Looking at switching to Excelsior's BS in Liberal Studies...

[MailDog]

Hello everyone! I am currently enrolled in Excelsior's BS Marketing program and recently skimmed over their Liberal Arts Catalog. What hit me was the BS requirements for the Liberal Studies degree - they didn't look as rigorous to complete (vs the business programs of course) especially for someone like myself who has been out of school for a long time and been working for a while. I really want to pursue the BS Marketing degree but at the same time, I'm like some folks out there having been in the workforce for 20 years, just want a BS degree with the least path of resistance (work plus school is never fun!). As I previously posted, I need to take the College Algebra CLEP or a Pre-calculus class on top of that Statistics (ugh) for the BS Marketing degree. I'm not very knowledgeable as far as a BS Liberal Arts degree is concerned, but I'm hoping someone on the forum could please answer some of my questions that come to mind (pardon my ignorance please):

1. What kind of jobs can you find with a BS Liberal Studies degree?
2. Can you continue on and pursue an MBA with this degree?
3. Since I have some older college and Applied Pro credits, maybe I can get a BS Liberal Studies degree first, then the BS Marketing degree next (time permits)?
4. I wouldn't mind getting an un-official review for this program, but from the looks of the requirements, I may be closer to the Liberal Studies degree than to the Marketing degree for which I still need around 54 hours.

-Any insight, advice or recommendations you could provide I would highly appreciate.

Thank you kindly in advance,
Mike

[SimonTam]

Hi Mike,

I can't answer all of your questions, but I do know that...

1. You can get jobs with a BS in Liberal Studies if the job requires a bachelor's degree but is not specific in the concentration or major. The most common job that comes to mind is something like retail management. Sometimes, a person could get a job in retail management at Walgreens, Walmart, CVS, etc. with just a H.S. diploma or associates, but those usually want a bachelor's or experience to start.

2. Yes, there are MBA program that will accept a BSLS. However, if you don't have a BS in Business, you will have to take additional business courses before starting the core MBA courses.

[B2MANLEY]

I will do my best to answer your questions. These are just based upon my experience and opinion, so others may not agree.

1. What kind of jobs can you find with a BS Liberal Studies degree?
Given your dilemma, very few employers would hire someone with a Liberal Arts degree over someone with a declared major (i.e. Marketing), mainly for the reasons you have stated, it is just plain easier to get a LA degree than one in Marketing. You have to consider the value you bring with a LA degree compared to a degree with a concentrated area of study. I work in Information Technology in the banking/financial industry. We have no one that I know of with a LA degree in my area. Most are Business, Econ, Finance, Comp Sci majors. Again, this is based solely on my experience.

2. Can you continue on and pursue an MBA with this degree?
Yes, you can typically pursue an MBA with any undergradute degree. However, you can plan on it taking TWICE as long to complete the MBA program because you will have to take the business core courses that you would have already had. Typical MBA program is 60 Credit Hours, 30 of those are core business requirements. Tht being said, these core requirements are usually evaluated on a course by course basis, so just because you have a BSBA, doesn't necessarily mean you won't have to take any of those core courses.

3. Since I have some older college and Applied Pro credits, maybe I can get a BS Liberal Studies degree first, then the BS Marketing degree next (time permits)?
This is definitely a possibility. Although again, you have to aks yourself what value are you adding by getting the LA degree first if you are going to get a second degree in Marketing anyway. If this is the case, I would just buckle down and get the Marketing degree and forget the LA degree. Again, just my opinion.

4. I wouldn't mind getting an un-official review for this program, but from the looks of the requirements, I may be closer to the Liberal Studies degree than to the Marketing degree for which I still need around 54 hours.
Don't know anything about Excelsior College. I am a traditional (adult) student attending a B&M college majoring in MIS. It sounds like it may be worth looking into if you decide to go the LA degree.

-Any insight, advice or recommendations you could provide I would highly appreciate.
I would recommend that you continue pursuing the Marketing degree. I think you will have MANY more opportunities with this type of degree. Again, I don't know what field your in, or going into, but I can definitely speak for the Financial, IT, and Sales industries....that Marketing degree will get you in the door a whole lot quicker than a LA degree.

Only you can make the decision, but it soundslike you have come a long way so far. I know sometimes it seems overwhelming, but in the end you want to be happy with the decisions you've made. Whatever you decide, you will have a degree which is a great accomplishment regardless of the major.

I hope I haven't offended anyone with a LA degree. I am not saying you can't do anything with them, just in the industiries I have worked, the Marketing degree would prove more valuable than the LA degree (unless you had the LA degree and 10 years of experience).

Good Luck!!!

[Bongsau]

If you are interested in going into government intelligence (NSA, FBI, CIA, etc.) then you definitely want a Liberal Arts degree. I talked to recruiters from each agency and it was unanimous: Business degrees would be worth very little (unless your degree is specifically in economics or statistics). They almost exclusively look for Liberal Arts degrees for their programs.

Hope this helps!

[B2MANLEY]

If you are interested in going into government intelligence (NSA, FBI, CIA, etc.) then you definitely want a Liberal Arts degree. I talked to recruiters from each agency and it was unanimous: Business degrees would be worth very little (unless your degree is specifically in economics or statistics). They almost exclusively look for Liberal Arts degrees for their programs.

Hope this helps!

