CMU MSA degree

[natshar]

I posted this as a comment but I thought it might be more beneficial as its own post. Mods feel free to delete if this isn't allowed. I just thought this is really good information and might be better if it had its own thread. A graduate program that takes NCCRS is a big deal.

I've always thought this could be flexible and a really good masters for someone who has a bunch of random grad credit. And it is available online.

https://www.cmich.edu/program/master-of-...nistration

"Prior learning credit for work, training and life experiences count. The MSA program is customized to fit your needs and utilize your work experiences, or professional certifications you have earned and apply them toward the degree you want - saving you time and money."

and "MSA students may use up to 12 hours of prior learning credit on their program" (note this is specifically referring to prior learning credit. ie ACE, certifications, work experience, etc. NOT RA transfer credit.) And the fact that have an entire office dedicated to getting people credit for prior learning is huge.

https://www.cmich.edu/academics/colleges...g/graduate

And even better CMU is not only on the list of NCCRS database but they are a partner school and have an NCCRS profile which is something very few schools have.

http://www.nationalccrs.org/college-univ...university

This could be the winner if someone just had a bunch of grad credit and needed a master's degree.


In Summary:

• MSA degree = 36 credits
  
• Max transfer credits = 18 credits
  
• credits to be taken at CMU = 18 credits (and they offer 7.5 online terms so this degree could be done quick)
  
• 12 out of the 18 can come from prior learning credits like work, certifications and maybe NCCRS.
  
• They appear to take NCCRS credit and they even have an online profile and an office dedicated to helping people get credit for prior experiences.
  
• Any Central Michigan Masters's degree accepts up to 50% transfer credits.
  

It would be interesting to see if someone on this forum attempted this degree. And let us know if you can get them to accept NCCRS (graduate level) credit towards the degree.

It shows which certifications could be worth graduate credit to the degree here: https://www.cmich.edu/academics/colleges...-to-credit

[freeloader]

The concentration in International Administration might be a good landing spot for credits earned in the ASU/Thunderbird certificate that is in the works.

[carrythenothing]

From your first link, the MSA degree requires 36 credits (not 30). From the catalog:

1. Earned a minimum of 36 semester hours of acceptable graduate credit (15-18 semester hours of which must be in the area of concentration).
   
2. Earned a minimum of 18 semester hours from Central Michigan University.
   

At $682/credit, 18 credits would cost $12,276 for US residents.

[natshar]

From your first link, the MSA degree requires 36 credits (not 30). From the catalog:

1. Earned a minimum of 36 semester hours of acceptable graduate credit (15-18 semester hours of which must be in the area of concentration).
   
2. Earned a minimum of 18 semester hours from Central Michigan University.
   

At $682/credit, 18 credits would cost $12,276 for US residents.

hmmmmm. So lets say someone was able to get the other 18 credits super cheap like 1k from NCCRS and certs, etc. And then the $682/credit is just the per credit price, it doesn't include the fees. You have to pay $120/credit for a portfolio assessment fee in addition to other fees. So even on the cheap it would probably be 15k for the degree. But that is before financial aid and tuition reimbursement from an employer. 15k isn't terrible for a masters degree compared to some, but there are cheaper options.

[carrythenothing]

hmmmmm. So lets say someone was able to get the other 18 credits super cheap like 1k from NCCRS and certs, etc. And then the $682/credit is just the per credit price, it doesn't include the fees. You have to pay $120/credit for a portfolio assessment fee in addition to other fees. So even on the cheap it would probably be 15k for the degree. But that is before financial aid and tuition reimbursement from an employer. 15k isn't terrible for a masters degree compared to some, but there are cheaper options.

Except they won't accept NCCRS credit recommendations for the MSA program: https://cmich.smartcatalogiq.com/2021-20...Core-M-S-A

Courses must either be recommended by ACE for graduate credit or graduate level courses taken at a regionally accredited institution.

You could still get up to 12 credits from PLA (which includes certificates) at $125 for the assessment and $115/credit (up to $1380) and at least 6 credits at the per-credit rate (minimum $4092) for $5597 + fees.

You'd still need to make sure you have equivalents to the five required classes and a concentration, so it's probably not great for a "bunch of random grad credit."

[natshar]

Courses must either be recommended by ACE for graduate credit or graduate level courses taken at a regionally accredited institution.

Yes but that is only referring to "Graduate Transfer Credit" which doesn't include NCCRS. NCCRS would fall under "prior learning credit". 

"Graduate Transfer Credit" and "Prior Learning Credit" are two different things and evaluated and categorized separately. 50% of the degree can be transfer credit. But prior learning credit is limited to 12 credits and you have it evaluated by a specific office. I do find it interesting that they lump ACE into the graduate transfer credits category.

Graduate transfer credit and prior learning credit are evaluated separately by different departments and are two different things. Prior learning credit includes credit from work experience, professional certifications and more. So NCCRS could be considered for credit evaluation. Not for sure, but it isn't ruled out yet. Also the MSA is on the NCCRS page: http://www.nationalccrs.org/college-univ...university

And I guess the transfer credit wouldn't be random but the degree is broad enough they allow for many different concentrations options.

Either way this degree isn't good as I thought. But still interesting for a masters degree to encourage students to use prior learning experiences to finish the degree quicker. 

Thanks for pointing out stuff I missed. I still think this is a unique degree option. But I don't know if it is worth it for most situations though.

[dfrecore]

I'm guessing that for many who plan out their master's degree, it's not a great option - but for someone who already has inexpensive grad credits for one reason or another (I'm thinking teacher), this might be an inexpensive way to cobble together a degree in a shorter timeframe than most traditional programs.

Lots of inexpensive options for teachers who want to get grad credits to up their pay (there's usually a bachelor's +15 pay bump, and then another bump to Master's degree. I've found lots of courses out there for $200-$500, they all come in as professional development rather than actual grad credits.