EC's MLS 500 Graduate Research & Writing

[MaieJaie]

Hi, everyone. After multiple postponements due to many different reasons, I have finally enrolled at EC and transferred in all of my credits. I am so ridiculously close to graduating...it's exciting. I received my Status Report as well as my Evaluation Summary. [The Status Report is the one that says how my credits are applied toward my degree, the Evaluation Summary is the one that details what I still need and what credits were considered duplicative.]

Overall, I'm pleased with the results of the evaluation. There were a couple of minor items that I've emailed EC to request be reviewed, but nothing substantial. Plus, they gave me credit for a couple of professional development courses for which I wasn't expecting to receive credit, so that was a plus.

I still need Information Literacy as well as Research and Writing in the Major. Depending upon what EC decides about the items I emailed them, it's quite possible that these will be the only requirements I have left before graduation. Worse case scenario is my Status Report stays the same and I need 8.64 credits to graduate; best case scenario is I'm 0.64 credits from graduation. Either way, I still need Information Literacy plus the Research and Writing in the Major for my English major. Regardless, I'm just really freaking close!

Before anybody starts belting out the official DegreeForum Information Literacy chant ("Penn Foster!... Penn Foster!... Ra! Ra! Ra!"), let me mention that I have an employer tuition assistance plan that won't cover PFC. The plan covers undergraduate and/or graduate courses taken at an American regionally-accredited institution of higher education at which I am enrolled as a degree-seeking student. In other words, if I take the courses at EC, I'll get my money back. If I take the courses elsewhere, they'll be on my dime.

I have already confirmed that I can take graduate-level courses as an undergraduate student...made for a happy visit to the benefits department, let me tell you! I get up to $1500 per calendar year. I am very, very seriously considering taking MLS 500 Graduate Research and Writing, which will fulfill both of the requirements.

I have graduate school plans, so I feel that having this course will reflect positively on my application by demonstrating my ability to handle graduate-level coursework. Plus, I just kind of want to take the course for its own sake. Dorky, I know, but I'm just like that.

I'm concerned, though, that it's only an eight-week course. That seems rather fast-paced for a graduate-level course, especially for my first graduate-level course. I work full-time, so the time commitment is a factor. Has anyone taken MLS 500 at EC? Any thoughts or feedback on the course itself or the time commitment involved? Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

And yes, I've googled the past posts. Not much info on the MLS 500 course, though, hence my rationale for posting this.

[marianne202]

Congrats to you! I'm in my second 8 wk course at EC. These are 300 / 400 level courses but I will tell you they are fast paced. They are also very reading and writing intensive and these are not writing courses! We average about 100 pages of reading a week, some weeks more, and lots of heavy discussion topics. Each class has also had an 8-10 page paper written in APA format. Not much instruction, just lots of reading and writing. I know this isn't your specific class, but since you haven't found much hopefully this will give you a little glimpse at what to expect with EC courses.

[NAP]

I am very, very seriously considering taking MLS 500 Graduate Research and Writing, which will fulfill both of the requirements.

How exciting to be so close!!

Are you saying that the graduate course fulfills Info Lit, too? (That would be interesting news.)

Thanks.

[barcotta]

If I were you, I would go for it. I'm sure you'll gain some valuable knowledge and it sounds like a great way to sidestep the otherwise valueless Info Lit requirement. Even if this course is particularly intensive and time-consuming, it has to be over in eight weeks. You can do anything as long as you know it'll be over in eight weeks, right?