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Excelsior
#1
I do not see many guides for Excelsior. I assume Thomas Edison must be easier to test out? I have already joined Excelsior, got the transcript, etc. I am looking around and seriously thinking about going to TESC because so many plans and info already out there. The below is what I need to get after my credits have been applied. I am currently working to match these all to Aleks, SL, UExcel, CLEP, DSST, etc. I know I need 12 credits through Excelsior. I have figured out the top 60 credits by looking at all the different guides. But the rest is more confusing than it could be.

ARTS AND SCIENCES COMPONENT (60 CREDITS) TO INCLUDE
6 Written English Requirement
9 Humanities Requirement
9 Social Sciences/History Requirement
3 Macroeconomics
3 Microeconomics
Natural Science/Math Requirement
3 Mathematics Requirement (College Algebra at the level of Precalculus or higher)
3 Statistics Requirement
3 Natural Science requirement
21 Remaining Arts and Sciences Requirement
60 Total Arts and Sciences Component
ADDITIONAL CREDIT COMPONENT (15 CREDITS) TO INCLUDE
0 Any Collegiate-level Study
1 Information Literacy
1 Total Additional Credit Component
BUSINESS COMPONENT (45 CREDITS) TO INCLUDE
3 Financial Accounting
3 Managerial Accounting
3 Introduction to Business Law
0 Computers
3 Principles of Management
3 Principles of Marketing
3 Financial Mangement
3 Production/Operations Management
3 Business Policy (You must complete BUS*495 at Excelsior College)
? Organizational Behavior Not Met
? Ethics Not Met
Concentration Requirement (18 credits of which 9 must be advanced level) Needed
3 IA. A Business Programming Language
3 IB. Database Management
3 IC. Data Communications or Telecommunications or Networking
3 ID. Systems Analysis and Design
0 II. Approved Management Information Systems Electives 0.0
12 Total Concentration
Upper-Level credits Needed
1 Upper-Level Business Concentration
9 Upper-Level Business Elective
10 Total Upper-Level
#2
download and read this

http://documents.excelsior.edu/document/...m-catalog/

almost every credit you have listed can be completed by CLEP, DANTES and uexcel

you're going to have to do some classes, like the database class -- I don't think there's any exam that covers that
and a couple of the upper level business

but take a good look through the excelsior text guide

and any plan that you find for TESC is going to be 90% similar to what excelsior wants Excelsior -- same classes fulfilled by the same exams
#3
I tested out of 60 units (half upper and half lower) at Excelsior. My advisor was great and they were easy to work with....
Denise


MS - Management and Leadership, WGU 2022
BS - Liberal Arts - Depths in Healthcare and Psychology, Excelsior College 2014
Certificate - Workers Comp Admin, UC Davis Extension, 1995
AA - Licensed Vocational Nursing and Selected Studies, Mesa College 1989
Certificate - Licensed Vocational Nursing (LVN), Mesa College 1977

Also, someday maybe a MS in Forensic Psychology, just for fun.   Oh, and a BS in Animal Behavior.  And, maybe when I'm 85 a PhD in something fun.

#4
Looks like you are on your way to a business degree! There are fewer current posters attending Excelsior, you can test out of most of your degree at Excelsior. It depends on how you enrolled and if you are getting financial aid. Hundreds of thousands of people have graduated from Excelsior without testing out so those of us who do are a rare breed.
TESC has quite a following among Christian Groups of varying types which many contribute and lurk on this site to get assistance in their progress towards a degree there.

You can go anywhere you wish including TESC but the ease of testing out is the same as well as the difficulty. You still need to pass the tests at both schools and have them transcribe to the area you intended. I'm at work right now but if you want some direction as to were I'm going in my business degree at Excelsior I'd be delighted to assist.
Don't forget that gaining college credit by taking exams is one of the reason's we're here. That's mainly possible through the flashcards made available by the owner of this forum : InstantCert Plus of course your hard work in learning and reviewing
******
Current Credits

Irish Education

FETAC Level 6 Adv Cert in Admin


Spreadsheets 5 U.S credits A ,Word Processing 2.5 U.S credits A
Business Management 5.0 U.S credits A Web Authoring 2.5 U.S credits A Communications 5.0 U.S credits A Manual and Computerized Bookkeeping 2.5 U.S Credits A

ECDL (European Computer Drivers License) ICS SKILLS 5 credits

Strayer University Marketing 100 (paid for by Starbucks) A 4.5 quarter hours
CLEP U.S History I 74, U.S History II 69, Western Civ II 61, Western Civ I 64, HG&D 60, Humanities 60, biz law 67,Am Gov 57.
DSST: Biz ethics & s 450, Art WW 424
EC CCS 120 A , EC ENG 101 A, EC BUS 312 H.R A , EC ENG 102 A,
B&M ACC 151 B, B&M ACC 152 (starting) Nat Scies,
#5
I should add that I already had a AS with 64 units. So, I tested out of all my Excelsior requirements except Math. I took one of their online math classes because I'm math phobic. I didn't have to do a capstone as I started before it was a requirement.

