Amberton has recanted...half way at least...

[daniellevine]

They are allowing their graduate certificates to be included in their degrees. The one degree that I find that it really works with is the Professional Development degree, because 30 out of 36 credits can be made up of ANY graduate course. They accept 12 transfer credits, which is what I thought I was able to transfer. They allow 9 graduate credits per term to be taken, unless you come down to only have 12 credits left. This is the case for me. Well, with them transferring 6 credits instead, all I have to do was 30 credits. I technically finished my Bachelors degree with Excelsior in October. I completed 9 credits fall semester that began in September and ended in November. That was a 10 week term. I am doing 9 more credits right now that ends in a couple of weeks. This term was an 8 week term. Then I will be taking 12 credits in March which is a 10 week term that will end May 21st. So from receiving my Bachelors in October to my Masters in May is 7 months. I initially didn't realize this until someone pointed it out to me.

My advise to anyone looking to create their own Masters degree is to go with Ambertons MA in Professional Development degree. You can INCLUDE TWO graduate certificates within the degree, being 12 credits each. Although if 12 credits are transferred then only one graduate certificate can be done. They have 2 required courses that take up 6 credits. This would give you 3 in 1 or 2 in 1. However, first make sure that the conferral date is before the date that you take any transferable graduate courses. I HIGHLY suggest to transfer the 12 graduate credits that they allow. To save you TREMENDOUSLY in time and cost. I would take courses from VESi and send them to Morningside College. They are very cheap and can be completed in 2 weeks.

Wow... THANKS for all of that information. I am finishing my B.S. at Excelsior, and I've been in close contact with Amberton. The only concern I had was your post from awhile back (I pulled it off a board search.) I am really leaning towards Amberton as an RA school that is also very, very inexpensive and gets lots of 5-star reviews online.

Are you saying it would be best to do a 2 in 1, and also transfer in the 12 credits? That is, one certificate and an MA, rather than two certificates (since then you can't transfer in the 12)? What do you mean by conferral date?

Also, what is VESi? I've been looking for cheap graduate credit for a long time now. I just googled it. Do you need to be a teacher in order to receive credit? Thanks for the help; i's really appreciated!

[taylor]

Daniel, it seems like we're on a similar course. Have you also considered AMU which has ton of majors and their tuition is reasonable as well? Also, since you live in CA have you considered some of the Cal States such as CSUDH, CSUSB, and several others, tuition may be a bit more but still not bad and it's a state program after all? Although, what seems so appealing about the Amberton MA Professional Degree is you can get 2 certicates and a Masters degree all for the price of one like Norema said. Anyway, I wish you luck which ever you choose.

[norema]

3 graduate courses a term is truly impressive. 4 graduate courses in a term is unbelievable. My original plan was to take 2 grad courses at AMU instead of the undergrad courses I'm taking now and apply it to a master degree upon graduation but I chickened out. I wish I read some of your previous threads before I made my decision. Oh well, at least I know 2 courses seem doable now but I would think 3 could make a person borderline Koo Koo, no offense. I don't even want to think what 4 classes per term is like, gives me a headache just thinking about. Thanks for the advice on the Morningside graduate credits...you obviously have done a lot of research to even know about something like this which is great. Also, do the Amberton courses require proctored exams, I thought I read that they do? And if so do I have to go to specific test sites? I'm crossing my fingers the answers are "no" and "no". Either way thank you for all this info, it kind of got my adrenaline pumping hearing someone who is finishing up a masters so swiftly and efficiently.

Well, if I worked right now, it probably would be stressful to handle. The courses that I have taken do not have proctored exams. Some courses don't have actual exams at all, just research papers. I do remember reading something about proctored exams somewhere, but I haven't had to deal with any. Which I really like as well. I know about VESi and Morningside, because I did 2 courses with them. The 2 that are being transferred actually. I started to do more classes, but thought that my other 2 courses would have transferred. However, with Amberton also requiring that the courses be transcribed by the end of your first term with them. I couldn't hurry up and do 2 more classes with VESi. Those classes are so easy and extremely affordable through Morningside.

[norema]

Wow... THANKS for all of that information. I am finishing my B.S. at Excelsior, and I've been in close contact with Amberton. The only concern I had was your post from awhile back (I pulled it off a board search.) I am really leaning towards Amberton as an RA school that is also very, very inexpensive and gets lots of 5-star reviews online.

