and graduate coursework, compared to 196 semester credits that Excelsior initially recognized (I “pruned” my Excelsior transcript from courses irrelevant to my career and graduate studies interest). Earning the remaining 28 semester credits needed for the BGS at Athabasca ended up being so complicated and much more expensive than completing the additional 30 semester credits required for the BSL at Excelsior. In the end, I was very pleased with my experience at Excelsior.

Finally, I subsequently completed the M.S. in Psychology from California Coast University and resubmitted my transcripts to both Excelsior and Athabasca. To Excelsior in order to enrich my undergraduate background with all of the prerequisites and “boost” my application to a doctorate in psychology, and to Athabasca in order to test the acceptance of CCU. At that time, Excelsior did not accept any CCU credits (but I understand that they may now), and Athabasca did accept several courses, but as before, only the ones that are almost exact equivalent to the undergraduate courses they offer.

I hope this information is useful and best wishes in your pursuits,

 

Señor Bendecido,


Thanks for sharing your experiences with this situation. In reference for what purposes I am doing this? Basically because I much like to take advantage of distance learning and I rather invest this money in myself instead of giving to the Tax man(does it makes sense?). I am aware that doing this will not add or subtract to my current standing.

Also like the idea that I can use old credits and put them to use again. The economics and frugality factors are much involved here. I have never experience a sense of inferiority because my first degree was from Puerto Rico. I guess people react different to different situations. Anyway, thank you for sharing your past predicaments.

 

Bienvenido caballero! Thanks for sharing your story, very interesting indeed. Many of us here do not really need more degrees, we do it for the challenge, and many times to pave the way for others (ex. Jamie Gauthier opened the door for Excelsior to accept DETC credit, and skidadl was the first to test the theory). Many of us have both RA and NA degrees, and wish to challenge and increase the acceptance rate of NA credit. I do for the love of it, nothing more, nothing less. Plus, being an activist, I love challenges.

Welcome aboard bendecido! Vaya con dios.

Abner

 

Let me see if I get this right:

After I finish my MFA in Motion Pictures & Television I'd be able to apply my Master credits for, let's say, a Communications degree at Excelsior?

Is that right or am I missing something here?

 

Not just at EC, but anywhere. EC is the most flexible as far as NA credit. I do remember recently reading TESC has accepted NA credit, so the trend is probably growing among the big three.

Abner

 

Maybe I am missing something but are you using credits that were part of one degree (completed) to get another degree? Is that just pulling a fast one and collecting paper and decreasing the "value" of the degrees gained online? I think there is a reason why schools (like Excelsior) will not grant a degree by just transfering in all of your credits from another school where a degree was earned. You need 30 new credits for a new degree.

How is it frugal to pay for a degree when you do not need it? Is it just to pull one over on the IRS? As an accountant, aren't there better ways to help easy your tax burden like donations to the ASPCA or other non-profit? Am I totally missing the point and I am in left-field?

I also have undergraduate and graduate credits (BS in Business and MBA) from Cal Coast and if I can find another use for them I am all ears.

 

Of course anytime one is gaining a new BS/BA, 30 new credits need to be earned. How is that pulling a fast one? I just don't see your point. Several on this forum use credit from a variety of sources to gain degrees(includig FEMA which some try to say is millish). All Vini is saying is he is going to apply his grad credits to an undergrad. After I am done with my MBA, I am going to roll over my extensive RA and NA credits into BA in labor studies at EC. Why? Why not? The big three is a hell of deal, and will probably cost less than a certificate.

Yur CCU credits will not be accetped at EC since they are UA (earned prior to 2005) If you want to use your other credit for another BS, the new 30 credit rule applies. There are no fast ones being pulled.

Abner

 

Oops! Sorry for all the typos, I got timed out. Ay dios!!!!

Abner

 

Thank you for allowing me to share my experience and for welcoming me to the forum.

I agree that additional undergraduate degrees offer little advantage, except in the case of changing careers and other few instances, admittedly such as ego strokes in my case.

On the other hand, in spite of the above assertion, an ex-secret temptation of mine (because now everybody reading this will know) is to continue recycling my credits for several reasons. One is that I’m addicted to knowing or appearing to know (my narcissism acting up) and getting paid for it (my self-preservation kicking in). A second reason for me is that I like to think that Uncle Sam is sponsoring my learning/having-multiple-degrees hobby/addiction by charging me less in taxes (this is my selfishness in its full splendor). And finally, because going through the process of pursuing multiple credentials online has helped me to learn how to do it first hand and gain experience, this has allowed me to encourage many other working adults to continue their education in order to benefit themselves, their families and society in general and coach them along the process for free. At least in my church, many have seen my career progression over the last 12 years and, after celebrating with me each new credential and consequent promotion and after having identified a causal relationship: studying hard/smart+credentials+hard work=career success, they have allowed me to help them follow a similar path. This gave me the idea to prepare and facilitate at my church a 4-hour workshop on degree completion via distance education for working adults, which was a total success. Mine is a bilingual church with members from 18 Latin-American/Caribbean countries. Many of them have degrees but have never used them here because they did not know that they could. Others came to the U.S. with some college and never continued their studies. Helping them has been a blessing and a true pleasure, to the point that it has become one of my hobbies and I have considered doing it professionally (imagine: Joe Blessed, Online Studies and Career Success Coach). I have to thank you, the members of degreeinfo.com, for the wealth of information you have given me access to, and for making me feel invited to be a contributing member now.

Regarding my past unfounded insecurities or sense of inferiority, these are part of my distant past now. My Mexican degrees have proven to be the best initial investment in my life. At the time of immigrating to the U.S., I was barely coming out of grad school with only three years of experience as a research/teaching assistant and one year of experience as an assistant professor at the same university where I studied in Mexico. No real world experience; much less in a different country with a language I did not speak. Now, I thank God for my first degrees, as they became virtually the ticket for my U.S. Citizenship and for the opportunity to fulfill my personal mission of assisting my Hispanic/Latino brethren here in the U.S. with their stresses and their successes.

 

My MFA is not NA, is RA. That's not What I'm concerned. I just think is strange that Excelsior accepts grad credits for a undergrad.

Most universities and colleges (DL or B&M) that I researched DON'T accept grad credits for their undergrad programs.

 

Thank you for allowing me to share my experience and welcoming me to the forum. I agree that additional undergraduate degrees offer little advantage, except in the case of changing careers and other few instances, admittedly such as ego strokes in my case.

On the other hand, in spite of the above assertion, an ex-secret temptation of mine (because now everybody reading this will know) is to continue recycling my credits for several reasons. One is that I’m addicted to knowing or appearing to know (my narcissism acting up) and getting paid for it (my self-preservation kicking in). A second reason for me is that I like to think that Uncle Sam is sponsoring my learning/having-multiple-degrees hobby/addiction by charging me less in taxes (this is my selfishness in its full splendor). And finally, because going through the process of pursuing multiple credentials online has helped me to learn how to do it first hand and gain experience, this has allowed me to encourage many other working adults to continue their education in order to benefit themselves, their families and society in general and coach them along the process for free. At least in my church, many have seen my career progression over the last 12 years and, after celebrating with me each new credential and consequent promotion and after having identified a causal relationship: studying hard/smart+credentials+hard work=career success, they have allowed me to help them follow a similar path. This gave me the idea to prepare and facilitate at my church a 4-hour workshop on degree completion via distance education for working adults, which was a total success. Mine is a bilingual church with members from 18 Latin-American/Caribbean countries. Many of them have degrees but have never used them here because they did not know that they could. Others came to the U.S. with some college and never continued their studies. Helping them has been a blessing and a true pleasure, to the point that it has become one of my hobbies and I have considered doing it professionally (imagine: Joe Blessed, Online Studies and Career Success Coach). I have to thank you, the members of degreeinfo.com, for the wealth of information you have given me access to, and for making me feel invited to be a contributing member now.

Regarding my past unfounded insecurities or sense of inferiority, these are part of my distant past now. My Mexican degrees have proven to be the best initial investment in my life. At the time of immigrating to the U.S., I was barely coming out of grad school with only three years of experience as a research/teaching assistant and one year of experience as an assistant professor at the same university where I studied in Mexico. No real world experience; much less in a different country with a language I did not speak. Now, I thank God for my first degrees, as they became virtually the ticket for my U.S. Citizenship and for the opportunity to fulfill my personal mission of assisting my Hispanic/Latino brethren here in the U.S. with their stresses and their successes.

 

Yes, you are missing something and will fill that blank, I have lots of credits floating around and I was trying(still am) to use them and I am very clear about the concept that there is a minimum work that you will have to put for the new degree. Main issue is the acceptability and the maximization of the transfer credits from any valid or accredited sources to that new degree.

Yes and know, but that will be how you see the opportunity costs an economic concept that differ from the accounting perspective.The tax law is complicated and trying to explain the codes is not easy. Anyway, it all depends on how much you make and about the charity in my case even I have donate a lot does not gets me enough credits as the education credits does. You have to remember that in some professions it is a requirement to keep your skills up to date.

 

Why you think this is strange? Do you think there is a difference from the courses taken at the Doctorate level in comparison to the Master's level? I don't think so, the only thing that changes is the price for the credits and of course that you have to do a dissertation. It is all about the money.

Which ones? Training is training. The universities view will be a profitable one. The more credits they get you for, the better.

 

Coño, I am having the same issue! Ay bendito!

 

Correcto!!!!

 

Okay, it was late and I was thinking - take all the credits from a CCU degree, dump them into Excelsior for an Excelsior degree. Print two degrees for one "set" of classes.