Hello, I've registered for a correspondence course in business behaivor at the Open University in the UK. I'm planning on to utilize the course for my business degree program at Excelsior, where I'm currently enrolled. Excelsior told me they will give the number of credits for the course that ECE will recommend but ECE does evaluate only courses after they are finished, and after they receive the appropriate documents. So as it seems, it is impossible for me to know how many credit hours I'll get for the course in advance. Perhaps someone could give me some general information about how British academic performances are perceived in the US. As far as I've learned so far, British academic programs/courses are of fairly good quality and tend to be more subject oriented/intensive than the American ones. The course from the Open University will earn me 60 points. For an OU bachelor you need 360 points, so it's a relatively large chunk of the bachelor program. Maybe, for someone wondering why a student of an American college would like to take British courses, it should be noted that I live in Europe. Any feedback would be appreciated Thank you, Dennis Siemens
Dennis, My experience with ECE (Education Credential Evaluators Inc, an unregulated private company) was not good. I thought their service poor and their attempts at evaluation slipshod. It is worth noting that this is the company John Bear names in his account of an evaluation of the Heriot Watt MBA, as being at an educational level just above that of a US high school diploma. Apparently, several other evaluations solicited from other companies at the same time, returned a verdict that the very same credential was at the level of a US master's degree. I found ECE evaluated my Scottish school leaving Higher Grade Mathematics and Higher Grade Physics passes at the equivalent of 10 semester hours, US college two year level. Yet, my HD in Applied Mathematics (which is another three years full time study beyond that), received the same US college two year level evaluation. When I questioned this ludicrous mismatch and asked for a detailed accounting, I was essentially told to like it or lump it. No explanation, no analysis (though I'd paid for such analysis). I sent them information showing one to one correspondence with US 4th year (senior year) college courses - didn't matter. My opinion, based on my experience as a customer, and on my own course by course analysis of their evaluation, is that ECE are incompetent. If there was ever a case to be made for the regulation of this industry, ECE would be reason number one.
ECE is a very "weird" organization... it appears that sometimes their "opinion" is at odds with most of other credential evaluators, including both the formal agencies and University registrars. Foreign degrees travel well but credit for individual courses can be more difficult due to differences in the systems. As you note, British programs will cover as much if not more material in the course of a year of study but it will be covered in a fewer number of courses. I would ask the question in reverse... if you have the opportunity to obtain a degree from OU, why in the world would you go to Exclesior???
One reason is that, in my opinion, the Excelsior program is more flexible than that of the OU. I think I'd take me longer to complete the OU bachelor than completing the Excelsior bachelor. Another reason: I think it is a wonderfull opportunity to get to know better the different educational systems. Particulary the british and american. Dennis Siemens
Hello again, Will Excelsior accept a different evaluation service than ECE? Do you know more about the background of the Heriot Watts MBA equivalency decision. That seems pretty unlogical, especially if you consider that students with the british high school diploma alone, often get advanced placements in american bachelor programs. Thank you, Dennis Siemens
'Nope. But you could ask anyway. I certainly would. May be they will, unofficially. You have cause, given the HW evaluation reported by Bear, and my experience. Of course, it may be they'd do your evaluation satisfactorily. Can't fully remember, but something like an Indian gentleman who also may have had a Ph.D. or other higher degree. I believe the evaluation was for employment, but my memory on this is not complete. Tell me about it, I got 10 semester hours for high school Math and Physics, but still had a subsequent three years worth of math evaluated at the same high school level. Common sense might indicate a problem, here. And for sure, a detailed course by course analysis, and comparison to average US course content, level and breadth, should have yielded a different result. My courses had designations. Scottish Higher grade math was known as entry Level 2, I completed my HD at Level 6, yet ECE held that levels 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, were all actually the same academic level. I even sent ECE, detailed course syllabi. It was obvious they hadn't even opened it. They hadn't a clue what I was talking about. Given my experience, I'm more than a little inclined to believe the ECE/ HW story John Bear relates.
If I recall it was some type of vendetta that a senior official at ECE had against HW (for whatever reason). What makes it even more unlogical is that the other evaluators, many major American Universities (I love Bear's quote from the University of Chicago to the effect of "who are we to reject that which the Queen as approved") all agree it is equivalent to a US degree (like duh). Do you know more about the background of the Heriot Watts MBA equivalency decision. That seems pretty unlogical, especially if you consider that students with the british high school diploma alone, often get advanced placements in american bachelor programs. Thank you, Dennis Siemens[/B][/QUOTE]
Hi Dennis, I got my Association of Business Executives (U.K.) Diploma 1 subjects evaluated by ECE some years ago at 6 semester hours per subject. The diploma should be equivalent to first-year degree study. The evaluation gave me a total of 24 credits as a starting point for my USNY (now Excelsior) BGB degree.
