People, I must vent out...

[lavagirl]

I have ongoing trouble with TESC about whether UMassLowell online courses can be applied to a TESC degree or not. One of their academic advisors insists that "courses from University of Massachusetts Lowell are considered continuing education units (CEUs) and are not transferable as degree-seeking college credit." Though when I look at the UMassLowell online courses page and open any course, it is clear that they award college credits:
Continuing Education Search Results

Two other advisors say that Umass Lowell courses will apply to the degree.

Finally I decided to write to the registrar at TESC to clear the issue. Today I got an answer from the registrar signed by ... (drummers are drumming, excitement is building...ta-da ) Andrea O. Mirsky, M.Ed. This is what she wrote, "I spoke with the Advisor who responded to you on 1/16/15 regarding these courses. These courses award CEUs rather than college credit. As such, they are not applicable to your degree at TESC.
Take care."

All that I wanted is to get a clear answer from the actual registrar, not from an academic advisor who I think is wrong in the first place.

Any suggestions on how to contact the REAL registrar?

[cookderosa]

I have ongoing trouble with TESC about whether UMassLowell online courses can be applied to a TESC degree or not. One of their academic advisors insists that "courses from University of Massachusetts Lowell are considered continuing education units (CEUs) and are not transferable as degree-seeking college credit." Though when I look at the UMassLowell online courses page and open any course, it is clear that they award college credits:
Continuing Education Search Results

Two other advisors say that Umass Lowell courses will apply to the degree.

Finally I decided to write to the registrar at TESC to clear the issue. Today I got an answer from the registrar signed by ... (drummers are drumming, excitement is building...ta-da ) Andrea O. Mirsky, M.Ed. This is what she wrote, "I spoke with the Advisor who responded to you on 1/16/15 regarding these courses. These courses award CEUs rather than college credit. As such, they are not applicable to your degree at TESC.
Take care."

All that I wanted is to get a clear answer from the actual registrar, not from an academic advisor who I think is wrong in the first place.

Any suggestions on how to contact the REAL registrar?

They look like transferable college credit to me as well. Next step- contact UMassLowell. Ask them for more information, confirm that these are not CEUs. I'd ask them if they can provide you with information documenting that fact, and then in your email back to Andrea O Mirsky, attach the letter. Politely suggest she look into this further, since you believe the advisor you spoke to on 1/16/15 was mistaken.

Just out of curiosity, what types of courses were you looking at with them?

[PaintTheSunset]

You may have trouble getting a real answer until you're enrolled, or at least applied. If your UMass Lowell transcript says they're for-credit and not just CEUs, then TESC should take them. I took distance ed courses from UCLA Extension (UCLA's online and off-campus, primarily continuing education program) that may have looked like CEUs were for-credit. Since the transcript said they were for-credit courses, TESC took them.

[cookderosa]

Something else, BE SURE TESC knows these are financial aid eligible credits. Continuing Education FAQ'S (CEUs never are)

Same link- also last FAQ at the bottom, explains these courses are either undergraduate or graduate level. (not CEU)

Edit- I forgot to say, but you can explain to them that this college ALSO has CEU classes, but these are not those.

[Yanji]

All courses on that list are clearly credit courses, so who cares what one (mistaken) advisor says? Once you finish the course(s) and send the UML transcript to TESC, the fact that it's for credit will be extremely obvious to anyone in the Registrar's Office and you will get transfer credit for it.

[sanantone]

Ew. Mirsky. I had problems with her back in 2011 when she was just a regular advisor. Why did they make her a senior program advisor? She was so unhelpful. I'm enrolled, but my messages to the registrar are always rerouted to an advisor. Have you tried calling them?

[lavagirl]

Thanks everybody for the reply.

I wrote to UMass Lowell and asked next questions:

1) If I take the online course, will I be awarded college credits or CEUs?

2) Would it be marked on the transcript as "online and continuous studies"?

This is the answer I got:
"Thank you for your interest in our online program.
90.360 is a 3-credit undergraduate course. It will appear on your
transcript with a grade. A student's transcript does not indicate if a
course was taken on campus ,online or as a blended course."

Then I wrote back to TESC academic advisor , (included the above UMass reply)
"According to this info I cannot understand why credits ( not CEUs) earned at regionally accredited university with letter grade on the transcript that does not indicate if a course was taken on campus ,online or as a blended course will be not accepted at TESC?"

I know that academic advisor is wrong. The problem is - I want to know how TESC will transcribe these courses ( I asked TESC advisor about few courses equivalencies) , will they give me upper level credits or not and will they apply to area of study in Comp Science .( I am enrolled in TESC already.)

[lavagirl]

Just out of curiosity, what types of courses were you looking at with them?

I was asking transfer course equivalency for these Umass Lowell courses and to find out if they can apply to area of study for
BA in Computer Science:

1) 90.360 Data structures

2) 90.308 Agile Software Development with Java

3) 90.305 Survey of Perl/Python/PHP

4) 90.248 Website Database Implementation

5) 90.302 JavaScript

6) 90.303 Advanced Java Programming

[Prloko]

I have ongoing trouble with TESC about whether UMassLowell online courses can be applied to a TESC degree or not. One of their academic advisors insists that "courses from University of Massachusetts Lowell are considered continuing education units (CEUs) and are not transferable as degree-seeking college credit." Though when I look at the UMassLowell online courses page and open any course, it is clear that they award college credits:
Continuing Education Search Results

Two other advisors say that Umass Lowell courses will apply to the degree.

Finally I decided to write to the registrar at TESC to clear the issue. Today I got an answer from the registrar signed by ... (drummers are drumming, excitement is building...ta-da ) Andrea O. Mirsky, M.Ed. This is what she wrote, "I spoke with the Advisor who responded to you on 1/16/15 regarding these courses. These courses award CEUs rather than college credit. As such, they are not applicable to your degree at TESC.
Take care."

All that I wanted is to get a clear answer from the actual registrar, not from an academic advisor who I think is wrong in the first place.

Any suggestions on how to contact the REAL registrar?

Do you have a transcript? Your transcript will most likely provide the answer. For example, if it states, ACCT 101....B+.....3 CEUs, than they are CEU credits that are not academic credits. If it states something like ACCT 101....B+...3 SH, or 3 Cr, than it is more likely academic credit.