Rowan University - CLEP, ACE credits?

[natshar]

Hi,
I'm looking at Rowan University - their Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) program for my son.  (It's the only NJ school I've found that seems welcome CLEP etc.).  I know it's a long shot - but does anyone have any current experience on which CLEP, ACE credits etc. credits were accepted (within the ECE program)?  

Also, if my son is in high school still and we are looking down the road 1-2 years....Will a college testing department answer specific questions about what will/won't transfer (ex. asking:  Will DSST test Intro to Religions count toward your global literacy requirement?) - or do I need to be closer to the time of enrolling before they will dedicate that kind of time answering my questions.  

Thanks!

I am not sure why you are limiting yourself to New Jersey. Yes, you will have to pay out of state rates, however, that may be offset by the fact that the degree will be completed quicker. Also, it isn't uncommon for schools to offer scholarships for out of state students to bring tuition to the in state-level or cheaper. You might want to research schools that give good merit scholarships and accept CLEP that aren't in New Jersey. There might be better options than Rowan.

[ACI]

Hi,
I'm looking at Rowan University - their Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) program for my son.  (It's the only NJ school I've found that seems welcome CLEP etc.).  I know it's a long shot - but does anyone have any current experience on which CLEP, ACE credits etc. credits were accepted (within the ECE program)?  

Also, if my son is in high school still and we are looking down the road 1-2 years....Will a college testing department answer specific questions about what will/won't transfer (ex. asking:  Will DSST test Intro to Religions count toward your global literacy requirement?) - or do I need to be closer to the time of enrolling before they will dedicate that kind of time answering my questions.  

Thanks!

I am not sure why you are limiting yourself to New Jersey. Yes, you will have to pay out of state rates, however, that may be offset by the fact that the degree will be completed quicker. Also, it isn't uncommon for schools to offer scholarships for out of state students to bring tuition to the in state-level or cheaper. You might want to research schools that give good merit scholarships and accept CLEP that aren't in New Jersey. There might be better options than Rowan.

Thanks for your reply.  I'm certainly open to other options - definitely don't want to limit myself.  If you have any other ideas - I'd love to hear them!  This is for my son - who is currently a sophmore/jr. in high school.  So, I am looking into what classes we can take in the next 1-2 years that would transfer into an engineering degree.  But, I'm also recognizing that in-state is much cheaper and I don't think (financially) there is a way he will be able to live on campus and go to school.

---

Yeah, they have such a strict set of courses required, there is no way to CLEP or even CC out of this one.  I would say that you should do DE and use a school with an transfer/articulation agreement with them, so that you get full credit for everything you take.

As for CLEP, you can definitely do Macro or Microecon (for the Business Elective), so I'd do one of those (prob Macro, which I thought was easier).  Looks like a LIT CLEP would also work for the "Rowan Core" but you'll have to do some research on that to make sure you take one that counts.  Humanities CLEP may work.

I would say that there is no way you can get fewer semesters, as you have to take certain classes in order.  BUT, you might be able to make it so that he only needs to be enrolled Part-time to finish his degree (making it easier for him to get better grades as he focuses on fewer courses, it may be cheaper to be on a 9cr/term plan for instance, and he might be able to get a job or internship in his field due to fewer courses being required).

Some schools/degrees are just not CLEP-friendly, or even DE friendly, and there is little you can do.  But I would still say you should try as hard as you can to get even a little bit of credit applied to a degree.

Here is their transfer info, it shows that if you get an AA/AS, it satisfies the GE, etc.  They have a database of transfer equivalencies.  Lots of tools, make sure you make the most of DE if you're in-state. https://sites.rowan.edu/registrar/transf...ncies.html

Thanks for your reply!  I did find out about someone who recently started going to Rowan and the "Into to Engineering" class taken at another school would have fulfilled 'Engineering Clinic I".  This is just really hard for me in general.  I really want to plan so that my son has a successful head start with his degree - mainly for financial reasons.  I'm trying so hard to make it so he won't accumulate college debt.  I could have him get an AS to satisfy the general electives, but it is just frustrating that they are sprinkled throughout the 4 years.  I think they only way to help him financially is to actually eliminate semesters...