Are you saying it would be best to do a 2 in 1, and also transfer in the 12 credits? That is, one certificate and an MA, rather than two certificates (since then you can't transfer in the 12)? What do you mean by conferral date?

Also, what is VESi? I've been looking for cheap graduate credit for a long time now. I just googled it. Do you need to be a teacher in order to receive credit? Thanks for the help; i's really appreciated!

To save money I would take some graduate courses through VESi and transfer them to Morningside. The easiest way I can explain it is that VESi to Morningside, is like Straighterline to FHSU. Since most people know about Straighterline. You don't have to a teacher to take classes at VESi, or to have them on Morningside's transcript. It is just a venue that offer courses that can be completed in 2 weeks for graduate credit if transferred to certain colleges at whatever fee the college wants to charge. Last I checked a few months ago Morningside was one of the cheapest colleges based on semester credit.

If the cost was more important I would just do 12 credits through VESi and transfer it to Morningside. Then do 12 credits of a graduate certificate, along with the mandatory 6 credit courses. Leaving 6 additional credits to take. Now one thing that concerned me was that if I decided to teach at a community college I needed 18 credits in a graduate certificate. Which is what I decided to do, it just so happened that by me doing that I would have had 6 credits within another certificate, so that is when I decided to just do the additional 2 courses to get the second certificate. Which now I can't do because they won't be offered next term. However, for the other 6 credits you could keep that in mind when it comes to the certificate you might go for. Wherever you might use it may require 18 credits for it.

Although if the quantity is what is more appealing then yes, after taking 6 credits with VESi to Morningside and transferring them. Take the 6 credit mandatory courses. Then apply two of their 12 credit graduate certificate courses into the MA of Professional Development degree. Then you'd have the Master and 2 Graduate Certificates. I'm not sure but this could possibly be done with a couple other Masters degrees as well. Depending on the graduate certificates you take.

It really would look good on paper to have 2 certificates along with my degree instead of just one, but it really would not have provided me with any additional avenues. As I mentioned before I am major in Master of Arts in Professional Development with a Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management. The second certificate was in Adult Training and Development. So the the name of the MAPD and HRM, the ATD seems to already be included within them. Therefore, I think I would get a job in that area anyway and would have saved myself $1350. That is what I mainly have to keep reminding myself to make me feel better. I thought of taking the other 2 classes after I graduate, but for $1350 and possibly no additional benefits from it. I don't want it that bad.

Conferred date is the date that is your actually graduation date from Excelsior. After you are finished with the classes that are required for the degree, you will get a completion date. Then you will have to wait for 2 months for them to go through their procedures before you are to get your conferred date.

Please make sure that the graduate courses you will transfer, have a completion date after the conferred date. Just to keep you from having the same headaches I had. Whew!!!

[peace123]

Norema,

Which VESI courses transferred to Amberton ?

[norema]

Norema,

Which VESI courses transferred to Amberton ?

I took Understand Aggression and Behavior is Language, and transferred them to Morningside first. Then I transferred the Morningside transcript to Amberton. Amberton applied them with general elective graduate credit, so they would have transferred any of VESi's courses actually.

[taylor]

Norema, I'll be calling Amberton next week just to tie up some loose ends on my own. There doesn't seem to be much downside: RA, B&M (I think), tuition is great, and no proctored exams which I prefer as well. Thank you for sharing all this great information about Amberton with us. It must be a great feeling finishing a Masters program in 7 months after finishing a BA. I personally would be doing cartwheels if I could finish in a year after I graduate from TESC. I'm really happy for you.

[norema]

Thanks, I am just trying to pass on some do's and don'ts to help others have a smoother transition to completing their degree. Now all I have to do is all this work. I'm up for it though. All I have to do is keep my eye on the prize, as they say.

[daniellevine]

I just got a crazy idea... I'm going to ask Excelsior if they will accept those VESi credits towards their MA Liberal Studies. They accept up to 15 transfer credits. That would leave you with just 18 credits; even though Excelsior is expensive (compared to our ridiculously low standards), that would mean a degree for under $8000.

[norema]

Amberton - $5400 if 12 credits are transferred, and the MA in Professional Development sounds better than the MA in Liberal Studies... I think anyway...