GRE Subject exams

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by backtoschoolnow, Jun 6, 2004.

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  1. backtoschoolnow

    backtoschoolnow New Member

    I need some help with info about the credits obtained from the GRE subject exam.

    How do the GRE Subject exams show up on a transcript from Excelsior and COSC?

    Can those credits be transfered to TESC, or from Excelsior to COSC?

    Does Empire State give credits for the GRE Subject exam and if so can that be transfered to one of the BIG 3?

    Thanks.
     
  2. Dr. Gina

    Dr. Gina New Member

    I am trying to get the same answer for the math GRE exam. They do give credits, but each of the big three differ.
     
  3. Lawrie Miller

    Lawrie Miller New Member

    EXCELSIOR COLLEGE NOTATION OF GRE CREDIT
    The detail in the Excelsior transcripts is as follows:

    “GRE ADVANCED SUBJECT TESTS
    <date taken> ...................................................... 30 ........P”

    Here, "30" is the number of credit hours awarded, and "P" signifies the credits are awarded as a pass grade

    If the question is, would those inspecting the transcript realize the credit had been earned by way of proficiency exams, the answer is, yes, in spades. Does that fact have consequences? -

    As part of research for "Accelerated Master Degrees by Distance Learning", I've had cause to enroll in more graduate programs than most would would consider sane (many more). I have never had my USNY/Regents/Excelsior degrees or components comprising those degrees, questioned by any graduate school to which I applied.

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  4. Lawrie Miller

    Lawrie Miller New Member

    EMPIRE STATE COLLEGE AND THE GRE SUBJECT EXAM
    In fact, by one account up to 36 hours credit from Empire State College (ESC) for scores in the gre subject exam.

    Hmm. Seeing is believing. I found ONE live primary source reference to this alleged largesse. Mark Israel cites another example in Usenet and here in degreeinfo, but that link doesn’t lead anywhere.

    What *is* true (and most are unaware of this) is that non-specific, cursory but clear, reference is made to the award of credit for GRE subject test by ESC in several of their official publications. However, I’ve yet to find a verifiable, and quantifiable example of implementation of the rule (who earned what credit for what score, in what program, under what set of guidelines). Seeking resolution, I’ve sent off the following to the ESC Office of Academic Affairs . . .







    TO: [email protected]
    Dear Ms. DeCrescenzo,

    In one live revision of the ESC publication, "A STUDENT'S GUIDE - CREDIT BY EXAMINATION", it states:

    ...........................................................................
    “G. R. E. SUBJECT TESTS
    The Graduate Record Examination Advanced Subject Tests (GRE) are examinations offered in many different fields of study (the GRE also offers general aptitude tests which are not translatable to credit). Content of an advanced subject test is equivalent to a college major in the subject. Empire State College may award up to 36 credits toward a bachelor's degree. Check with your center assessment office for information on possible credit for the GRE.”

    url:-
    http://www.esc.edu/esconline/escdocuments/escpub.nsf/0/660b98b2424f6b85852568db006af400?OpenDocument
    ...........................................................................



    I wonder if you might confirm that:

    1. ESC awards credit for some minimum score in the GRE subject exams.

    2. ESC will award up to 36 semester hour credit for some level of performance in the GRE subject exams.


    If indeed, statements 1 and/or 2 above are/is true, could you enumerate:

    a. The minimum standard scores, or alternatively, the percentile rank, triggering the award of semester hour credit at ESC?

    b. The threshold standard scores or percentile rank required to qualify for the award of maximum semester hour credit at ESC?

    c. The number of semester hours credit awarded for the minimum qualifying standard scores or percentile rank in the exam?

    d. If statement 2 above is false, but statement 1 is true, what *is* the maximum semester hour credit ESC will award for any score in the exam?


    Thank you.



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  5. backtoschoolnow

    backtoschoolnow New Member

    If I were able to get 30 credits from Excelsior for my GRE subject exam - could I then TRANSFER the 30 credits to TESC or COSC?
     
  6. shirleyngan

    shirleyngan New Member

    I have several questions about Excelsior:
    1. Is there only Bachelor of Liberal Studies instead of Bachelor of Arts or Science?