That's interesting. Did they say why they preferred Liberal Arts degrees? I would think they would be looking more for Criminal Justice, Sociology, Communications type degrees over Liberal Arts.

I was just wondering what there reasoning was for focusing on LA majors for these types of positions...

[tcc]

I did what you're thinking of doing. I was in the Excelsior BS in HRM program, and switched to their Liberal Arts BS in Psychology, as I couldn't deal with the math requirements, like algebra, accounting, etc. I did an Area of Focus in Administrative/Management (I really really dislike that title, as I think it lacks marketability.) This was composed of business credits, including the ones required for HRM: Human Resource Management, Organizational Behavior, and Labor Relations. A combination Psychology/Business degree has a high degree of acceptability in the business sector, especially for those who have some working experience in it. As far as the MBA is concerned, you might want to do a sample survey by calling some of the admissions counselors at schools you'd consider attending to see what they have to say about the requirements. That way, you could get a feel for what's needed and use the Area of Focus to meet those requirements.

[ShotoJuku]

Hello everyone! I am currently enrolled in Excelsior's BS Marketing program and recently skimmed over their Liberal Arts Catalog. What hit me was the BS requirements for the Liberal Studies degree - they didn't look as rigorous to complete (vs the business programs of course) especially for someone like myself who has been out of school for a long time and been working for a while. I really want to pursue the BS Marketing degree but at the same time, I'm like some folks out there having been in the workforce for 20 years, just want a BS degree with the least path of resistance (work plus school is never fun!). As I previously posted, I need to take the College Algebra CLEP or a Pre-calculus class on top of that Statistics (ugh) for the BS Marketing degree. I'm not very knowledgeable as far as a BS Liberal Arts degree is concerned, but I'm hoping someone on the forum could please answer some of my questions that come to mind (pardon my ignorance please):

1. What kind of jobs can you find with a BS Liberal Studies degree?
2. Can you continue on and pursue an MBA with this degree?
3. Since I have some older college and Applied Pro credits, maybe I can get a BS Liberal Studies degree first, then the BS Marketing degree next (time permits)?
4. I wouldn't mind getting an un-official review for this program, but from the looks of the requirements, I may be closer to the Liberal Studies degree than to the Marketing degree for which I still need around 54 hours.

-Any insight, advice or recommendations you could provide I would highly appreciate.

Thank you kindly in advance,
Mike

[SIZE="2"][COLOR="Navy"]Hey Mike -

Let me ask: Where do you WANT to go with your degree?

It sounds like you, like myself, wanted to complete a Bachelors degree (arts or sciences) and then take it from there. I opted for the B.S. in Criminal Justice because it's my current field but would have gladly worked towards a garden variety B.S. (L/S) too.

Having accomplished this goal I am now able to re-direct my goals a little. I am now enrolled in a Masters of Education program with CCU and will be going into teaching in just a few years.

A B.S. is a suitable degree, where you want to go afterwards may dictate how you fine tune it (major choice) but a B.S. (L/S) is a GREAT start too!!

Good Luck!![/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Bongsau]

That's interesting. Did they say why they preferred Liberal Arts degrees? I would think they would be looking more for Criminal Justice, Sociology, Communications type degrees over Liberal Arts.

I was just wondering what there reasoning was for focusing on LA majors for these types of positions...

I got the impression that they were trying to really diversify the knowledge base of their agencies. Liberal Arts inclue geography, economics, statistics, foreign language, psychology, and a wide range of fields. Foriegn language was one of the most important ones that they all agreed upon.

They also said that one of the biggest keys to getting in was having some real, applicable experience. It makes you stand out more than a simple degree does (nowadays, everyone has a degree, but few have experience).

[MailDog]

What inspired me to gander over this LA/LS program was BasketWeaver. I was reading over his posts about how his future degree was a tool or "key to open the door" to making more money. Like Brian mentioned, I want to complete a BS program first then re-direct from there. Is it a matter of ease, security or accomplishment? I guess you could say all of the above since I've been looked over many times (and chastisized) due to the lack of a BS degree. I guess in my case, a BS in anything indicates a sense of self-initiative and self-development that could "boost" lead to higher earnings through promotions just not merely by experience. In this modern world, we all know how important the diploma is as far as earning power goes (I wish I possesed this simple wisdom back in my college days moons ago). As far as degree content, what I have now as far as prior credits (cleps etc) to work with and spare time away from work, I have to make that choice between a degree that I really want and a degree of "least resistance". I might just as well get an un-official review and work from there. Not sure if I can get an un-official review while enrolled in another school, but we'll see. As tcc explained with his degree plan, I could add an "area of focus" as well to my LA/LA degree program.

Again, I appreciate your thoughts and recommendations. It was a most informative and interesting discussion as well. I'll let you all know how it goes!!

-Mike

[Katterina]

I did an Area of Focus in Administrative/Management (I really really dislike that title, as I think it lacks marketability.) This was composed of business credits, including the ones required for HRM: Human Resource Management, Organizational Behavior, and Labor Relations.

I'm thinking of doing the same focus area, but there isn't any info about which courses can make a focus on the EC site (and they won't talk to me about it until I'm officially enrolled). Could you please list which courses you took for that focus?

I might jump on the Liberal Studies bandwagon as well if Excelsior can't enroll me before the January 1 Psychology program changes. My stupid home university has been playing games with my transcripts and is being generally uncooperative. :mad: