Roadmap for New Excelsior College Students

[kevinmanemane]

hey thanx a lot for the in depth answer.

[NAP]

hey thanx a lot for the in depth answer.

You're welcome! I'm glad to see that it helped and you have already gotten started taking exams successfully. Congratulations; that's great!

[BurnieGirl]

Hi All-

If you are taking College Math, I would highly recommend taking it right after or right before College Algebra. If you need Money and Banking, I would take it right after Macro and Micro (taken in that order). I took Intro to Business AFTER the business courses because it made it very easy to just go over InstantCert. The only reason I saved ECE Organizational Behavior for last was to see what grade I needed for my GPA; however, a good time to take OB would be right after or right before taking the DSST or ECE Human Resources Management exam. The ECE Information Literacy exam can be taken at any time and does provide some valuable information.

THANK YOU!!!cheersmate

[rashaun35]

How relevant is this roadmap for 2011 students looking to enroll (from scratch) @ EC?

[NAP]

How relevant is this roadmap for 2011 students looking to enroll (from scratch) @ EC?

The website and many policies/programs have changed over the last few years.

To get the most up-to-date information, download the latest Catalog (of your degree of interest) and the Student Guide to Credit by Exam. Both are in the "Downloadable Documents" link at the bottom of most EC pages and then choose "Catalog".

Also, get an updated chart with the degree requirements by clicking the "Programs" tab at the top of the EC pages. Then choose the degree, then download the "Requirements" at the bottom of the next page.


Note: As of the date of this post, we are waiting for an updated version of the Liberal Arts catalog to be available.

[pine14]

I am presently enrolled for this exam and would like to know how helpful is this forum?

[Tasman]

Welcome to the board. It would be easier if you posted in the correct forum.

It's easy to do a 'search'. I'm sure your questions will be answered as they have been asked many times. Good luck

[Zelenn]

Hello all,

I've joined this forum to ask this one very important question. How do I create a doable roadmap for a BS in LS from Excelsior from scratch? I've been all over these forums, used the search feature, downloaded Excelsior's catalogue and BSLS guide, and I'm having trouble figuring out which CLEP, DSST, and ECE exams will satisfy the degree requirements. Yes, I'm aware that the catalouge has a section at the end that specifically lists exams that cover requirements. Included, I have attatched a somewhat rough starting guide to my Gen Ed exams, and I would have included the two pdf docs I'm using, but the file size is too large. Planning the Gen Ed seems simple enough; where I get tripped up is in planning the Upper Level Courses. Based on the info I have obtained it would seem that my choices are quite limited for upper level choices when it comes to Humanities and Natural Science/ Mathematics. I also am not sure what will count for this 'capstone' requirement.

Are there other exams that I'm not aware of that can be used to satisfy these requirements? Better yet, can anyone list a hypothetical roadmap that would end with a BSLS and explain how the plan works? Or can someone provide a link to where this question has already been answered?

Sorry for the long post, thanks for you time guys.

[irnbru]

Hi Zelenn,

Good effort on making a start with your degree plan. As NAP stated, EC's requirements have changed quite a bit since this thread first started. There are some key requirements which will affect newer students. In particular is this news extract outlining upcoming general requirements:

General Education requirements will be changing for those enrolling on or after October 1, 2011.

Distribution requirements for general education ensure that all students develop basic competence (at least 100-level courses/examinations) in the areas of arts and sciences (humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and mathematics), as well as specific abilities in written English and information literacy.
Minimum Requirements

The minimum requirements for meeting the general education requirements will remain at the 100-level. Since this is a minimum requirement, appropriate advanced-level courses and examinations at the 200-level or higher may be substituted for 100-level courses.

A student enrolled in an associate degree program must earn at least 22 credit hours in the arts and sciences and information literacy to meet the College general education distribution requirements, including:

6 credits in the humanities
6 credits in social sciences and/or history
6 credits in natural sciences and/or mathematics
3 credits in written English
1 credit in information literacy

A student enrolled in a bachelor degree program must earn at least 34 credit hours in the arts and sciences and information literacy to meet the College general education distribution requirements, including:

9 credits in the humanities
9 credits in social sciences and/or history
9 credits in natural sciences and/or mathematics
6 credits in written English
1 credit in information literacy

The final summary list highlights the requirement for 6 credits in written English. This could probably best be satisfied using Straighterline English Composition I & II.

In addition to the 1 credit in information literacy (EC-only course) there is also the 3 credit capstone course. The capstone course is a 15 week upper level course which is taken through EC.

There is also a change to the 'research and writing in the major' requirement which I was ambushed with by EC. This is currently offered by EC as an 8 week, 2 credit, upper level course culminating in an 8 page research paper. Previously, this requirement could be completed by submitting any equivalent research paper from an upper level course. The advising team recently informed me that this requirement can only be satisfied by taking the course as of 1st July 2011.

For the BSLS, probably the most general option would be to look at completing a depth in psychology and one in business. ALEKS' statistics courses are evaluated as upper level so feasibly a depth in maths. Using the stats for psychology or business is also possible.

[NAP]

Hi Zelenn!

I have not gotten to look at your plan, but here are some thoughts to add to all of Irnbru's great information:

A history depth is also possible with a combination of DSSTs and CLEPs.

We are waiting for a current Student Guide to Credit by Exam to further confirm this conversation:

http://www.degreeforum.net/excelsior-tho...units.html

With those changes, choosing from 12 DSSTs (max 3 Applied Professional) and 1 ALEKS Stats, plus 1 capstone course will give more options to complete the 30 UL credits less expensively.

If you are interested in UL Math and Science exams, check ECE and Ohio U exams for options, plus ALEKS Stats.

Also remember that this degree is super flexible. Making a template is possible, but it takes a lot of the flexibility and individuality out of the degree plan. I think it is better for each person to learn how to create their own degree plan, so they know how the system works and how to make adjustments when needed.