GoodYellowDogs Wrote:I tested out of 60 units (half upper and half lower) at Excelsior. My advisor was great and they were easy to work with....
Denise


MS - Management and Leadership, WGU 2022
BS - Liberal Arts - Depths in Healthcare and Psychology, Excelsior College 2014
Certificate - Workers Comp Admin, UC Davis Extension, 1995
AA - Licensed Vocational Nursing and Selected Studies, Mesa College 1989
Certificate - Licensed Vocational Nursing (LVN), Mesa College 1977

Also, someday maybe a MS in Forensic Psychology, just for fun.   Oh, and a BS in Animal Behavior.  And, maybe when I'm 85 a PhD in something fun.

#6
gon2college Wrote:I do not see many guides for Excelsior. I assume Thomas Edison must be easier to test out? I have already joined Excelsior, got the transcript, etc. I am looking around and seriously thinking about going to TESC because so many plans and info already out there. The below is what I need to get after my credits have been applied. I am currently working to match these all to Aleks, SL, UExcel, CLEP, DSST, etc. I know I need 12 credits through Excelsior. I have figured out the top 60 credits by looking at all the different guides. But the rest is more confusing than it could be.

ARTS AND SCIENCES COMPONENT (60 CREDITS) TO INCLUDE
6 Written English Requirement
9 Humanities Requirement
9 Social Sciences/History Requirement
3 Macroeconomics
3 Microeconomics
Natural Science/Math Requirement
3 Mathematics Requirement (College Algebra at the level of Precalculus or higher)
3 Statistics Requirement
3 Natural Science requirement
21 Remaining Arts and Sciences Requirement
60 Total Arts and Sciences Component
ADDITIONAL CREDIT COMPONENT (15 CREDITS) TO INCLUDE
0 Any Collegiate-level Study
1 Information Literacy
1 Total Additional Credit Component
BUSINESS COMPONENT (45 CREDITS) TO INCLUDE
3 Financial Accounting
3 Managerial Accounting
3 Introduction to Business Law
0 Computers
3 Principles of Management
3 Principles of Marketing
3 Financial Mangement
3 Production/Operations Management
3 Business Policy (You must complete BUS*495 at Excelsior College)
? Organizational Behavior Not Met
? Ethics Not Met
Concentration Requirement (18 credits of which 9 must be advanced level) Needed
3 IA. A Business Programming Language
3 IB. Database Management
3 IC. Data Communications or Telecommunications or Networking
3 ID. Systems Analysis and Design
0 II. Approved Management Information Systems Electives 0.0
12 Total Concentration
Upper-Level credits Needed
1 Upper-Level Business Concentration
9 Upper-Level Business Elective
10 Total Upper-Level

You should check out Charter Oak State College for the B.S. in Business Administration degree as well which is the school I chose to get my B.S. in Business Administration degree from. I also believe Excelsior tends to be more expensive than TESC or Charter Oak. At the end of the day, what you're probably looking for is a B.S. in Business Administration, and all 3 are regionally accredited. Charter Oak just came out with a new B.S. in Business Administration major which goes into effect on July 1, 2015, and of the three degree-by-exam colleges, Charter Oak has the least number of business credits to complete (only 48 credits TOTAL compared to 63 credits from TESC or about 51-54 credits from Excelsior) as well as the 2nd least number of upper level credits required to complete (Excelsior requires 24 upper level credits ALL in business credits, Charter Oak requires 15 UL business credits, and a remaining 15 UL credits in any subject for a total of 30 UL credits, and TESC requires 33 UL credits). You can also complete 99% of the degree requirements through examination, and they have the least stringent requirements for completing the B.S. in Business Administration. TESC would have you take advanced coursework in accounting or finance, and overall an additional 18 credits more of business credits compared to COSC.

