Oklahoma Christian University AssocSci

[SkMama]

Homeschooling mother of 9. My oldest son is going into grade 12 (and we are in Canada, so we don't use words like "senior") and he is a good test taker.

Originally, I had looked at Charter Oaks quite extensively, but now they have changed their requirements to include a dumb DIE class which you cannot test out of. (They also took away the US History requirement, so I'm assuming this is a replacement for that?)

Anyway, it was recommended to me to look into TEL Learning. And then I found Oklahoma Christian University.

(Side tangent--TEL Learning lists Salem University as a partner, but when I contacted SalemU directly, I was told they had suspended that relationship.)

Then through OCU, high school students can take classes at $245/class (not credit). So that's not a bad deal as far as these things go.

I talked to an advisor there and she said a few interesting things regarding the AS degree:

1. There is no limit on CLEP exams although they don't seem to allow all CLEPs (their list includes 15).
2. There is a 4 class transfer limit from other universities etc
3. You have to take 2 Christian content courses (which is much better--and cheaper--than the DIE class at COSC IMO)--even if you have to take them from OCU.

Does anyone have any experience with this university? The advisor said that they had a class of 60 high school seniors finishing up their AS degree in May 2023 (at convocation).

So the plan my son and I talked about is:
1. Take 4 classes at the university in our city (University of Regina for the Cdns on the forum)--they also offer free classes to high school students to lure them in (he has 1 completed)
2. Take 14 CLEP exams (he has 5 completed)
3. Take 2 Christian classes from OCU

Any thoughts?

[Jonathan Whatley]

"Requirements for Graduation with an Associate Degree" on p. 23 of the Oklahoma Christian University catalog states "You must complete at least 15 semester hours at OC."

This is OC's instance of what's generally called a "residency requirement." It doesn't mean physical residency, but it means credit that must be completed through the institution itself. Almost all degree-granting schools in the U.S. and Canada have a residency requirement of at least about 15 semester hours for an associate's, 30 for a bachelor's. The main exceptions are the Big Three (which in this respect still includes Charter Oak), and the Bachelor of General Studies program from Athabasca University in Canada, which you might also look at.

---

For the Oklahoma Christian University AS, there are also the specific course requirements on p. 30 of the catalog. He would need English Composition I and II; they only allow CLEPing Composition I if you take the Modular exam at the OC CLEP testing site itself, where the essay portion can be scored by OC faculty. He would need a lab science course. He would need Oral Communication.

[dfrecore]

Then through OCU, high school students can take classes at $245/class (not credit). So that's not a bad deal as far as these things go.

I talked to an advisor there and she said a few interesting things regarding the AS degree:

1. There is no limit on CLEP exams although they don't seem to allow all CLEPs (their list includes 15).
2. There is a 4 class transfer limit from other universities etc
3. You have to take 2 Christian content courses (which is much better--and cheaper--than the DIE class at COSC IMO)--even if you have to take them from OCU.

So the plan my son and I talked about is:
1. Take 4 classes at the university in our city (University of Regina for the Cdns on the forum)--they also offer free classes to high school students to lure them in (he has 1 completed)
2. Take 14 CLEP exams (he has 5 completed)
3. Take 2 Christian classes from OCU

Any thoughts?

From OCU, I'd take your 2 Christian classes plus something fairly easy for Fall and 2 other classes in the Spring.  And I'd do the free DE at your local university as well - maybe 1 class in the Fall and 2 in the Spring.  4 classes each term is a decent sized load for a high schooler.

This will get you your 15cr of residency from OCU, plus 9cr from RU, and then plan on doing the rest via CLEP.

You will have to plan it all out really well, because if he does not complete these courses through OCU by the end of the spring term, he's out of luck - their prices go up to $900/cr! Yikes.  The good news is they have a decent amount of online courses available, with some different time-frames (like 2 8-week terms in the fall that look to finish up before Thanksgiving, 2 Winter mini-mesters - short and shorter, and then whatever spring looks like).  So he definitely has the option to get this done for pretty cheap if he can do it.

I would create a spreadsheet showing what he needs to complete, and what the CLEP exams and course he's already taken fulfill, and then plan out the remaining really well.  OCU should be your first priority, with the free DE as 2nd priority.  CLEP should be 3rd, because those aren't on a deadline.

Good luck!

[bjcheung77]

Basically, for the time being, I would just continue with the dual enrollment with U of Regina/OCU and do the CLEP's you're looking, the two option combo is best for now... Essentially, the CLEP can wait as it's just preparing for the exams and you're using the exams for credit, you need to actually work harder with the U of R/OCU classes as those are graded.