Advice on Excelsior BS Degree

[mack72]

I just received my evaluation back from EC for a BS in Liberal Studies and I need 15 upper level credits of Arts and Sciences in my General ED component and 29 credits of Applied Professional/Free Electives Component, which 6 credits must be upper level and the Information Literacy requirement. Plus the capstone. Besides the capstone, is it possible to test out to meet these requirements? I'm just beginning the process, so I'd like to get some feedback and guidance. Thanks.

[NAP]

Yes, it should be possible for you to use exams for the rest of your credits, except for the capstone course. Just be careful to not be duplicating any of the credits you already have.

Be sure to download the Student Guide to Credit by Exam to see all of your options: https://www.excelsior.edu/469

Here are the UL choices using mostly DSSTs -
The most inexpensive way I know of to get 30 UL credits for a BS is going to be (by enrolling after July 1, 2010):

6 out of 7 DSST exams in Arts & Sciences – 18 UL –
Civil War
Soviet Union
Money & Banking
Business Ethics & Society
Criminal Justice*/**
Ethics in America*
World Religion*/**

1 ALEKS Stats – 3 UL - if wanted instead of 1 DSST from above

1 Capstone course at EC – 3 UL - required, double-check that it will be Arts & Science and not Applied Professional

3 out of 5 DSST exams in Applied Professional – 9 UL – at most or more from above
Management Information Systems
Principles of Finance
Substance Abuse
Business Law II
Here’s to Your Health*

There are now some lower-priced ECE's too. You'll need to check on which ones are still UL. Shortened Exams - excelsior.edu

* These 4 were recently added to UL options and are not listed as such in the Student Guide dated 2010: http://www.degreeforum.net/excelsior-tho...units.html

** I have not rechecked with an advisor about whether these 2 are still considered Arts & Sciences.

Please let us know, if you have more questions about creating your plan to finish your degree.

[mack72]

Wow, thanks so much for the feedback! Has it been your experience that the practice exams are close to the regular exams? Just not sure how vital the practice exams will be. Thanks again!

[NAP]

You're welcome!

Practice tests are my favorite part of this learning process. One of the reasons I prefer CLEPs over DSSTs is because there is better availability of practice exams. The official practice test is the best indicator of when I am ready for the exam. Generally, Peterson's tend to be harder and REA tend to be easier, but there are exceptions to this, which you will learn about as you research the individual subjects on this forum.