If you're looking to test out of majority if not all your degree requirements, you're looking at Excelsior's multi-source option which would cost you $1,065 enrollment fee + $495 for the annual fee (so you better finish it in under a year) + $1,470 for the required capstone course + $100 application fee + $495 graduation fee = at the minimum $3,625.00. This is, of course, excluding the cost of any exams/courses you do for cheap on your own.

Through Charter Oak, it would cost you $2666 for their two required courses (includes fees) + $75 application fee + $205 graduation fee = minimum $2,946. The nice thing is that there is no annual fee for COSC unlike with Excelsior or TESC.

Through TESC, if you're doing the "enrolled option" program, it would be about $1,000 more than Charter Oak for the B.S. degree (about $4,000 at the minimum), but if you're doing the TESC "per credit" option (which is arguably much harder and longer to do), then at a minimum $1,262.

Please refer to this thread: http://www.degreeforum.net/excelsior-tho...egree.html

and also this: COSC Degree Plans - Degree Forum Wiki

to see if Charter Oak may be a good option for you. In the wiki, it details the pros/cons of attending Charter Oak versus TESC and Excelsior, and I think there are some compelling arguments to be made, at least for the sake of learning more about these 3 institutions and finding the one that best fits your needs.

Personally speaking, I had to decide between TESC, Excelsior, and Charter Oak, and I chose Charter Oak which also isn't spoken too much around here either. If you're looking to get a degree in the cheapest way possible, then TESC's "per credit" (just google it) program is the cheapest, and you'd save about $1,800 compared to Charter Oak. TESC would also allow you to completely test out of the whole degree and not have to take any courses through the college. Charter Oak and Excelsior do, but I don't find this to be a major deal-breaker. The major downside, in my opinion, about TESC's "per credit" program though is that you'd have to take 8 TECEP exams, and I feel that these exams are the hardest exams to finish quickly because you will likely have to read a textbook for many of these (there are no practice exams, practically no review materials, and little to no student feedback, etc. on these things compared to UExcel, DSST, and CLEP exams). TESC has another option called the "enrolled option" plan where you don't have to take 8 TECEP exams, but you still nevertheless,have to take way more business credits, some in advanced accounting or finance (financial management and/or financial accounting/managerial accounting are not enough), and this option would cost you at least a $1,000 more than COSC.

To keep things simple, since I know all too well how frustrating it is to figure out what the best strategy and college is, if you're going to do a comparison, compare the program you're looking at right now versus Charter Oak's B.S. in Business Admin degree and TESC's "per credit" option B.S. in Business Administration in General Management degree. It will likely be the simplest to complete the degree through Charter Oak because they have the least degree requirements for the B.S. in Business Administration. At Excelsior, you'll pay more at a minimum, plus a yearly fee if you don't finish everything on time, and be required to take a few courses that don't have any exam substitutions like that database course, programming course, etc. Keep in mind that Excelsior has very high in-state tuition rate at $490/hour and that can add up to several thousand dollars if there are no exam substitutes. Hell, I'm from NY, and Charter Oak's OUT-OF-STATE rate is far cheaper at $363/credit hour for out of staters and $263/credit hour for CT in-staters.

Overall, I think COSC offers the best "bang for the buck" degree. It's not as cheap as TESC's "per credit" option, and it's not as expensive as Excelsior which I feel can afford to price gouge students more because of its more established presence and program offerings. COSC has the simplest requirements in fulfilling the degree with the least number of business credits needed. I think people go for Excelsior because they don't care too much/uninterested/ignorant about "hacking" or optimizing a degree like many of us here do. I think TESC is nice if you want a very low-cost degree through the "per credit" option, however, that low-price comes at a major intangible cost and that is convenience and ease in quickly getting credits due to the lack of prep materials for these exams (no practice exams, little/no instantcert.com prep materials, etc.), you generally have to read a boring, dry 500-1000 textbook where the testmakers make questions and answers from very specific random sentences in a specific edition of a textbook, plus they tend to have essay, and short answer questions too (generally, from what I've seen credit exams go from easiest to hardest in this pattern: CLEPS < DSST < UExcel < TECEPs ).
#7
gon2college Wrote:I do not see many guides for Excelsior. I assume Thomas Edison must be easier to test out? I have already joined Excelsior, got the transcript, etc. I am looking around and seriously thinking about going to TESC because so many plans and info already out there. The below is what I need to get after my credits have been applied. I am currently working to match these all to Aleks, SL, UExcel, CLEP, DSST, etc. I know I need 12 credits through Excelsior. I have figured out the top 60 credits by looking at all the different guides. But the rest is more confusing than it could be.

