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The 'Big Three' will award you a Bachelors degree if you have (120) credits from any legitimate source i.e. accredited institution or testing program (CLEP, Dantes, FEMA etc)?
I have approximately (80) credits from accredited institutions - I have an Associates (University of Maryland) and two certificates (Maryland and St. John's in NYC
What would happen if I took around fourteen or fifteen CLEP tests, passed the tests, and then approached one or all of the 'Big Three' and asked them to award me a Bachelors degree?
Regards
Chuck
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Assuming all 80 credits are transferable to your desired program and your CLEP/DANTES exams met the requirements, they would grant you a degree after you matriculated and paid your fees.
Pretty simple, eh?
That's the overview. Much depends on which credits you have exactly, from what college, and which major you want. If you want a BS in Liberal Studies, then 120 randomly grabbed credits might work. Usually there's some sort of depth requirement even in that case, so some portion of your coursework would have to represent a declarable field of study.
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It depends on the degree that you are seeking. You will need to look into the degree requirements for each degree from each school. Which degree are you interested in?
chuckerlaw Wrote:The 'Big Three' will award you a Bachelors degree if you have (120) credits from any legitimate source i.e. accredited institution or testing program (CLEP, Dantes, FEMA etc)?
I have approximately (80) credits from accredited institutions - I have an Associates (University of Maryland) and two certificates (Maryland and St. John's in NYC
What would happen if I took around fourteen or fifteen CLEP tests, passed the tests, and then approached one or all of the 'Big Three' and asked them to award me a Bachelors degree?
Regards
Chuck
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You'll still need to make sure that you meet all of the school's requirements. Would your credits meet all of the school's general education requirements? By having an associate's degree, you've probably already met most--if not all--of these requirements. There are other considerations, as well. How many upper-level credits do you have? Schools generally have a minimum number of upper-level requirements that must be completed. Are the certificates that you earned comprised of courses taken for academic credit? If they were just professional or continuing education courses, then they may or may not be accepted for credit.
Basically, though, if you decide which school works best for you, figure out what credits you definitely need, and go for it, then you'll get your degree in no time. I wouldn't wait until you reach the 120 credit mark before applying. When you get close, though, go ahead and apply and get your evaluation. This way, you'll know exactly what credits you're still lacking, and you'll avoid pursuing unnecessary credits. Best of luck to you.
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chuckerlaw Wrote:The 'Big Three' will award you a Bachelors degree if you have (120) credits from any legitimate source i.e. accredited institution or testing program (CLEP, Dantes, FEMA etc)?
I have approximately (80) credits from accredited institutions - I have an Associates (University of Maryland) and two certificates (Maryland and St. John's in NYC
What would happen if I took around fourteen or fifteen CLEP tests, passed the tests, and then approached one or all of the 'Big Three' and asked them to award me a Bachelors degree?
Regards
Chuck >>
No. The big 3 are only unique in that they don't have a residency requirement- in every other way- they are a regular regionally accredited college.
Even if your credits are legitimate and accredited, you must meet the degree dispersion requirements. For example, if you had an associates degree in culinary arts worth 62 credits, you would only get to transfer in 27 credits toward a bachelor of arts degree because in THAT degree, the culinary credits would be counted as free electives- and in THAT degree, 27 is the max cap for free electives.
On the same note, you may need to meet requirements for credits you don't yet have- for psychology you'll need statistics, for business you'll need microeconomics, and the list goes on.
Without seeing your credits, my estimation is that all school disbursements are different, and it would unusual that you accidentally earned 120 credits in the correct areas without first checking the degree requirements.
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Along with what everyone else has posted, lets not forget that if you decide to enroll at Excelsior, you will need to also satisfy that one pesky 1 SH of Information Literacy requirement.
Just thought I throw that out there. 
[SIZE="1"][SIZE="3"][SIZE="2"]Excelsior College - DONE[/SIZE][/SIZE]
[SIZE="2"]AAS-[SIZE="1"]2009[/SIZE], BSLS-[SIZE="1"]2010[/SIZE] [/SIZE]
[COLOR="DarkRed"][B][SIZE="2"]Thomas Edison State College - DONE[/SIZE]
[SIZE="2"]BA in History[/SIZE]-[SIZE="1"]2011[/SIZE][/COLOR][/B]
[SIZE="2"]Texas A&M University Central Texas[/SIZE]
Master of Arts in History - 18/36 SH
CLEPs Passed
[SIZE="1"][SIZE="1"]Spanish, Freshman Comp, English Comp w/ Essay, Social Science & Hist, Info Sys & Comp App, Intro Sociology, Prin of Mngmt, American Gov , US History I, US History II, Western Civ I, Western Civ II[/SIZE][/SIZE]
DSSTs Passed
[SIZE="1"][SIZE="1"]Civil War & Reconstruction, Rise & Fall of Soviet Union, History of Vietnam War, Intro Modern Middle East, Western Europe Since 1945, Drug and Alcohol, Here's to Your Hlth, Intro To Comp, Prin of Sup, Technical Writing, Prin of Physical Science I[/SIZE][/SIZE]
Quote: There are no stupid questions, only stupid people. "Mr. Garrison"[/SIZE]
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I have the following:
Associates in Arts from University of Maryland.
Certificate in Spanish studies from the University of Maryland.
Certificate in Criminal Justice from St. John's University (NYC).
I'm currently studying business and accountancy here in Ireland and I would like to test for a professional accountancy qualification (CPA, CIA, CFE) in the future.
I would like to go for a business / accounting degree, however, it's irelevant which degree I have. Liberal Studies or the like would probably be the better option for me.
For example, CFE have told me that I cannot sit for their test at the moment even though I have a Certifciate in Business Accounting from the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) (UK).
I have to have a Bachelors degree! I could be an accounting wiz with a relevant college level certificate and I cannot sit their test, however, I could have a degree in philosophy and sit the test...funny.
I'm a veteran and I will get reimbursed for any CLEP I pass. All I need to adavance in my career is a professional qualification. I could go on and pass the professional exams for CIMA here in Ireland or I can get a 4 year degree and sit CIA, CFE or CPA.
I would prefer to CLEP my degree. My CIMA certificate was tested by computer and I really like this format. I love getting my results on the spot. I'm in no hurry, all my employer cares about is whether I'm moving in the right direction i.e. towards a professional qualification or equivalent (i.e. 4 year degree).
I really appreciate all your advice and any and all input is greatly appreciated.
Regards
Chuck
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