Biology BS from Excelsior

[BlackLabRat]

This forum is full of soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much information. :coolgleam: I was unsure on if I should post here or bump the chemistry thread I saw in the other forum. I'm going to start off studying for the chem clep exam and start my math on ALEKS. I'm going to order the suggested material on Friday when I get paid, and every other pay day I will order additional material (physics, biology, micro, pathophys., etc). I'm sure between October and June I should have studied enough to pass the exams.

One thing I wanted to be sure of, was it suggested that I do not apply until I clep all of my classes?

[japhy4529]

If I were getting a BS in Biology, I'd choose COSC for their policy regarding the GRE exams.

Here is one way of meeting the Biology concentration requirements at COSC:



I don't see very much advantage to EC, as you can take their exams regardless of where you are enrolled. Also, their information literacy requirement is more annoying to satisfy than at COSC. EC does have cooler t-shirts though.

Warning! COSC does not offer majors in biology, only a concentration. Your major will be listed as Liberal Arts. This is an important consideration, especially if you're considering grad school down the road.

The advantage with Excelsior is that they do award majors (including one in Biology).

Best of luck!

[japhy4529]

This forum is full of soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much information. :coolgleam: I was unsure on if I should post here or bump the chemistry thread I saw in the other forum. I'm going to start off studying for the chem clep exam and start my math on ALEKS. I'm going to order the suggested material on Friday when I get paid, and every other pay day I will order additional material (physics, biology, micro, pathophys., etc). I'm sure between October and June I should have studied enough to pass the exams.

One thing I wanted to be sure of, was it suggested that I do not apply until I clep all of my classes?

Excelsior is fairly liberal in their transfer policies, but make sure to check with them first regarding the Chemistry CLEP exam. BTW, chemistry is not an actual requirement for their BS in Biology program. It's smart to take it anyway though!

[lizsilva99]

How long has it been since you completed your BS, Biology with Excelsior? How did you complete the lab courses? What are you doing now? I am thinking of doing the same thing but I'm skeptical about if an online Biology degree will be accepted when applying to teaching credential programs or masters program in the future. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you answer this post...it's been really difficult to find people that have completed the Biology program at Excelsior to get some much needed advice.
Thank you.

[Sunshine]

Hi Liz... Replied to your PM.

[kayant]

Hi. Does anyone have any advice or steps for obtaining a Bachelors of Science in Biology as cheaply as possible, perhaps through challenging exams, etc, starting as a high school grad?

Thanks

[wow]

Hi. Does anyone have any advice or steps for obtaining a Bachelors of Science in Biology as cheaply as possible, perhaps through challenging exams, etc, starting as a high school grad?

Thanks

I have been looking at this for myself, and right now it looks like the cheapest way *for me* to get a biology-related degree is from Charter Oak by getting a satisfactory score on the GRE Biology subject exam and take two upper-level biology labs, at least one additional biology course, and the capstone. This is based on https://www.charteroak.edu/catalog/curre...iology.php. Three caveats:

• This would fit the major requirements for a Bachelor of science degree with a General Studies major with Biology concentration. It is not, technically speaking, a biology major. I really don't think the difference between a major and a concentration is significant; Charter Oak actually requires *more* biology and science credits for the concentration than Excelsior does for a natural sciences major with a biology focus, and the number of credits is similar to the biology major at TESU, with the main difference being that TESU requires two semesters of organic chem and Charter Oak only recommends organic chem. HOWEVER, employers and grad schools may not agree with me.
  
• The credits from the GRE are graded as Pass/Fail on your Charter Oak transcript. If you are planning on grad studies in biology or related field, this might not look great. On the other hand, if you explain the huge amount of independent study and inititiative it took to complete a degree this way in your grad school application, it might come out in your favor. Really depends on the school and the department chairs.
  
• I already have a bachelor's degree and have met virtually all of Charter Oak's general ed requirements, so I don't need to worry about those costs. I am only considering costs for the major and no-exceptions requirements (like the Cornerstone) in my plan.
  

Finally, getting an acceptable grade on the GRE subject test is not a sure thing. You will need to study A LOT and retain most of your knowledge—2-4 semester's worth—until you take the exam. Take every biology course you can on Coursera and EdX, using the free options, and study like you are paying for them. Use flashcards (I recommend the Anki) app to retain important information once the class is over. If you love studying for and excel at taking standardized tests, you could save additional money by taking another GRE subject exam (or more) to rack up general education credits. But again—not easy if you are starting out with a high school education and no relevant work experience in the subject area.

Honestly, if I were you, I'd look at getting scholarships before trying the test-out approach. Other options are an inexpensive school like Fort Hays that offer in-state tuition to all online students. They don't have Biology major, but they have health sciences degrees. Or doing two years at a local community college (local or New Mexico Junior College online, or at Eastern Gateway Community College for free if you or one of your immediate family members is in a participating trade union) followed by two years at a state school might be your best bet. Also, you have many more opportunities than I would for undergrad scholarships. You could get a job at Starbucks and have them pay for your tuition to Arizona State University. Have a look at those.

My 2¢.

[terryd5150]

This is one of those degrees where it seems like the biggest challenge is actually finding online/distance learning courses that could apply towards the major (UL & Labs).

Cost is the second factor.

Doane University offers quite a few courses that could apply towards this major in the Chemistry, Physics, and Biology areas.

https://www.doane.edu/lp/prereqs.html?so...ETEALw_wcB

[bjcheung77]

Doane is a good option, so is Logan University. I would actually see if you can get into Logan as it's cheaper at $275/credit so, it's about $825 for a course. It's about $200 cheaper than Doane, if you don't mind a BS in Human Biology, their program is entirely online as well. You can transfer AP/CLEP and other courses in as well, check them out for a BS Human Biology degree.