None of the Big 3 are what I would call "great" at helping you before you enroll. I would look closely at the requirements of each and probably apply at the top one or two when the time is right.

Do you have any existing credits? It would help us advise you if we knew what you already have (if anything).

TESC usually wins out, they are the most cost effective (by a little), COSC has a lot to offer and they are a great choice (I'm an Alum), EC is still great for particular degrees and avenues. Bluebooger gave you the link for EC. Here is some of the info on how COSC and TESC assign credit by exam:

http://www.charteroak.edu/Current/Academ...r-list.pdf (know that they will also accept FEMA which are free of cost as free electives)

CLEP - College-Level Exam Program
DANTES

Degree Forum Wiki link to degree forum wiki
MBA, Western Governors University February 2014
BS Charter Oak State College November 2011
AS in EMS August 2010

I'm always happy to complete the free application waiver for those applying to WGU (I get a free gift from WGU for this).  Just PM me your first/last name and a valid email so I can complete their form.

Thread; COSC AS using FEMA http://www.degreeforum.net/excelsior-tho...total.html
#8
The nice thing with Charter Oak because they are so small is that if you email the registrar - they'll typically tell you what you want to know. The important thing is more or less insisting that your questions are answered, politely of course, but insisting that you want answers before paying a $75 application fee and I think that's fine since you're the customer, and they're the salesmen trying to get your money. We've become accustomed, as a whole, to doling out money to colleges no questions asked, and colleges have gotten too comfortable that they feel like they don't need to "win us" since they get a guaranteed paycheck thanks to federal loans/US government. Nevertheless, Charter Oak is very good about answering questions, though they're similar to TESC and Excelsior by insisting you apply first, and having your credits evaluated. If you're savvy enough, you can typically work with the registrar (over the phone/email), cross-examine with the master exam list/degree forums/internet/etc to figure out a lot on your own like I did.

rebel100 Wrote:TESC usually wins out, they are the most cost effective (by a little)

Cost-wise TESC wins out through their "per credit" program, but maybe by about two grand using their "per credit" program. Holistically speaking, at least, I think anything in life that is "too good to be true" comes at a major price i.e. no free lunch. TESC lets you get a cheap degree if you're motivated and ambitious enough to take a lot more business courses/exams, and finish 8 TECEP exams (which is how TESC gets their money, which is fair), but those TECEP exams are such a tremendous turnoff due to the lack of easy prep materials and likely needing textbooks, doing short-answer/essay test questions, and not having any review material/practice exams/extremely limited student feedback unlike for DSST, CLEP, or a few UExcel exams.

COSC wins out as far as "bang for buck" goes as it's not the cheapest, not the most expensive, somewhere in the middle, with the least number of credit requirements and the simplest requirements in general. It doesn't require any fancy schmancy advanced coursework, just typically a lot of general eds, and no specific UL business elective requirements which is a big plus. The one downside is that it has two courses you have to take through them, but the good news is that they're not hard, and still cheaper than Excelsior's typical degree program or TESC's "enrolled options" program.

Excelsior wins out if you just don't care about "optimizing" degrees like we do on this forum, and just want to complete a degree without stressing out about fine-tuning and saving a few hundred to thousand bucks here and there, or looking for short-cuts for getting a degree quickly and "effortlessly." Though I think it's unjustified how expensive their courses are.

Each college and plan has pros/cons, in terms of price, cost, or convenience in the "big picture" with TESC on one end of the spectrum, COSC in the middle, and Excelsior on the other end imho.
#9
KittenMittens Wrote:Cost-wise TESC wins out through their "per credit" program, but maybe by about two grand using their "per credit" program. Holistically speaking, at least, I think anything in life that is "too good to be true" comes at a major price i.e. no free lunch. TESC lets you get a cheap degree if you're motivated and ambitious enough to take a lot more business courses/exams, and finish 8 TECEP exams (which is how TESC gets their money, which is fair), but those TECEP exams are such a tremendous turnoff due to the lack of easy prep materials and likely needing textbooks, doing short-answer/essay test questions, and not having any review material/practice exams/extremely limited student feedback unlike for DSST, CLEP, or a few UExcel exams.
I respect this position, but it simply doesn't hold true for everyone. 8 TECEP in the right field to the right test taker is nothing more than a trifle at best....and no one can say with certainty whats best for someone else. I completed my degree in 2011 with COSC but I chose to do so because COSC was willing to bend over backwards letting my establish a consortium agreement with CSU-Pueblo so that my completion was almost fully covered with PELL monies. But had I been working out of pocket the $2000 or so difference would have been a big deal (actually it was different in 2011, but I'm making a point here).

