I have an "academic question"...

[tampalizard]

I know little about college rules so I will admit my stupidity but.....
If I get this Bachelors in General Business and THEN decide I want to get a Bachelors in Business Information Technology....can I just take the classes that are different, for example, the "concentration" subjects and use my core and other class credits toward that degree as well? Could I get another degree by getting..say another 40-60 credit hours?

[snazzlefrag]

I know little about college rules so I will admit my stupidity but.....
If I get this Bachelors in General Business and THEN decide I want to get a Bachelors in Business Information Technology....can I just take the classes that are different, for example, the "concentration" subjects and use my core and other class credits toward that degree as well? Could I get another degree by getting..say another 40-60 credit hours?

In general, a second degree requires 30 NEW credits beyond those credits that have previously been transcripted. Obviously, you must also meet EVERY requirement of the second degree where they differ from those of the first.

It would be unusual for a particular department within one college to award two degrees to the same person. For example, the Business School would be reluctant to award a degree in General Business and then also a degree in Business IT. It is more common to receive a degree from the Business Department, and then receive a second degree from the Liberal Arts Department (or vice versa).

I know that Excelsior has a specific rule against obtaining two degrees from the same school within the college. (School of Liberal Arts, School of Business, School of Nursing etc.)

Hope that helps,
Snazzlefrag

[siersema]

I don't have the business catalog but this is how it works in the Liberal Arts department. If you have a BS already you can get a second one if you meet the degree requirements and have 30 'new' credits beyond the first degree. I would assume you could get a General Business and an IT degree but you'll want to check with your advisor to be sure.

[anar579]

Snazzlefrag's response is, I believe, correct. From what I understand, the reason they don't grant more than one degree in the same school/college is because it's a NY state law. Arguably one could get a BS in Business and a BA in Liberal Arts, but not a BS in General Business and IT because they fall under the same school of Business.

[siersema]

In the Liberal Arts catalog it states you can get two degrees from the same school if they are different majors. So, for example, you could get a BS in Psychology, and a BS in Criminal Justice. I don't know if the same is true for the School of Business & Technology.

[anar579]

Here's an exerpt from the Business Catalog:

[INDENT]Excelsior College will award you only one degree at each level (associate and baccalaureate) in the same academic degree program. This policy is in accordance with New York State Education Department policies governing the awarding of degrees. Excelsior College does encourage you to progress to a higher degree whenever possible. You may pursue a second degree at the same level from Excelsior College, however, provided that it is in a different academic program.

If you are a graduate of another regionally accredited institution, you may also earn a second degree at Excelsior College in a different degree program. In addition, if your first degree is in liberal arts or business, you may pursue a second degree in the same program as long as you complete a different area of study (major/specialization/program) at Excelsior College.[/INDENT]

The first paragraph seems to affirm only one degree at Associate or Bachelor level per program, but the second paragraph is unclear. The second sentence in Paragraph 2 contradicts Paragraph 1; does this apply to "graduates of another regionally accredited institution"?

I'm confused now.

[sirjake]

In other words, if I understand it correctly, if you complete a degree at Excelsior in business, you can't get another degree of the same level in that "school" of the school, so to speak. So if you complete a business technology degree at Excelsior, you can't get another degree from Excelsior in business regardless of the specialty (i.e., business management).

However, if you were to receive a bachelor degree in business with a concentration in information technology at Thomas Edison State College, then wanted to get a second degree in business accounting (or whatever) at Excelsior, that'd be fine. But you couldn't get a business technology degree at TESC and Excelsior.

That's my understanding of what they're saying.

To make this specific to me:

I'm getting my degree in Liberal Studies from Thomas Edison State College. If I wanted to get more specialized or go for another degree at Excelsior, I couldn't pick liberal studies as my major at Excelsior. I'd have to pick some other area of concentration. It'd be fine to get another liberal arts degree, but it'd have to be a concentration in something else, like maybe history, or social sciences.

Make sense?

[snazzlefrag]

Here's an exerpt from the Business Catalog:

[INDENT]Excelsior College will award you only one degree at each level (associate and baccalaureate) in the same academic degree program. This policy is in accordance with New York State Education Department policies governing the awarding of degrees. Excelsior College does encourage you to progress to a higher degree whenever possible. You may pursue a second degree at the same level from Excelsior College, however, provided that it is in a different academic program.

If you are a graduate of another regionally accredited institution, you may also earn a second degree at Excelsior College in a different degree program. In addition, if your first degree is in liberal arts or business, you may pursue a second degree in the same program as long as you complete a different area of study (major/specialization/program) at Excelsior College.
[/INDENT]
The first paragraph seems to affirm only one degree at Associate or Bachelor level per program, but the second paragraph is unclear. The second sentence in Paragraph 2 contradicts Paragraph 1; does this apply to "graduates of another regionally accredited institution"?

I'm confused now.

I believe that if you earn a Liberal Arts degree of any kind at another college, you can then earn a second Liberal Arts degree at Excelsior but they cannot in the same exact subject (ie, Psychology, or History etc.).

However, Excelsior is VERY clear that THEY will not award two degrees within the same school. One Business degree and one Liberal Arts degree is fine, but not two Business degrees, or two Liberal Arts degrees.

Make sense?
Snazzlefrag

[RBOWMAN]

I believe that if you earn a Liberal Arts degree of any kind at another college, you can then earn a second Liberal Arts degree at Excelsior but they cannot in the same exact subject (ie, Psychology, or History etc.).

However, Excelsior is VERY clear that THEY will not award two degrees within the same school. One Business degree and one Liberal Arts degree is fine, but not two Business degrees, or two Liberal Arts degrees.

Make sense?
Snazzlefrag

One of the most disappointing things for me in this whole process is when I"ve spoken with the counselors at TESC I've gone away more confused than before I spoke with them. I " think" I have just two courses left but......???

[sirjake]

One of the most disappointing things for me in this whole process is when I"ve spoken with the counselors at TESC I've gone away more confused than before I spoke with them. I " think" I have just two courses left but......???

Be assertive! Tell them that you don't understand and make them take the time to explain it. You're paying for this degree, you're an enrolled student, be polite but bold and persistent. It's their job to make sure that you understand.