Life Goal

[jjCLEPINSTA]

Title: Life Goal

I'm just gonna come out and say it.

I want 10 degrees.

I currently have 170 units/credits and that has gotten me 5 degrees so far. There is a stroke of the ego when someone asks me what my degree is in, and I can hold up one of my hands and start listing them off. I was going to get three more at one of my old colleges, but I moved out of the country.

Anyways, I found this community trying to figure out how best to quickly finish prereq's for a MBA. I took two cleps a week ago. I passed both, thanks to instacert. I am waiting to take my next test, which might be some time. But that is neither here nor there.

I was checking out TESC and excelsior and the wiki for testing out of degrees. I saw some very nice degree plan examples.

Anyways. I took a look at the requirements for some TESC degrees and my transcripts. If my calculations are correct, I just need to take the capstone and I can have three more BA's (social sciences, lib studies, humanities). Along the way, I can snag a Gen. Studies AA for free and an AAS ES&ST with some FEMA's (also needs capstone now?).

OK, enough gloating, I have some questions.

1. Will TESC let me do this? Transfer all my classes in, and just take the capstone once, and suddenly have 3 new RA BA's?

2. What are the capstone classes like? I assume they are online classes.

3. I don't understand the costs. The cost calculator says 4k, which is a fair price for what I want. But I don't understand the annual enrollment fee. Is that due at the beginning of the year, or end of the year?

If it is of any help, I can attach an edited copy of my transcript, or copy paste.

[Yanji]

First of all, you cannot get both a BA w/major (including general majors like Social Sciences or Humanities) and a Liberal Studies degree. The point of a Liberal Studies degree is just to get you a degree in the "easiest" way possible with transfer credit, not something to paper your walls with.

My suggestion? Unless the extra degree will help you (and a BALS won't help you at all if you already have a BA in anything), go out and get a Masters degree from a well-regarded distance programme or your local B&M and then use that to stroke your ego. I'd be much more impressed with someone with a part-time MBA from Northwestern or online MBA from Indiana or UNC than someone with 10 redundant degrees. (especially because those 10 include AA/AS degrees) TESC and EC (and even ESC) are a means to an end; if the end is the most flexible route to a degree from a legitimate institution, they fit the bill, but if the end is papering your wall with redundant degrees, they were not founded for that reason and I don't think they will take kindly to such a farcical suggestion. TESC and EC do not exist to give you "free" degrees.

AFAIK, TESC does not grant third undergraduate degrees in any case.

[jjCLEPINSTA]

Perhaps you missed it, but I am indeed working towards a MBA. I am currently getting the prereq's out of the way. But along the way, if I can rack up more degrees, why not? I know Bricabrac has gotten multiple degrees, by using a similiar method, though they were different schools (social science, gen. man., Admin. studies, and es&st).


You have an interesting opinion, but I don't agree with it. If I have done the work, then I should get the paper. A person working towards an astronomy degree so they can work for NASA is no different than a person working towards an astronomy degree so they can create their own space cult. Both did the work, both get the degree.

Anyways, if TESC won't do it, no skin off my nose. I can still get more degrees just finishing up the prereqs for a MBA.

I would like to hear more opinions (but mostly facts) regarding my "farcical suggestion."

[Jonathan Whatley]

On subsequent degrees from TESC, at the same level as a candidate previously earned a degree in any subject from any regionally accredited school:

Second Associate Degree

Students who have received one associate degree at Thomas Edison State College or another regionally accredited institution and wish to earn a second associate degree must:

• Complete a minimum of 12 additional credits in the option for a second associate degree beyond the date the most recent degree was completed.
• Students must complete all requirements for the degree as listed in the current Thomas Edison State College Catalog. […]

Second Bachelor’s Degree

Students who have received one bachelor’s degree at Thomas Edison State College or another regionally accredited institution and wish to earn a second bachelor’s degree must:

• Complete a minimum of 24 additional credits in the area of study/core for a second bachelor’s degree beyond the date the most recent degree was completed
• Students must complete all requirements for the degree as listed in the current Thomas Edison State College Catalog.

The College will not award a third associate or bachelor’s degree.

Award of Degrees, page within the Undergraduate Academic Policies, Thomas Edison State College

[Jonathan Whatley]

Second Baccalaureate Candidates, Charter Oak State College
(Charter Oak's associate degrees are in General Studies with no further concentration, major, or identified subject area focus.)
Second Degree: Statement of Policy, Excelsior College
Third Degree: Statement of Policy, Excelsior College

[Jonathan Whatley]

A cautionary tale that's been noted around these boards:

Aric W. Hall: Resume: Education
"I have more degrees than a thermometer. So, why can’t I get a job offer that exceeds $20,000 ???"

As of his posting Mr. Hall appeared to have 14 associate's degrees, 3 bachelor's degrees, and an MBA, both a Ph.D. and some more associate's in progress, and certificates at graduate, undergraduate, and continuing education levels.

[sanantone]

Why would you want a liberal studies BA and a general studies AA? Those are completely useless once you have a more focused degree.

[jjCLEPINSTA]

Because I can. Simple as that.

It's like playing Pacman. Some players eat the big pellet so they can bypass the ghosts to eat the rest of the small pellets quickly. Others wait patiently for all four ghosts to get close so they can maximize their score and eat them. Ultimately, both players will run out of lives, and the game will end. But both will have gotten different achievements. The first got through more levels, while the second got more points.

Thanks, Whatley, your factual information was most helpful. I will be looking for the same type of information at my old schools. That's what this place is about right? Finding the school that will satisfy your goals?

[sanantone]

A cautionary tale that's been noted around these boards:

Aric W. Hall: Resume: Education
"I have more degrees than a thermometer. So, why can’t I get a job offer that exceeds $20,000 ???"

As of his posting Mr. Hall appeared to have 14 associate's degrees, 3 bachelor's degrees, and an MBA, both a Ph.D. and some more associate's in progress, and certificates at graduate, undergraduate, and continuing education levels.

I just looked at this. To be honest, I think the guy should remove all of the Capella degrees and certificates off of his resume. He studied several useless subjects such as leadership and general studies. Most of his degrees are too similar. He has several degrees with various concentrations in criminal justice and various business-related majors. It makes no sense why he did this. It seems as if he has some kind of mental disorder and that would be apparent just by looking at his resume. Why in the heck did he get two AAS degrees in CJ with an option in LE? I hope that's an old picture from the 80s or early 90s because the haircut has to go too.

[Yanji]

Why would you want a liberal studies BA and a general studies AA? Those are completely useless once you have a more focused degree.

Thank you for actually bringing sense back into the discussion.

A cautionary tale that's been noted around these boards:

Aric W. Hall: Resume: Education
"I have more degrees than a thermometer. So, why can’t I get a job offer that exceeds $20,000 ???"

As of his posting Mr. Hall appeared to have 14 associate's degrees, 3 bachelor's degrees, and an MBA, both a Ph.D. and some more associate's in progress, and certificates at graduate, undergraduate, and continuing education levels.

While never formally a CAP member myself (not a US citizen), I am a pilot and closely associated with many who are involved with the CAP and Aric Hall is a well-known crackpot who has unsuccessfully sued the CAP on numerous occasions in Texas. By all means, click around his website and even go here: Aric W Hall  -  Law Offices of Aric W Hall  -  -  - , but don't take any of it seriously. This guy is just a conspiracy theory generating machine.