Advice on exam based IT/IS degree

[Back2School]

I'm currently signed up to attend (online) Walden University for a BS in Business Administration with concentration in IS. I have a full time position now as Director of Information systems so I'm looking for a degree that is more managment oriented. So far I like them a lot, particularly compared to how i've been treated by AIU and Devry. Another reason I picked them is they offer all the way to PhD level within their university.

Anyways, Walden is a degree completion university which means I need several general studies that I plan to clep. As part of that process I've been 'turned on' to Excelsior, Thomas Edison, Oakwood (I think) that let you get most or all the degree through exam.

Now to my question... I'm considering now going for an IT degree (possibly managment information systems) from one of these 'clep' universities. Can anyone give me some advice on which one of these colleges would be best for IT type degrees? Would I be able to take tests that cover the entire degree program or would their be classes I would have to take to complete. I realize there are a lot of variables. I'm just looking for some overall opinions.

Thanks in advance.

[libartsmgr]

Back2school, first, just a clarification - there is no such thing as a 'clep' school. Pepperdine accepts clep credit, Sara Lawrence accepts clep credit - just to name a couple. The schools you mention are simply geared toward people like you (and me) and allow you to accumulate credit in a number of ways. Being that you're in IT, I'm sure you can appreciate the amount of self-teaching involved in becoming successful. These schools reward that effort along with effort spent in more "traditional" learning situations.

Having said that, if you're tring to decide which school will best suit your needs for a degree with a concentration in MIS, that's really your choice. Like with anything else, you'll have to weigh the pros and cons of each school and decide which is best for you in your situation.

Since that I'm enrolled in Excelsior, I believe it to be a good school. I was originally an MIS major but I changed it to Liberal Arts. All of my technical certifications earned me credit toward my degree (I am also an IT professional) and I am able to expand my learning into other areas that interest me. Therefore, I would recommend Excelsior. That is certainly not to say that other schools are not as good, they are. It's just a matter of personal choice.

[siersema]

As an Excelsior student, I too would recommend them. In regards to your question the three schools in question would be; Excelsior, Charter Oak State College, and Thomas Edison State College.

I can only speak for Excelsior (and even the only to a point), so here goes. Your broad choices for an IT related degree at Excelsior are BS in CIS (not sure if they still allow new students in this program), BS in IT, BS in MIS, and BS in Liberal Studies with a focus in Computer Information Sciences. (Also BA’s for much of above if you prefer)

Like libartsmgr I too started in another program (BS IT) and moved to a Liberal Arts program. I’m currently working on, and nearly finished with, a BS in Liberal Studies with a focus on Computer Information Sciences & Psychology. I moved for a few reasons; Faster completion time, lower costs, the ability to test out of the rest of my degree, and the ability to focus in multiple areas. I’m now looking into a few MS programs in IT, IT Management, or related field.

All of the Excelsior programs now require that you take a 1 credit Information Literacy course. This course is nothing more than a few exams online (and very easy to boot), so if you want to consider it a ‘course’ or an exam that's up to you.

As for testing out of the rest of the programs:

At one time you could with the BS CIS (I think they may have replaced this program with BS IT, so I don't know if it's open to new students). I don’t know for sure with the BS MIS (BMI), however from the catalog it looks like it might be doable. The BS IT can’t be tested out of (one of the reasons I transferred programs) on top of some interesting course requirements that exams don’t yet exist for the BS IT also requires a project at the end of the course. As for the BSLS with a CIS focus you shouldn’t have a problem testing out of everything (plus the Info Literacy course above). Excelsior seems to have a larger focus on IT than COSC or TESC, but that may just be my perception. Hopefully someone from one of those schools can relay some info on their IT programs. I’d recommend you contact Excelsior, and the other schools, with this question and see what they say.