[dfrecore]

So my first piece of advice is to broaden your scope - many private schools offer so much more than public universities in terms of scholarships and grants, it's unbelievable.

Second, I think your best bet is to do dual enrollment for as many classes as you can, if you have access to it in your state, whether free or inexpensively.

Third, I'd certainly do 2 years at CC and finish at Rowan. I can't see taking on student loan debt if you have the ability to do things more cheaply. I for one, would not EVER consider letting my kids taken on loans for college. If we can't figure out a less expensive way to do things, then they'll need to go slower ("at the speed of cash" as cookderosa says) or they can take a year or two off of school, and work like crazy to save up money. But CC is definitely one way to reduce costs if you just don't have the money to do 4 years at a 4yr school.

I think you can definitely shorten his path, using CLEP, DE and CC. For instance, semester 1 - if he can take freshman engineering clinic I, calc I, physics I, and a core course through DE/CLEP, then he'd only have a 4cr course to take (and maybe he can take that one somewhere else too). Which means you've almost or definitely knocked out a full semester right there. Same with semester 2 - you can prob take computer sci & prog via DE, take Calc II somewhere, Physics II, and College Comp I elsewhere. That leaves Freshman Engineering clinic II left. I think you can manage to carve off at least a year, and maybe even 2, by doing DE/CLEP. That's not even counting CC after graduation.

One thing to make sure is that he's far enough along in math to get those Calc 1, 2 & 3 classes done sooner rather than later. that will be key in getting through some of those semesters ahead of time. If he's doing College Algebra his freshman year of college, for instance, everything is held up until he gets far enough in math to take physics, which means he's also holding up some of the engineering courses. Math is key here.

I can help you make a plan if you want to PM me. I think this is doable.

[davewill]

... I could have him get an AS to satisfy the general electives, but it is just frustrating that they are sprinkled throughout the 4 years.  I think they only way to help him financially is to actually eliminate semesters...

They get sprinkled throughout the 4 years because it's hard to take all of your AOS at the same time, and also most students want to be exposed to their chosen major right away. My twins had to deal with the problem. They got their GenEds done at community college, then went on to a 4 year public university. One of my daughter's professors asked her during her senior year why she was taking "all of the hardest courses at once?" She explained that as a transfer student, there weren't any easy ones left.

In California, if you follow the transfer guidelines, it's possible to finish your degree in two years, not easy, but possible. Hopefully your state (or chosen school) has similar guidelines. It may or may not be that actually getting an AS is the best route. Neither of my two CC transfer students did.

[ACI]

So my first piece of advice is to broaden your scope - many private schools offer so much more than public universities in terms of scholarships and grants, it's unbelievable.

Second, I think your best bet is to do dual enrollment for as many classes as you can, if you have access to it in your state, whether free or inexpensively.

Third, I'd certainly do 2 years at CC and finish at Rowan.  I can't see taking on student loan debt if you have the ability to do things more cheaply.  I for one, would not EVER consider letting my kids taken on loans for college.  If we can't figure out a less expensive way to do things, then they'll need to go slower ("at the speed of cash" as cookderosa says) or they can take a year or two off of school, and work like crazy to save up money.  But CC is definitely one way to reduce costs if you just don't have the money to do 4 years at a 4yr school.

I think you can definitely shorten his path, using CLEP, DE and CC.  For instance, semester 1 - if he can take freshman engineering clinic I, calc I, physics I, and a core course through DE/CLEP, then he'd only have a 4cr course to take (and maybe he can take that one somewhere else too).  Which means you've almost or definitely knocked out a full semester right there.  Same with semester 2 - you can prob take computer sci & prog via DE, take Calc II somewhere, Physics II, and College Comp I elsewhere.  That leaves Freshman Engineering clinic II left.  I think you can manage to carve off at least a year,  and maybe even 2, by doing DE/CLEP.  That's not even counting CC after graduation.