I also appreciate that you have moderated your posts a bit, positive contribution is always welcome...but no one has a lock on what's best for another...everything is relative.
MBA, Western Governors University February 2014
BS Charter Oak State College November 2011
AS in EMS August 2010

I'm always happy to complete the free application waiver for those applying to WGU (I get a free gift from WGU for this).  Just PM me your first/last name and a valid email so I can complete their form.

Thread; COSC AS using FEMA http://www.degreeforum.net/excelsior-tho...total.html
#10
rebel100 Wrote:I respect this position, but it simply doesn't hold true for everyone. 8 TECEP in the right field to the right test taker is nothing more than a trifle at best....and no one can say with certainty whats best for someone else. I completed my degree in 2011 with COSC but I chose to do so because COSC was willing to bend over backwards letting my establish a consortium agreement with CSU-Pueblo so that my completion was almost fully covered with PELL monies. But had I been working out of pocket the $2000 or so difference would have been a big deal (actually it was different in 2011, but I'm making a point here).

I also appreciate that you have moderated your posts a bit, positive contribution is always welcome...but no one has a lock on what's best for another...everything is relative.

I've always kept my posts on topic, polite, and as factual as reasonably possible - it was only when people had intentionally tried to derail any thread conversation i.e. through intentionally antagonizing me i.e. through racial, or sexist or off-hand remarks where I responded accordingly. I've always encouraged and believe in civil debate so long as the conversations are intended to be objective, and as factual as possible. I realize that may unintentionally offend some, but that's not my intended goal; Internet forums are great for the info they provide, though it's easy for flame wars, "herd mentality," and misunderstanding to arise given the setting and context. Regardless, I think rational dissent and debate is a healthy thing, because it helps keep things fresh in perspective, and help build on new ideas and new developments in any subject or field.

Anyways, I cannot say that my opinions are a one-size-fits-all, every case is unique and different for so an infinite number of reasons. I realize I do make a few assumptions for what I see as the typical student I have in mind i.e. a student who wants to obtain a degree fairly rapidly, at a relatively low cost compared to a typical 4 year private/public institution (which can cost between $50,000 – $200,000), who wants to complete a degree fairly effortlessly and without putting an exorbitant amount of time into anything. It is merely my opinion, biased of course, when I say things like TECEPs for the average student are not so popular and I typically give reasons why I believe that i.e. lack of practice materials, no practice exams, having to read a textbook and/or a Saylor Course, doing short answer/essay types of questions, etc. I think this is strongly reflected by the general dearth of adequate test prep materials for TECEPs, and the lack of discussions/threads on the instantcert subscription threads. It's not a matter of dislike for TESC or TECEP materials, its simply a dislike on the lack of adequate preparatory materials. I looked for upper level TECEPs in Business and TECEPs in general, and I found majority of them too involved, comprehensive, and involved as many/most had indicated on the forums here.

My whole inspiration comes from the guys at 123collegedegree.com or bain4weeks.com, which is how I found instantcert.com, and who discuss methods and ways in getting a degree quickly and relatively effortlessly. If that ideology doesn't suit some people, then I certainly don't have any problem with that. My philosophy is about pursuing the path of least resistance, and that which provides the greatest amount of utility in cheap and quick ways. This stems from a cynical outlook on the way college is run these days, at least in America, particularly given how outrageously expensive it has become. That said, I think TECEPs and TESC's are fine if they can fit into one's goals, though there are many people like in this recent post struggling with using textbooks for TECEPs. When I started posting here on the forums, I noticed a dearth of information about Charter Oak State College, but a lot about TESC, and it has been my goal for people to at least ponder and consider the pros/cons of each program.

On a different note, I would personally say that financial differences between the colleges i.e. a few grand here or there should not be the ultimate reason where/why someone does a degree. It matters, but in the grand scheme of things, all 3 offer a regionally accredited degree that can be had for far less than $10,000 or so, & typically around $4,000-$7,000 with some shrewd planning. That's far less than what some private college courses cost individually, or a year at a state school, or an entire A.S.'s through a community college. We have to remember that with all 3, a meticulous, savvy, and diligent student can probably save tens to upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Of course, some people may be under extremely financially limited pressure and few hundred dollars here or there can be a deal-breaker for them, but hopefully, for the average American (not taking into account non-Americans/those from poorer countries), a few grand for a bachelor's degree should hopefully not deter them from completing it even if it can take a little longer.


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