Important Changes to Excelsior Business Degrees

[barcotta]

I attempted to confirm the degree title I would receive from Excelsior after being told that I would receive a "Bachelor of Science in Business," which didn't seem consistent with the announced criteria.

It turns out that they had it wrong which, in the early stages of a change, is to be expected. Here's the correction:

I apologize, I was incorrect. I just checked with our Assistant registrar and your diploma will read Bachelor of Science in General Business. There will be a gold sticker on your Diploma indicating your cum laude. The new degree title will be Bachelor of Science with a concentration in General Business. The titles are how the degrees are registered with the State Department of Education.

IACBE accreditation is not listed on the diploma. It is on our website under the School of Business and Accreditation.

That's a mouthful, huh? Turns out the choice I thought I had wasn't a choice at all, but it looks like the future is a a "Bachelor of Science with a concentration in General Business." Also, Excelsior sure isn't promoting their IACBE accreditation much--but it's there.

[Epiphany]

Hello Michael,

I agree, it's pretty typical for there to be some confusion after a name change. Not too long ago I confirmed with Excelsior that the new General Business title is "Bachelor of Science in Business". I specifically asked if that degree included the word "concentration" or "general". I received an emphatic no. The words "Concentration in General" together would look pretty dumb... so I'll avoid that degree if they do add it on there.

I don't think anyone will know for certain until someone receives the new title on a diploma...so... anyone out there who get's one of these fancy new titles... let us in on the secret.

[gus]

Very sorry to learn about the new wording, Michael, I hope you're not too disappointed.

[Epiphany]

I think "BS in General Business" is fine. It's the tortured "concentration in general" that I think is awful.

[barcotta]

Very sorry to learn about the new wording, Michael, I hope you're not too disappointed.

Not at all. The new title is a little tough--but I had already decided that if I have an opportunity to use my new degree on a resume or bio or something--I'll probably just leave off the "General"--which is what I would do if I had the new title as well. I think it's more clear and less wordy. If someone actually took the time and researched my degree title and discovered I omitted "General"--I would just fess up and say that I thought it was unnecessarily wordy and otherwise didn't mean much. The chance of both of those things happening to me are pretty close to zero. I'm just glad I got the darn thing!

[bobaloo000]

My advisor at EC informed me that the Business Program is now accredited by the IACBE (International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education). Here's a link to the Excelsior page at the IACBE web site. Pretty interesting stuff.

Check out the photo of, assumably, the EC staff. Quite a diverse group. Also, the IACBE notes two areas for future improvement:

Principle 1.0: Outcomes Assessment
Principle 4.1: Faculty Qualifications

I believe that they're looking for more feedback from graduates and, perhaps, their employers in Principle 1.0, and Principle 4.1 sounds to me like they would like to see EC employ more folks with doctorates. I assume that one way to keep costs managable is to hire qualified teachers who may not be the most credentialed available--but can still get the job done. You hardly need someone with a doctorate to teach some of the introductory courses they offer, but, I'm sure it looks better to everyone when your teachers and staff have a long list of credentials.

No formal announcement from EC yet. Maybe next month?

In any event, as I posted earlier, some program accreditation (in addition to RA) is better than none, and while the IACBE isn't the top of the heap--I'll still be glad to have it.

Does anyone know if the TESC Business Program is accredited?