One thing to make sure is that he's far enough along in math to get those Calc 1, 2 & 3 classes done sooner rather than later.  that will be key in getting through some of those semesters ahead of time.  If he's doing College Algebra his freshman year of college, for instance, everything is held up until he gets far enough in math to take physics, which means he's also holding up some of the engineering courses.  Math is key here.

I can help you make a plan if you want to PM me.  I think this is doable.

I'm happy to broaden my scope - I just don't know where else to look now.  I've been comparing Computer Engineering degrees at different schools, just to see what the general requirements are for that degree.  Mainly we are looking close b/c I don't think he will be able to live on campus.  Although, this campus is 2 hrs away - so commuting would be complicated.  I've looked at several closer engineering schools in NJ and none of them seem to allow very many CLEP or transfer credits, so that's why I'm looking at Rowan.

I know he is at least 2 years away from actually transferring to a college, but I want to be carefully choosing classes now that will both count toward HS degree and college credit.  And, in two years, he could end up deciding to go a different route  - but I have to move forward with some plan, lol.  

I can do dual enrollment during high school at our CC - it's $250 per class, so not cheap - but we are willing to make it work if it will help to eliminate college debt.  

Yes, I totally understand about the math thing.  He's taking Pre-Calc this semester so my plan was for him to take Calc 1 and 2 as dual enrollment classes in the next two years.  Also Physics I.


Those Engineering Clinics are tricky. If he took something like "Intro to Engineering" at a CC - they'd probably accept it as Engineering Clinic 1 and we could knock off that first semester.  But, what if he also DE and CLEP all the classes in the second semester, except Engineering Clinic II.  He'd have to take that somehow before he started the second year....and I'm assuming you couldn't take two Engineering Clinics in the same semester...

---

... I could have him get an AS to satisfy the general electives, but it is just frustrating that they are sprinkled throughout the 4 years.  I think they only way to help him financially is to actually eliminate semesters...

They get sprinkled throughout the 4 years because it's hard to take all of your AOS at the same time, and also most students want to be exposed to their chosen major right away. My twins had to deal with the problem. They got their GenEds done at community college, then went on to a 4 year public university. One of daughter's professors asked her during her senior year why she was taking "all of the hardest courses at once?" She explained that as a transfer student, there weren't any easy ones left.

In California, if you follow the transfer guidelines, it's possible to finish your degree in two years, not easy, but possible. Hopefully your state (or chosen school) has similar guidelines. It may or may not be that actually getting an AS is the best route. Neither of my two CC transfer students did.

Thank you!  Yes, that make sense why they do it.  It just seems extra complicated with an Engineering degree because there are so few Gen Ed classes.  Did either of your twins get an Engineering degree?  In California - can you finish your degree in two years because you are taking extra large credit loads per semester (ex. 18 credits and summer classes)?  I don't know that I will have him get an AS because I'm thinking there are probably 'extra' classes in there.  Makes more sense to me to just take the classes that will transfer directly into the 4 year college you want to transfer to...but maybe I don't understand the process yet since it's my first time doing this, lol...

[davewill]

Thank you!  Yes, that make sense why they do it.  It just seems extra complicated with an Engineering degree because there are so few Gen Ed classes.  Did either of your twins get an Engineering degree?  In California - can you finish your degree in two years because you are taking extra large credit loads per semester (ex. 18 credits and summer classes)?  I don't know that I will have him get an AS because I'm thinking there are probably 'extra' classes in there.  Makes more sense to me to just take the classes that will transfer directly into the 4 year college you want to transfer to...but maybe I don't understand the process yet since it's my first time doing this, lol...