    2. How much is the fee?

    3. I am a Hong Kong Resident with a degree in Social Sciences, can I apply for Excelsior College Bachelor degree?

    4. Indeed, I aim at a degree major in Psychology
     
  7. Lawrie Miller

    Lawrie Miller New Member

    1. Excelsior College offers degrees in a variety of majors in the liberal arts, to include Mathematics, Physics, Political Science, Philosophy and on. In Business, degrees available include, BS Finance, BS Accounting, BS Management Information Systems, and several more. In Computing and Technology, the BS in Technology with many specializations, and the BS in Computer Information Systems. There is also, offered by the School of Liberal Arts, the BS in Criminal Justice, and offered by the School of Nursing, the BS in Nursing.


    2. Fees vary by method(s) used to complete the degree and the amount of prior credit you have earned. An estimate would be in the range $2,000 to $5,000, inclusive of exam fees, study materials, reasonable course work, as required.

    3. Yes. Depending upon how the HK degree is assessed, it may be you will qualify as a second degree student. Requirements for a second degree can be met by submission of thirty semester hours of credit earned after conferral of a first degree, of with the correct distribution in terms of division level and subject area.

    4. If taken as a second degree, a degree with a major in Psychology can be earned by taking just two exams with a nominal combined test time less than six hours, and for a combined cost less than $400. I found the combined time to complete both exams to be about 3 hours 50 minutes.

    The degree with the Psychology major is conferred as a "BA (or BS) in Psychology". There are a number of other exams available that may be used in fulfillment of requirements of the Psych major. All are reasonably priced, accessible and passable (I’ve taken them all). The detail can be found in BA in 4 Weeks.

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  8. shirleyngan

    shirleyngan New Member

    I get a bit confused, is it a BLS, BA or BS for the Psychology major degree? I am in Hong Kong, how can I take the exam?
     
  9. agilham

    agilham New Member

    For Excelsior you can have either a BA or a BS in Psychology depending on the spread of your arts or science subjects, I think.

    The GRE test centre in Hong Kong is in Kowloon at City University of Hong Kong. More detail about the GRE is at http://www.gre.org/ and you should also have a look around here for SeekingHelp's thread about taking the Psychology GRE.

    Angela
     
  10. shirleyngan

    shirleyngan New Member

    How about CLEP?
     
  11. Sindaena

    Sindaena New Member

    The notation on the transcript is one of the reasons I don't want to take the Subject GRE in Math. It's not that I think that the grad school I want to go to would question my degree. it's that their graduate program in math requires specific minimum undergraduate preparation: A semster each of linear and abstract algebra, and a year of advanced calculus. An exam doesn't show those prereqs for me. This might not matter if you have no desire to enter a b&m math graduate program after graduation however.

    Elizabeth
     
  12. shirleyngan

    shirleyngan New Member

    Yes! That's also my concern.
    I would like to apply for Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology in Hong Kong after obtaining the BS Psychology from Excelsior College. I also supposed that there will be some difficulties in entering the graduate program with GRE as 30 credits. Further, It is hard to study Clinical Psychology program in Hong Kong.

    Do you think I should take courses from other RA Institutions instead of taking the GRE for credits transfer?

    And, I would like to know whether there's thesis or research project in Psychology available in Excelsior College or other institution? As the Clinical Program in Hong kong required thesis/research project taken in the Bachelor Degree.

    Thanks a lot!
     
  13. Lawrie Miller

    Lawrie Miller New Member

    It is the case though, that the relevant documents published by ETS, and readily available in PDF format, do provide the necessary detail of the contents of the exam, and that the Excelsior transcript certifies a pass above the 80th percentile, demonstrating command of the material comprising the Graduate Record Advanced Subject Examination in Mathematics.

    The original and primary intent of the GRE subject exam is to provide an objective, comparative, and competitive, measure of sufficiency in the subject, such that B&M graduate schools offering advanced degrees in Mathematics might better judge the suitability of applicants to their programs.

    That is to say, that in part, and among other things, the exam provides evidence of "specific minimum undergraduate preparation”.

    .
     
