Rest in peace, Pierpont BOG AAS?

[Robson]

Reading the threads on this forum, and also from my own emails, it seems like Pierpont is no longer responding to new applications or requests for their BOG AAS degree, at least from members here. Perhaps they'll want to be focusing more on WV residents going forward, which is understandable given their focus.

For those of us who managed to get their AAS degrees - it was good while it lasted!

[mohelena02]

RIP.
My brother got his, and my sister-in-law is in line to receive her diploma; she got confirmation that she graduated (she paid the fee and made the application).

[tdbeyer]

Reading the threads on this forum, and also from my own emails, it seems like Pierpont is no longer responding to new applications or requests for their BOG AAS degree, at least from members here. Perhaps they'll want to be focusing more on WV residents going forward, which is understandable given their focus.

For those of us who managed to get their AAS degrees - it was good while it lasted!

Curious -- is it just the new applications to sign up for the degree or is it the graduation applications they're not responding to either? Got my ASU 1-credit transferred in about an hour ago. Thanks!

[Old Guy]

Curious -- is it just the new applications to sign up for the degree or is it the graduation applications they're not responding to either? Got my ASU 1-credit transferred in about an hour ago. Thanks!

My daughter applied in something like February and spent months having her emails ignored.  She supposedly graduated August 2 and is eagerly awaiting her diploma.  She had originally expected to graduate a few months earlier.  I suspect the program was a side job for someone but its popularity became overwhelming.  Pierpont is a little technical school in the little town of Bridgeport, West Virginia with a population of 9,000.  I suspect they could give a flying fig what people outside West Virginia or the US, to whom they owe nothing, think.  But I imagine, on faith alone, they will likely follow through the program until it ends.

[Ares]

I honestly think what killed it was:

1. The ridiculous nonsense with the 1 RA credit course and not enforcing the mandatory 12 RA credit requirement, since the 3 residency credits could be waved.
2. International students trying to obtain the BOG degree when that was never the intention of the program.
3. People with an existing degree who did not need it and were not supposed to be allowed to obtain it, lying and getting it since it was cheap thus wasting school resources and possibly preventing or delaying people who actually could benefit from it from obtaining it. These people were effectively committing fraud since the program clearly says you cannot have an existing degree to get the BOG.
4. Parents manipulating the system to get their child a degree almost right out of High School when it was clear this program was for working adults who finished some college but never obtained a degree which is why they should increase the age requirement to at least 25 years old.

Overall the A.A.S. Board of Governors degree is an excellent program that can significantly change some people's lives. I wish more states had a similar program.

[newdegree]

I honestly think what killed it was:

1. The ridiculous nonsense with the 1 RA credit course and not enforcing the mandatory 12 RA credit requirement, since the 3 residency credits could be waved.
2. International students trying to obtain the BOG degree when that was never the intention of the program.
3. People with an existing degree who did not need it and were not supposed to be allowed to obtain it, lying and getting it since it was cheap thus wasting school resources and possibly preventing or delaying people who actually could benefit from it from obtaining it. These people were effectively committing fraud since the program clearly says you cannot have an existing degree to get the BOG.
4. Parents manipulating the system to get their child a degree almost right out of High School when it was clear this program was for working adults who finished some college but never obtained a degree which is why they should increase the age requirement to at least 25 years old.

Overall the A.A.S. Board of Governors degree is an excellent program that can significantly change some people's lives. I wish more states had a similar program.

All good things must come to an end, unfortunately. Some of those reasons are very valid but at the end of the day, those who took advantage of the degree in any way they could end up the winners here. The education system has many flaws and this degree was one of them. In reality, they were the only ones allowing this to happen, ultimately leading to them removing / modifying the degree requirements.  Yes everyone was going crazy to try to get a cheap and easy associates degree by all means necessary even if they had a degree already they were using sophia and coursera credits to get a new degree which may have helped them obtain more credentials or employment in a different field. Do I think it was fair since the requirements stated you can't already obtain a degree no, but the school is the ones that have to determine or search if they got previous degrees. International students honestly have no business applying for this degree, if this degree were never spoken of or mentioned on the forums they would not be overwhelmed with applications. This is my opinion, but hey, at the end of the day, it may not be as cheap as before but it can still be achieved for those who really want a degree by completing the required residency credits. The school has to make some type of income from students to maintain a college campus and pay staff.

[bjcheung77]

Note: Oct 4th is the deadline... I would make sure to get the 1 credit RA graded (if you have this, skip this step), make sure to have all the general education requirements and then quickly get the electives completed. Apply for graduation before Oct 4 and wait, don't email them (don't spam them asking questions).

[Old Guy]

All good things must come to an end, unfortunately. Some of those reasons are very valid but at the end of the day, those who took advantage of the degree in any way they could end up the winners here. The education system has many flaws and this degree was one of them. In reality, they were the only ones allowing this to happen, ultimately leading to them removing / modifying the degree requirements.  Yes everyone was going crazy to try to get a cheap and easy associates degree by all means necessary even if they had a degree already they were using sophia and coursera credits to get a new degree which may have helped them obtain more credentials or employment in a different field. Do I think it was fair since the requirements stated you can't already obtain a degree no, but the school is the ones that have to determine or search if they got previous degrees. International students honestly have no business applying for this degree, if this degree were never spoken of or mentioned on the forums they would not be overwhelmed with applications. This is my opinion, but hey, at the end of the day, it may not be as cheap as before but it can still be achieved for those who really want a degree by completing the required residency credits. The school has to make some type of income from students to maintain a college campus and pay staff.

15 or 20 years ago there were 3 schools where one could obtain not only an associates with all alternate credit but a bachelors as well.  These were Excelsior, Charter Oak, and Thomas Edison.  They succumbed to greed and all added two or three overpriced required courses with Charter Oak and Thomas Edison eventually limiting alternate credit.  There is obviously a huge demand for such degrees.  Even if Pierpont added an online compulsory course such as West Virginia Government or West Virginia History and still charged a graduation fee of $350 they would still have a huge audience.

[DThomas]

Reading the threads on this forum, and also from my own emails, it seems like Pierpont is no longer responding to new applications or requests for their BOG AAS degree, at least from members here. Perhaps they'll want to be focusing more on WV residents going forward, which is understandable given their focus.

For those of us who managed to get their AAS degrees - it was good while it lasted!

Curious -- is it just the new applications to sign up for the degree or is it the graduation applications they're not responding to either? Got my ASU 1-credit transferred in about an hour ago. Thanks!

Did you have to pay the $400 fee for ASU? what was the process? Meanwhile I'm still waiting for the writing project to be completed.

[Old Guy]

Did you have to pay the $400 fee for ASU? what was the process? Meanwhile I'm still waiting for the writing project to be completed.

Most of the courses say $25 + 400

One of them says $25 + 0

The one with zero is the one you want.  Note that there a few course with the same number but a slightly different description.