I wouldn't expect an engineering degree to have less GenEds, just have more math and science as part of them.Your student should be able to find enough transferable credits at the CC level to get 60-70 that actually transfer so that there are two normal years worth left to get done. Some of those may even be LL AOS. It does take careful planning and paying attention to articulation agreements and transfer guidelines.

[dfrecore]

Thank you!  Yes, that make sense why they do it.  It just seems extra complicated with an Engineering degree because there are so few Gen Ed classes.  Did either of your twins get an Engineering degree?  In California - can you finish your degree in two years because you are taking extra large credit loads per semester (ex. 18 credits and summer classes)?  I don't know that I will have him get an AS because I'm thinking there are probably 'extra' classes in there.  Makes more sense to me to just take the classes that will transfer directly into the 4 year college you want to transfer to...but maybe I don't understand the process yet since it's my first time doing this, lol...

I wouldn't expect an engineering degree to have less GenEds, just have more math and science as part of them.Your student should be able to find enough transferable credits at the CC level to get 60-70 that actually transfer so that there are two normal years worth left to get done. Some of those may even be LL AOS. It does take careful planning and paying attention to articulation agreements and transfer guidelines.

Engineering degrees sometimes have less GE's to take, because like you said, many of the major courses are actually part of the GE; but they're listed a bit differently.  This degree in particular, requires 128cr instead of 120cr, and has zero free electives.  That in combination with the courses that they won't take in transfer, and 8 semesters of Engineering Clinic, means that it is VERY hard to plan; you have no leeway for mistakes, and it's almost impossible to get rid of "semesters." Because even if you were able to transfer in the 48cr they show as able to work, you still need to take those 8 semesters worth of "Engineering Clinic." Unless they will let you triple-up, and take the Freshman Engineering Clinics and Sophomore Engineering Clinics during your Junior and Senior years.  I'm guessing not.

[ACI]

Thank you!  Yes, that make sense why they do it.  It just seems extra complicated with an Engineering degree because there are so few Gen Ed classes.  Did either of your twins get an Engineering degree?  In California - can you finish your degree in two years because you are taking extra large credit loads per semester (ex. 18 credits and summer classes)?  I don't know that I will have him get an AS because I'm thinking there are probably 'extra' classes in there.  Makes more sense to me to just take the classes that will transfer directly into the 4 year college you want to transfer to...but maybe I don't understand the process yet since it's my first time doing this, lol...

I wouldn't expect an engineering degree to have less GenEds, just have more math and science as part of them.Your student should be able to find enough transferable credits at the CC level to get 60-70 that actually transfer so that there are two normal years worth left to get done. Some of those may even be LL AOS. It does take careful planning and paying attention to articulation agreements and transfer guidelines.

Engineering degrees sometimes have less GE's to take, because like you said, many of the major courses are actually part of the GE; but they're listed a bit differently.  This degree in particular, requires 128cr instead of 120cr, and has zero free electives.  That in combination with the courses that they won't take in transfer, and 8 semesters of Engineering Clinic, means that it is VERY hard to plan; you have no leeway for mistakes, and it's almost impossible to get rid of "semesters." Because even if you were able to transfer in the 48cr they show as able to work, you still need to take those 8 semesters worth of "Engineering Clinic." Unless they will let you triple-up, and take the Freshman Engineering Clinics and Sophomore Engineering Clinics during your Junior and Senior years.  I'm guessing not.

This process has become so deflating.  I just seem to find problems, but no solutions.  I'm starting to wonder if anyone has ever gotten an engineering degree outside of just straight out attending a 4 year program.

[davewill]

This process has become so deflating.  I just seem to find problems, but no solutions.  I'm starting to wonder if anyone has ever gotten an engineering degree outside of just straight out attending a 4 year program.

Honestly, almost every college student experiences this. Schools are not great at communicating at the best of times, but being a transfer student is worse. Students very often end up taking extra courses because of it. You have to be willing to do the research and seek help, which you're doing. Just take the attitude that you will succeed despite them.

