I am considering two schools to get my distance learning undergrad degree. They are Thomas Edison and SUNY Empire State. Has anyone had any experience with either of these? Or perhaps suggestions...I would like to complete my degree as quickly as possible.
Reddog, Since you did specify getting a degree quickly, I'd recommend: Charter Oak, Thomas Edison, or Excelsior (used to be called Regents). These three seem to be the schools brought up most frequently for questions like yours. My opinion as far as getting it quickly (if you have all of the required credits to fill in the squares) would tend to suggest Excelsior before TESC or Charter Oak. You'll want to dig in some for each one and explore the cost of each, the degrees offered, and what they will accept from the credits you have now. I don't think you can go wrong with any of these and they all have decent accredidations. If you want to go exploring for other options, a great place to start is degree.net/Dr Bear's guide (the 'bible' of Distance Education). I'd dig around this sight too. You'll find lots of info about the schools I suggested and most if not all of your questions have answers here. Good Luck!
I think that TESC and SUNY are two solid choices, but there are quite a few other DL programs available. I'd be happy to make some additional suggestions based on your answers to the following two questions: 1) What do you want to study (e.g. liberal arts, accounting, poli sci)? 2) Up to this point, how much progress have you made towards your degree? Michael Barger [email protected]
Thanks for both of the responses...I do not have any college credits, but I have been working as a Human Resource Manager for over 10 years and I have certificates of courses that I have attended through my employer. I would really like to get a degree in HR Management. I would love to hear your suggestions
Reddog, Here's a degree plan you are looking for... http://www.excelsior.edu/bus_bd.htm Of further note, I'd suggest taking as many CLEP, DANTES, and Regents Tests as you can before you enroll in the school and the clock starts ticking. You can access the degree requirements from their web site and plot your own course. Then, when you think you are getting close to getting the degree enroll in the school and get the degree. I'm not the sharpest nail in the box and I scored well on all of them. This will save you lots of money and time. I tested out of all of my general credits, lower level credits, and as many of my upper level credits as I could (the school I'm going to accepts 90 transfer credits so I have to take 30 credit hours through them to get the degree). With your professional certificates, you may gain allot of credit through portfollio assessments and the like. If any of the courses you went through are ACE approved then you have a decent shot at having allot of your degree done. I know Excelsior has what they call a 'Quick start' credit evaluation that may be of help to you located on http://www.petersons.com/regents/quick.html.
Any of the "Big Three" (Excelsior, TESC, or Charter Oak) will work for you. Personally, I think you're better off at Charter Oak. However, I agree with "OHIOMAN" that you're far better off postponing your official enrollment until you've accumulated a lot of credit. Based on Charter Oak's acceptance of CLEP, DANTES, and Excelsior exams, here's a sample degree plan that will get you across the finish line. This sample program satisfies all of Charter Oak's general education and business concentration requirements. Sample Charter Oak Program - Business Concentration: GENERAL EDUCATION: ------------------- CLEP English Comp w/Essay (GE Written Communication req; 6 units) CLEP College Math (GE Quantitative Reasoning req; 3 units) CLEP Humanities (GE Aesthetic Dimensions req; 6 units) CLEP American Government (GE Historical Development req; 3 units) CLEP History of the U.S. I (3 units) CLEP History of the U.S. II (3 units) CLEP Macroeconomics (GE Groups/Communities req; 3 units) CLEP Microeconomics (3 units) CLEP Western Civ. I (GE Global Society req; 3 units) CLEP Western Civ II (GE Western Civ/Culture req; 3 units) CLEP Natural Science (GE Scientific Process req; 6 units) DANTES Criminal Justice (GE Ethical Dimensions req; 3 units) DANTES Environment and Humanity (Upper Division; 3 units) BUSINESS CONCENTRATION COURSES: -------------------------------- CLEP Accounting (6 units) DANTES Finance (3 units) CLEP Intro to Management (3 units) EXCELSIOR Organizational Behavior (Upper Division; 3 units) DANTES Human Resources Management (Upper Division; 3 units) CLEP Marketing (3 units) CLEP Intro to Business Law (3 units) DANTES Management Information Systems (3 units) DANTES Money and Banking (Upper Division; 3 units) EXCELSIOR Labor Relations (Upper Division; 3 units) EXCELSIOR Production/Operations Management (Upper Division; 3 units) * Upper Iowa University - Training and Development (Upper Division Correspondence Course; 3 units) * Upper Iowa University - Compensation and Benefits Management (Upper Division Correspondence Course; 3 units) * Upper Iowa University - Personnel Selection and Evaluation (Upper Division Correspondence Course; 3 units) * Upper Iowa University - Strategic Management (Upper Division Correspondence Course; 3 units) OTHER CREDIT: --------------- You'll have 96 credits once you've completed all of the above (including the required 30 upper-division units). To round out your 120-credit requirement for graduation, you can either try to get portfolio credit for your non-collegiate professional courses, or you can just keep taking additional standardized exams until you hit the 120-credit goal (there are plenty of other CLEP, Excelsior, and DANTES exams besides the ones I've listed). * I listed correspondence courses available through Upper Iowa University only because I am very familiar with this program, and I know that these courses are available here on a year-round basis. I am a UIU graduate (go Peacocks!). Comparable upper-division courses from any regionally accredited school will transfer to Charter Oak as substitutes for the ones listed above. How long would this sample program take you to complete? That depends entirely on your available time and motivation. Good luck, and let us know when you graduate! Michael Barger [email protected]
