Question about Excelsior graduation

[nthydro]

Once you complete your AS degree at Excelsior and apply for graduation, how long does it generally take for you to officially graduate? And how often does Excelsior graduate their students? I heard once a month but not sure.

I'm asking becuz I am currently enrolled in BS IT program at Excelsior but I'm thinking about switching to an AS in Computer Technology. From what I can tell, most if not all credits should transfer when I move on to get a BS IT. The only thing I'm concerned about is having to wait too long for Excelsior to process my graduation before I could enroll in BS IT.

I spoke with an adviser at Excelsior today and he said it would take about 2 months after completing a degree for me to officially graduate. And then I would be eligible to enroll in the BS IT program. That means I would have to wait another month or so for my official evaluation. So I'll basically have a 3 month delay in between AS and BS degrees. Which sucks cuz that means I can't take any courses during that time. I know I can still take tests when I'm not enrolled, but since BS IT has a lot of courses that I can't test out of, I plan to be taking at least 2 courses at all times.

Thanks for your help!

[bkahuna]

The degree conferral dates and deadlines for 2011 have been posted on the website.

http://www.excelsior.edu/c/document_libr...upId=78666

In my case, I finish class on Aug 8, and I was told the date the degree will be conferred is October 21.

[NAP]

As far as I know, Excelsior does confer degrees monthly.

The timeline you received from your advisor was accurate for my experience:

It was about 2 months from the time I finished the requirements for an AS until the degree was officially conferred. Then I paid to re-enroll for a BS and the new evaluation was completed within a month.

Would you be able to find out now which classes you need for the BS and start one or two while you wait?

Also, be careful with this idea (graduating with AS) because when you re-enroll for the BS you are changing your Academic Policy Date. If any changes have been made to the BS program since you enrolled originally, you will have to meet those new requirements. Be sure to talk to your advisor about all of the pros and cons of switching to the AS and re-enrolling for the BS.

[nthydro]

Thanks for the replies guys!

bkahuna: thanks for the graduation dates! I was looking for that.

NAP: I will definitely check with my Advisor about any possible issues with the Academic Policy if I switch to an AS. The reason I want to get my AS is so I can land an intern position to get some experience.

As far as classes for the BS degree, I do know which ones I'm going to have to take. But I thought that I could only take classes AFTER my official evaluation for BS IT was finished? If I could still take classes while I wait for my eval that would be great. Thanks again for the help NAP.

Oh and does anyone know if I'm able to take classes while I wait for my official evaluation? As long as I'm enrolled I should be okay?

[NAP]

You're welcome! Let us know what you find out.

I also wanted to add that I was allowed to contact my advisor with questions about planning my next degree during the entire 3 month wait to get the official paperwork through. (I guess technically I was enrolled the whole time.)

I was not enrolled when I took the Info Lit course. It was about $20 extra for 1 credit. Besides financial aid, the higher tuition, and official course approval, I am not sure why you would need to be enrolled to take any courses. What am I not considering?

I assume these are EC courses and all of your credits have already been officially evaluated for a BS IT. Be sure to talk that possibility (taking a course while you wait) over with your advisor, too.

[nthydro]

You're welcome! Let us know what you find out.

I also wanted to add that I was allowed to contact my advisor with questions about planning my next degree during the entire 3 month wait to get the official paperwork through. (I guess technically I was enrolled the whole time.)

I was not enrolled when I took the Info Lit course. It was about $20 extra for 1 credit. Besides financial aid, the higher tuition, and official course approval, I am not sure why you would need to be enrolled to take any courses. What am I not considering?

I assume these are EC courses and all of your credits have already been officially evaluated for a BS IT. Be sure to talk that possibility (taking a course while you wait) over with your advisor, too.

I spoke with an advisor and she said yes I could still take classes while I wait for my official evaluation. A different advisor I spoke to earlier said I had to wait until after my graduation paperwork was processed before I could enroll again and take classes. So with the conflicting info I'm not sure who to believe. Oh well I'll call again and get a third opinion LOL. If I have to wait in between the AS and BS then I probably won't go for the AS at all. Anyways thanks a lot for your help NAP.