[terryd5150]

Hi,
I'm looking at Rowan University - their Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) program for my son.  (It's the only NJ school I've found that seems welcome CLEP etc.).  I know it's a long shot - but does anyone have any current experience on which CLEP, ACE credits etc. credits were accepted (within the ECE program)?  

Also, if my son is in high school still and we are looking down the road 1-2 years....Will a college testing department answer specific questions about what will/won't transfer (ex. asking:  Will DSST test Intro to Religions count toward your global literacy requirement?) - or do I need to be closer to the time of enrolling before they will dedicate that kind of time answering my questions.  

Thanks!

I am not sure why you are limiting yourself to New Jersey. Yes, you will have to pay out of state rates, however, that may be offset by the fact that the degree will be completed quicker. Also, it isn't uncommon for schools to offer scholarships for out of state students to bring tuition to the in state-level or cheaper. You might want to research schools that give good merit scholarships and accept CLEP that aren't in New Jersey. There might be better options than Rowan.

Thanks for your reply.  I'm certainly open to other options - definitely don't want to limit myself.  If you have any other ideas - I'd love to hear them!  This is for my son - who is currently a sophmore/jr. in high school.  So, I am looking into what classes we can take in the next 1-2 years that would transfer into an engineering degree.  But, I'm also recognizing that in-state is much cheaper and I don't think (financially) there is a way he will be able to live on campus and go to school.

---

Yeah, they have such a strict set of courses required, there is no way to CLEP or even CC out of this one.  I would say that you should do DE and use a school with an transfer/articulation agreement with them, so that you get full credit for everything you take.

As for CLEP, you can definitely do Macro or Microecon (for the Business Elective), so I'd do one of those (prob Macro, which I thought was easier).  Looks like a LIT CLEP would also work for the "Rowan Core" but you'll have to do some research on that to make sure you take one that counts.  Humanities CLEP may work.

I would say that there is no way you can get fewer semesters, as you have to take certain classes in order.  BUT, you might be able to make it so that he only needs to be enrolled Part-time to finish his degree (making it easier for him to get better grades as he focuses on fewer courses, it may be cheaper to be on a 9cr/term plan for instance, and he might be able to get a job or internship in his field due to fewer courses being required).

Some schools/degrees are just not CLEP-friendly, or even DE friendly, and there is little you can do.  But I would still say you should try as hard as you can to get even a little bit of credit applied to a degree.

Here is their transfer info, it shows that if you get an AA/AS, it satisfies the GE, etc.  They have a database of transfer equivalencies.  Lots of tools, make sure you make the most of DE if you're in-state. https://sites.rowan.edu/registrar/transf...ncies.html

Thanks for your reply!  I did find out about someone who recently started going to Rowan and the "Into to Engineering" class taken at another school would have fulfilled 'Engineering Clinic I".  This is just really hard for me in general.  I really want to plan so that my son has a successful head start with his degree - mainly for financial reasons.  I'm trying so hard to make it so he won't accumulate college debt.  I could have him get an AS to satisfy the general electives, but it is just frustrating that they are sprinkled throughout the 4 years.  I think they only way to help him financially is to actually eliminate semesters...

ASU offers two clases that MAY help the lower level portion of the Engineering Clinic sequence.

They're $425 per class (not per credit). You pay $25 up front to register; if you're happy with your grade you pay $400 after the course is over - both courses are eight weeks long.

They start soon, though, so you'll have to move fast.

https://ea.asu.edu/courses

Additionally, BYU Independent Study, Liberty University, Westcott /Brandman, and APUS also offer online courses that could help meet the math, science, and Gen Eds for an engineering degree.

All the schools I've listed are regionally accredited; as such, they're not going to be ACE credit-type inexpensive, but they represent some of the more economical options for RA credits I've found that could apply towards and engineering degree - outside of your local CC options.