What would you do???

[bmills072200]

Okay, so I am getting down to the end of the road for my business degree from Excelsior.

Here is what I have left to take in the order that I intend to take them:

Finance - DSST
Money and Banking - DSST
Management Information Systems - DSST
Ethics - ECE
Organizational Behavior - ECE
Maybe one other elective - WHATEVER...

I also need to take 3 actual classes:

Business Policy - must take at EC
Managerial Accounting
Operations Management
Plus the Information literacy requirement which I have no idea how much that will cost

So you are probably saying, SO WHAT...

Here's the deal...I have a $5000 tuition reimbursement plan from my employer, Wachovia, for every calendar year. I have already spent $1300 of it from a class that I took at Strayer at the begginning of the year (that was before I saw the light and learned about testing).
That leaves me with $3700. The catch to this whole thing is that I am currently petitioning my employer to also reimburse me for for exams that I have received credit for. There is a good chance that this may happen, but I do not know for sure yet (cross your fingers for that one).

If they do pay me for all of the exams that I have takens and the 5-6 more that I will be taking, that will add up to right around $1700. That would bring my total spent up to $3000 leaving $2000 for the 3 classes that I need to take.

I know that the Business Policy class through EC is going to be around $1000 with books, so that brings me to $1000 for 2 classes, Operations Management and Managerial Accounting. If I take them both at EC, I will be over the amount...at the same time I do not want to take them from a random college that will make me jump through a bunch of hoops...

What do you guys think??? any suggestions???

It would be really cool to get my BS degree in less than a year and not have to pay a dime other than my entrance and graduation fees...

thanks in advance

[barcotta]

I know that the Business Policy class through EC is going to be around $1000 with books, so that brings me to $1000 for 2 classes, Operations Management and Managerial Accounting. If I take them both at EC, I will be over the amount...at the same time I do not want to take them from a random college that will make me jump through a bunch of hoops...

What do you guys think??? any suggestions???

It would be really cool to get my BS degree in less than a year and not have to pay a dime other than my entrance and graduation fees...

thanks in advance

Ops Mgmt = Colorado State University-Pueblo. No hoops and no proctored exams. Under $500, including book (used). I finished in under two months and I took several weeks off. I finished the last two of the four "exams" in one marathon 5 hr. session. I don't have my grade yet--but it could not have been easier to register for the class and take it. If you have a little Excel knowledge, you will do fine.

Managerial Accounting = Accounting II at a community college. For me it was $100 + book for an on-line/hybrid 5 unit course. It was tough but easily within budget. Even if you have to pay $60 per unit--you'll still be well within budget. I bet even Penn Foster has something for that.

If you haven't already, check out the threads for Operations Management at CSU-Pueblo and I believe there's a general Penn Foster thread or two out there as well.

[bmills072200]

awesome info - thanks

[gcalvin]

I took the TECEP exam for Operations Management. The CSUP course looks like a great way to go, though. The TECEP exam was $450 and did not include any study materials. It was one of the more challenging exams I took, and waiting for the results was a bit nerve-wracking.

For Managerial Accounting, I recommend Penn Foster. Make sure you get it approved by your Excelsior advisor ahead of time, but it is ACE-approved. The course is about $180 including study materials and proctor fees. You will have to find a proctor to administer your exam -- anybody with a college degree who is not related to you can serve. There are lots of chapter exercises, four open-book on-line graded exams (you take the exam in your workbook, and then enter the answers in a web form) and then the final proctored exam. The final is also open-book, but the time limit is tight, so you do need to be well prepared going in. Still, you should have no problem completing the course and exam in a month or two. Even if you get perfect scores in the four on-line exams, you still need at least 70% on the final to pass the course, so you really do need to learn the material. But the study materials are pretty good quality, and you really will learn Managerial Accounting if you take the course seriously.

-Gary-

[mlwilliamsiv]

I would take the Managerial Accounting course at your local community college. Most community colleges these days offer online classes which are more conducive to some peoples schedules. I don't see the point of spending additional monies to take a course when you don't have to. In my opinion...a Managerial Accounting course taken at a community college is just as good as a Managerial Accounting course at any Ivy League School. Calculus is Calculus and Accounting is Accounting and et cetera.

I also would look into the Information Literacy course offered at your local community college or Penn Foster College. I am pretty sure that it is an ACE approved course so Excelsior should accept it. Just be sure to double check.

I am amazed these days since I've found out about "testing out" of college how ignorant (not knowing) people are about the whole college process. That is why I go out of my way not to disclose the path that I chose to take. Every time that I mentioned that I was going to be taking online classes, and testing out of the vast majority of my classes, people automatically assume the negative. "Are you sure that college is accredited?" "You can't get a degree without attending actual classes." "You can't earn a degree in less than 4 years." People are just going to be people I guess. I just always found it funny how quickly people are to respond to something when they know nothing about the subject matter. They don't even bother to do the research before they talk crap like that. It really gets under my skin sometimes.

Okay...I'm done venting now. Well one more....even my stepfather was commenting about the accreditation with TESC. "Well...you know it's only 2 actual accreditation bodies." I just found it funny that before he spoke, he should have checked out TESC's accreditation and had he done that, he would have found out that TESC is accredited by the same body "Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)...who just happen to be the very same commission as the institution where he himself received his Masters degree......Bowie State University!!!

I have a friend who owes close to $100,000 in student loan debt. She has a Masters in Psychology and received her Bachelors from Howard. There is know way I will go down like that!!! I will CLEP/DANTES/TECEP/& ECE till my heart is content before I spend that kind of money...which is highly unnecessary. Like I always say...it's two places that you should never sleep on. The first is your local community college and the second is your public library. I can't even remember the last time I rented a movie from Blockbuster because I get movies (for free) from the public library. Take advantage of free resources when you can.

The economy is going down the tube. And I doubt that we have millionaires on this forum so save as much money as you can. Even if you are "well off" why spend more money on a course than you have to. That money that you save going the "untraditional route" can be applied to do other things. Like a vacation after all that studying! Just something to keep in mind.

These colleges these days are all about money. And they have so many people disillusioned that I get sick to my stomach. It doesn't make sense for you to have to pay say $290+ per credit hour for a Managerial Accounting course when you can take the same course {at my local it's $45 per credit hour}at your local community college for $45 per credit hour. It doesn't make sense. I am not paying extra money so the board of directors or professors can drive Ferrari's!!!! I need an education. And one that is economically feasible.

Sorry about the rant!!!! (Breathe!!!) Good luck BMills and I hope this info helps you some.

From a loyal degree seeker,

Marshall

[jwells]

LSU Independent and Distance Learning

Can't go wrong with distance courses offered by LSU. $77 per credit hour, self-paced, great school. Check it out..

[Inwe]

Do you have to take the ECE version of Organizational Behavior or can you take the DSST? If you could take the DSST version that would save you a few dollars.

Side Note: I completely agree with mlwilliamsiv. I also avoid talking about how I am getting my degree. If I do explain how it works to someone I point out that it is essentially like just taking the final exam for the class. You are proving that you know everything (more most of the time) that a college student who has succesfully completed that class would know. It is amazing how ignorant people are....they just don't believe it possible that you can test out of a degree. Maybe, people have learned to be skeptical because of the presence of so many diploma mills and scam operations, but they should get their facts straight! Well I know that I am getting a much better deal than most college students. I will graduate with a degree just as valuable in less than half the time and much cheaper.

[bmills072200]

I am taking Organizational Behavior as an ECE exam to satisfy upper-level credits for business...