Schools that accept ACE credits and allow 90cr in transfer

[dfrecore]

I have been working towards my bachelors for COSC, but hearing about how generous the Sophia credits are accepted into UMPI, I am considering them also now!!!

At COSC:
I am looking at a General studies degree with a concentration in Psychology and business ....(I have 22 RA credits in gen eds and 27 Sophia credits as of right  now) OR....

At UMPI:
BA in English with a communications/journalism major or ....
liberal arts with an education minor

My question here would be ... Is it MORE BENEFICIAL to get a tradicional bachelors degree (although core courses are gained through alternative credits) or a competency  based degree ?

I am looking at my future options .  If i decide to go into teaching Is a competency based degree accepted?  If I go the traditional route at COSC will my core classes credit achieved  through alternative providers be an issue?

If I go on to get a masters in Psychology or teaching ... Is a traditional bachelors degree (with 30 total RA credits) or a competency based degree (with 50 - 70 RA total  credits) more desirable??  

Any advice Is appreciated!!

There is no benefit to a Traditional vs. Competency-based degree at all; future employers won't know that it's competency-based, as it does not say this on the degree anywhere.

The only difference I see is that you'll have more graded credit at UMPI than COSC, which might be an actual benefit down the road depending on whether or not you wanted to get into a grad program that this would matter.  It won't for some.

[Ann7]

Thank you for your response!

Do employers ever ask for transcripts to see what classes you took? Or in the case of COSC, I think it only says on the diploma bachelors of arts/ science but does not state the actual degree. So what do you show them? I have been in mission work for years so I truly am out of the loop! Sorry!

Also If I go into teaching (through alternate certification) would a competency based degree matter there or alternative credit courses like SDC or Sophia? Still not sure but investigating that option too. The y would probably need details of courses covered... ?

For gradúate school I understand that the more graded courses are best, If I go that route.

[ss20ts]

Most grad schools will have a minimum GPA requirement. If you're thinking about grad school, it may be a good idea to look at some schools you're considering and see what their requirements are.

[bjcheung77]

Employers don't care about your GPA, they want to know you have a Cert, Diploma, Degree. They essentially look at the 1,2,3's - 1) Certifications, 2) Degree, 3) Experience. GPA isn't a concern unless you are going to a "semi-competitive" or higher program at the graduate level. Don't over think too much, just get the main thing completed - the Bachelors.

[dfrecore]

Thank you for your response!

Do employers ever ask for transcripts to see what classes you took?  Or in the case of  COSC, I think it only says on the diploma bachelors of arts/ science but does not state the actual degree.  So what do you show them?   I have been in mission work for years so I truly am out of the loop!  Sorry!

Also If I go into teaching (through alternate certification) would a competency based degree matter there or alternative credit courses like SDC or Sophia?  Still not sure but investigating that option too.  The y would probably need details of courses covered... ?

For gradúate school I understand that the more graded courses are best, If I go that route.

I've never seen an employer ask for transcripts, but I know that some do - I just don't know which fields, or why.  Most (prob 99% are checking to see if you actually have a degree, and they'll check the clearinghouse to see that.  You MAY want/need to show a transcript if that's the only place that shows your concentration or something like that.  Since I don't know what the clearinghouse data shows, it's kind of hard to say.

I have no idea if a teaching cert in your state has certain requirements or not - so you need to look that up.

The only reason to worry about graduate school is a) if they require a certain number of graded credits (some want 30, some want 60, some probably want 120), and b) if it's a competitive school.  If you choose a school wisely, you don't have to worry about either of these things.

The other thing I want to mention is that you are comparing apples to oranges with UMPI vs. COSC, because you're not even comparing the same degrees at the two schools.  It's much easier for someone to tell you "yes, this English program is better than that one for this reason" or "that business degree is better than this one because of xyz reasons".  But you're comparing a Psych/Business BALS with something else entirely, so it's hard to give an opinion.

[Ann7]

Like always great advice! Thank you all ! I love this forum!

[graduatesoon]

My govt. job has asked for transcripts in the past when applying for transfer or promotion e.g. show 18 credits IT or Business or CS credits.
Otherwise when applying for Fed contractors they were more interested in my military DD 214. ACE transcript was helpful in the past for both. We will see how ACCLAIM shapes up.

[ylmir]

I was looking into low-cost online degrees. One really interesting one is Arkansas State University. They have, among other programs, an AACSB-accredited BS in Business Administration offered online, they accept ACE, NCCRS, DSSTs, CLEPs, UExcels, and others, and they allow up to 90 credit hours transfer. According to page 41 of their 20-21 bulletin, only 25% (30 credits) of your degree can come from credit by exam (including CLEP). I couldn't find any limitations on ACE/NCCRS Credit, but there very well might be. Cost is $258/credit hour, and that includes fees. Might be something for us to look further into.

[dfrecore]

I was looking into low-cost online degrees. One really interesting one is Arkansas State University. They have, among other programs, an AACSB-accredited BS in Business Administration offered online, they accept ACE, NCCRS, DSSTs, CLEPs, UExcels, and others, and they allow up to 90 credit hours transfer. According to page 41 of their 20-21 bulletin, only 25% (30 credits) of your degree can come from credit by exam (including CLEP). I couldn't find any limitations on ACE/NCCRS Credit, but there very well might be. Cost is $258/credit hour, and that includes fees. Might be something for us to look further into.

I think they're one of the many (most?) schools that will take 90cr of transfer, that's VERY common.   But only 30cr can be alternative; so the other 60cr have to be RA.

I don't see where they will take DSST or ACE/NCCRS, can you point me in the right direction?

[ylmir]

I was looking into low-cost online degrees. One really interesting one is Arkansas State University. They have, among other programs, an AACSB-accredited BS in Business Administration offered online, they accept ACE, NCCRS, DSSTs, CLEPs, UExcels, and others, and they allow up to 90 credit hours transfer. According to page 41 of their 20-21 bulletin, only 25% (30 credits) of your degree can come from credit by exam (including CLEP). I couldn't find any limitations on ACE/NCCRS Credit, but there very well might be. Cost is $258/credit hour, and that includes fees. Might be something for us to look further into.

I think they're one of the many (most?) schools that will take 90cr of transfer, that's VERY common.   But only 30cr can be alternative; so the other 60cr have to be RA.

I don't see where they will take DSST or ACE/NCCRS, can you point me in the right direction?

In the 2020-21 bulletin, page 35, it says:

A-State will consider awarding credit toward an Associate or a Baccalaureate degree for Advanced Placement (AP), College Level Examination program (CLEP), Military service education and experience, DANTES, formal non collegiate courses for which credit has been recommended as listed in the Directory of National Program on Non Collegiate Sponsored Instruction and in the National Guide to Educational Credit for Training Programs published by ACE, International Baccalaureate, and Excelsior College Exams.

Then, on the FAQ page for the BSBA:

A-State accepts up to 90 credit hours for transfer. If you meet this limit, the cost of completing your bachelor's degree is only $7,740. In addition to previous credits from a regionally accredited institution, A-State will also consider credits from Advanced Placement (AP) courses, the College Level Examination program (CLEP), military service education and experience, Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) and formal non-collegiate courses. For non-collegiate courses, credit must be recommended by the Directory of National Program on Non Collegiate Sponsored Instruction, and in the National Guide to Educational Credit for Training Programs.

I'm not sure why they still call NCCRS the "National Program on Non-Collegiate Sponsored Instruction," but that's NCCRS, nonetheless. I also don't know what this translates to in practice, but considering that they apparently accept NCCRS and UExcel, I should think they would be fairly flexible with what they accept from ACE.