  14. Lawrie Miller

    Lawrie Miller New Member

    When I wrote, 'The degree with the Psychology major is conferred as a "BA (or BS) in Psychology" ', I meant it to convey that the degree with the Psychology major is conferred as a BA in Psychology or as a BS in Psychology.

    I provide links to the relevant ETS GRE subject exam material on the Critical Resources page of bain4weeks.com. There you will find, in addition to links to a list of test sites, links to exam registration, and to the official practice tests.

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  15. Sindaena

    Sindaena New Member

    Be that as it may, let me quote from the admissions requirements for the graduate program I wish to attend:

    They want to see the subject exam AND adequate background in undergraduate mathematics. I submit that the exam itself is insufficient to get into this program.

    I repeat, for some schools it may not matter. But, I will stand by my assertion that some schools want to see specific coursework in addition to GRE Subject exams.

    Not only that, I don't think covering the advanced math on the GRE subject test is likely to take significantly less time than taking it course by course. Nor is a 66 question multiple choice exam going to demonstrate the most important skill for graduate mathematics: proof-writing.

    And in any case, I personally have no need to be ready for graduate school in less than two years for the same childcare reasons that make distance education so attractive to me in the first place. I am not looking for the fastest route to degree, I am looking for the best odds of admission to a local, respected B&M University with a TA-ship when my children are in school all day.

    So, perhaps my situation is uniquely mine, but, for me, the GRE subject exam is not the best route to advanced math credits.

    Elizabeth
     
  16. Lawrie Miller

    Lawrie Miller New Member

    Yes, and if you take the time to read what was written, whether *you* would or would not find acceptance was not addressed. Neither was the number of grad programs that would or would not accept such a degree for the purposes of entry into an advanced program in Mathematics.

    The point was to suggest that in and of itself the exam does demonstrate sufficiency in the discipline, and that evidence of that and of the detailed content of the exam was readily available for scrutiny by decision makers. Quoted in the post was the specific passage that prompted my reply and that was representative of the issues germane to the content of the reply.

    Consider that some responses may not be all about you.

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  17. shirleyngan

    shirleyngan New Member

    For the sdmission requirement of my graduate program in Clinical Psychology, thesis or research project is necessary for the Bachelor Degree, if I apply for Excelsior, how can I have Thesis or Research Project?

    And, I've contact Excelsior, but up to now, there's no reply (3-4 days ago), I quiry the quality of Excelsior Customer Service.
     
  18. Sindaena

    Sindaena New Member

    Hehe, I won't deny that Excelsior Customer Service leaves something to be desired. However, that kind of question is best answered by searching the DistanceLearn Database, which , of course, is down at the moment. In any case, you would do a thesis or research project by either finding a distance course offering that or doing it at a local college and transferring it into Excelsior.

    One possibility is:

    http://www.athabascau.ca/
    Athabasca University
    Special Projects In Psychology
    PSYC 418


    Good luck with your decision!

    Elizabeth
     
  19. Lawrie Miller

    Lawrie Miller New Member

    Hmm, Excelsior's customer service . . well, you are not the first to query that.

    Unlike Elizabeth, you are looking to eventually earn a trade degree at master's level or beyond. No surprise then that like just about every other trade degree requiring licensure or other state sanction, Clinical Psychology will require evidence of competent research and/or application. If I recall, I also found that to be a component of every Psych undergraduate degree in the UK, I had cause to review, but by no means always the case in bachelor's Psych degrees in the US (though it often is so).

    It may be that the Excelsior degree program will not meet your needs. The bachelor degree in Psychology offered is a Liberal Arts degree, but within it there is provision for independent study that could include a research project or some sort of practicum. Excelsior is an assessment college and is not geared to provide wide ranging tutorials. However, they are very good at directing students to courses and courseware that will meet their needs in/for a specific, tailored, program of study.

    There are a number of opportunities for study in Psychology at master’s level, in the area of clinical psychology, that do not require an undergraduate degree with thesis, nor indeed, an undergraduate degree specifically in Psychology. There are many ways through or around the obstacle. Depends how flexible you can be or you are prepared to be.

    Google it.

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