BS Degree Plan at Excelsior

[eyrobinson]

I sent in my transcripts a week ago and I am waiting for them to be received and evaluated. In the meantime, of course, I am testing out of courses I think are needed for my degree plan. I have posted my degree plan below and would like some feedback on it to make sure I'm moving in the right direction. As of right now, I would like to finish up my remaining CLEP/DANTES tests and include the EC exams also since I can take those on the weekend and complete more requirements faster. I don't want to pay for 9 EC exams and have wasted my money. I'm looking at the BS in Liberal Arts with two depths in Sociology and Psychology.

-The pluses which are also bolded are the tests I still need to take to make up my degree.
-I believe the only general education test I need to take is CLEP College Mathematics and I'll be done with those requirements.
-The two depths will be in Sociology and Psychology and most requirements are through EC exams with one CLEP exam for the Psychology depth.
-I need 4 or 5 exams for the electives and I will take any DANTES exam for those requirements.
-I will take the Information Literacy requirement through LSU Independent Study.


General Ed - 21 upper
-----------
-Written English (3)
ENGWR 300 English Composition
-Humanities (9)
MUFHL 300 Introduction to Music
COMM 361 Group Discussion
DANTES Technical Writing
-Social Science (9)
SOC 321 Race, Ethnicity, & Inequality in the US
Texas Government course
POLS 301 Introduction to Political Science
-Math/Science (6)
+CLEP College Mathematics

Depth I (15) - 3 upper
--------
+EC Cultural Diversity
+EC Foundations of Gerontology
+EC Juvenile Delinquency
+EC World Population
CLEP Sociology

Depth II (18) - 3 upper
--------
+EC Abnormal Psychology
+EC Psychology of Adulthood & Aging
+EC Research Methods in Psychology
+EC Social Psychology
+DANTES Lifespan Developmental Psychology
+CLEP Introductory Psychology

Electives (59) - 9 upper
--------------
-Electives (47)
+DANTES Foundations of Education
+DANTES Drug & Alcohol Abuse
+DANTES Management Information Systems
+DANTES Introduction to Business
+DANTES Organizational Behavior
-Information Literacy (1)
+through LSU Independent Study [LIS 1001 Library Research Methods and Materials]

[barcotta]

I pursued the business program so I can't comment directly on your specific questions--but generally what you've outlined looks pretty typical to me. You'll have your answer from Excelsior soon enough--and I assume you've used the Student Guide to Credit by Examination from Excelsior's site to put this all together.

The only thing I would suggest you look into if it doesn't screw up your timing is the Psychology GRE exam. You can receive up to 30 credits if you score high enough. One of our members, gcalvin, just passed the April exam with a score that exceeded the minimum needed for 30 credits--so it can be done. The cost of the test is $130 I believe--so if you're looking for economy--that's less than $5 per credit. The next test isn't until October--so that might be a deal-killer--but if not, check it out. Make sure you also look at the division of upper and lower leve credit awarded. It may not award enough upper-level credit for your needs. Good luck.

[gcalvin]

The first twelve credits awarded for a GRE subject exam are lower level, and any additional credits are upper level. So of course if you earn the full thirty credits, then eighteen of them are upper level.

The score required for thirty credits is different from one subject to another. For example, an Excelsior advisor told me in February that the 30-credit score for Psychology was 685, and for Mathematics was 750. This may have changed, so check with your advisor. Credits are awarded on a sliding scale based on your exam score -- even if you only get the twelve lower-level credits, that's still about the same cost as two six-credit CLEPs. My impression from having gone through this process is that if you are a competent exam-taker, and you prepare seriously, it would be difficult NOT to earn at least twelve credits, at least for the Psychology exam. (Please don't try to prove me wrong on this. :p )

-Gary-

[gcalvin]

By the way, page 22 of the Excelsior Liberal Arts Catalog says that "successful completion" of a GRE subject exam fulfills the requirements of a major in that subject area. Check with your advisor, but I'm quite certain that a 30-credit score qualifies as "successful completion".

-Gary-

[cookderosa]

I sent in my transcripts a week ago and I am waiting for them to be received and evaluated. In the meantime, of course, I am testing out of courses I think are needed for my degree plan. I have posted my degree plan below and would like some feedback on it to make sure I'm moving in the right direction. As of right now, I would like to finish up my remaining CLEP/DANTES tests and include the EC exams also since I can take those on the weekend and complete more requirements faster. I don't want to pay for 9 EC exams and have wasted my money. I'm looking at the BS in Liberal Arts with two depths in Sociology and Psychology.

-The pluses which are also bolded are the tests I still need to take to make up my degree.
-I believe the only general education test I need to take is CLEP College Mathematics and I'll be done with those requirements.
-The two depths will be in Sociology and Psychology and most requirements are through EC exams with one CLEP exam for the Psychology depth.
-I need 4 or 5 exams for the electives and I will take any DANTES exam for those requirements.
-I will take the Information Literacy requirement through LSU Independent Study.


General Ed - 21 upper
-----------
-Written English (3)
ENGWR 300 English Composition
-Humanities (9)
MUFHL 300 Introduction to Music
COMM 361 Group Discussion
DANTES Technical Writing
-Social Science (9)
SOC 321 Race, Ethnicity, & Inequality in the US
Texas Government course
POLS 301 Introduction to Political Science
-Math/Science (6)
+CLEP College Mathematics

Depth I (15) - 3 upper
--------
+EC Cultural Diversity
+EC Foundations of Gerontology
+EC Juvenile Delinquency
+EC World Population
CLEP Sociology

Depth II (18) - 3 upper
--------
+EC Abnormal Psychology
+EC Psychology of Adulthood & Aging
+EC Research Methods in Psychology
+EC Social Psychology
+DANTES Lifespan Developmental Psychology
+CLEP Introductory Psychology

Electives (59) - 9 upper
--------------
-Electives (47)
+DANTES Foundations of Education
+DANTES Drug & Alcohol Abuse
+DANTES Management Information Systems
+DANTES Introduction to Business
+DANTES Organizational Behavior
-Information Literacy (1)
+through LSU Independent Study [LIS 1001 Library Research Methods and Materials]

I started looking at sociology and psych when I started, and explored EC. For that major, I found it is easier to complete at TESC. Look at the program for social science. Thomas Edison State College You can split it any way you want between psych and sociology without needing depth credits in each. You can also add any other social sciences which interest you. Mine is very rounded and includes anthropology, social science, psych, sociology, and criminal justice.
A couple other benefits: There is no requirement for courses at 300 or 400 level AND there is no written English requirement.
Between CLEP, DSST, and then the more expensive TECEP exams you can test out fully. It's worth pointing out, that ANY CLEP or DSST exam that comes in at 200 level or higher WILL COUNT as your depth requirement. This means taking fewer TECEP/EC exams- this is a huge $$$. I ended up taking courses in my major so I could use financial aid, but it isn't necessary.
Next, all of your electives could be filled for free at TESC through the FEMA classes.
Based on your courses listed, many of your gen ed requirements can fill your major, which opens up the slots at the 100 level for your gen ed INSTEAD of the harder to fill depth requirements. I would suggest you consider both schools before you decide, but I think in this case- your credits would plug in better, faster, and a heck of a lot cheapter at TESC.
All the best!