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+--- Thread: Your Grad School (/Thread-Your-Grad-School)
Your Grad School - Old Rusty Pipe - 11-06-2008
I thought this might be a good topic. Tell us about the Masters (of PhD) program you're enrolled in. School, costs, customer service, whatever is deemed appropriate. Let this serve as both an inspiration to those still pursuing their undergrad degree, and as a source of information for those looking to go beyond that.
I'll go first.
Master of Leadership and Business Ethics from Duquesne Univeristy
From what I can tell, Duquesne is the only school in the country offering an online Masters in the topic of business ethics. Tuition is reasonably priced for military members at $292 a credit hour, but for everyone else its 3 times that much. The customer service at Duquesne is exceptional, and I always get prompt replies from all my inquiries.
I find the curriculum itself to be enjoyable. The leadership classes are actually proving to be very useful as well as fun. This was an unexpected bonus. The business ethics courses are also challenging, but in a mostly enjoyable sort of way. Each course is a different area of ethics. While all the courses relate back to organizations and business, there is still a great variety in topics.
I chose this degree over an MBA entirely out of interest. I found my business administration degree to be fulfilling but mostly dry. I didn't enjoy it the way I enjoyed my philosophy or religion courses. I find that the Business Ethics degree offers a nice compromise. It does have relevance in a business setting, but also encourages the kind of abstract debates that I find most enjoyable.
MS in Leadership and Business Ethics - School of Leadership - Duquesne University
Your Grad School - cookderosa - 11-06-2008
I posted some of this already when I started, but I'll play anyway :o)
I'm taking an abnormal psychology course at Harvard Welcome to Harvard University and toying with the idea of going for the degree w/psychology concentration. I'm not 100% sure yet, there are a few sticking points that I'll share later in the post.
How did I register?
Harvard University offers open enrollment courses to anyone through their Extension (community education) college. You don't even need a degree to register. You simply sign up and pay the fee. These courses can be taken for no-credit, undergrad bachelor level credit, or master's degree graduate level credit. The BEST THING is that you don't fill out an application, and you don't need to send transcripts. Sweet!
How do you earn a degree? / Is it distance learning?
In a nutshell (for the long version, go to Welcome to Harvard University and read all the details for yourself) you must take 3 classes in the degree program you wish to complete with a B or better and then you can apply to the program to earn a master's degree. (so, the CLASSES are open enrollment- but you must apply for the DEGREE program after you prove yourself in the classes). One of those 3 must be what's called the PROSEMINAR. It's a face-to-face only class. In my case, if I continue, the PROSEMINAR will be my 6th class.
The master's program does not take transfer credit, but some of the courses are offered online. You need 10 in all, and 5 can be online. Of the remaining 5, one is your thesis requirement- which you don't really need to be on campus for, so realistically, you can complete 6/10 of your degree at a distance. The remaining 4 courses must be completed on campus, but can be completed through the Harvard Summer School. There is one exception (first fly in the ointment) which is the FIELD SEMINAR requirement. So far, I can not find that the field seminars have ever been offered in the summer. That doesn't mean they won't ever be- but if they are not, than that means 1 summer school session plus one full 16 week session.
For summers, they offer on campus housing for those sessions. Dorms are about $5000 for the 8 weeks. Summer session tuition is also higher, at about $2400 per class (4 cr.)
How long is it? What is your pace?
You have 5 years from start to finish. My pace is 1 per semester, and I plan to complete 2 summer sessions (14 weeks in all) in Cambridge starting the 2010 summer. I'm waiting until the very last possible moment to worry about the field seminar. In fact, I'm not thinking about it at all. IF I get through the 3 courses, and IF I get accepted, and IF I get through the thesis proposal, and IF my thesis gets accepted- I'll enroll and fly back and forth.
It's not cheap. Each graduate level course is $1700, and some have a lot of books (my class has 3, but one I looked at required 14 books). Another fly in the ointment- You can't apply for financial aid unless your in the degree program- so the first three classes (minimum) are out of pocket no matter what. One you get in, you can use student loans like anyone else. In all, your looking at about $18,000 for a master's degree. I find the cost very reasonable, but not all will agree. To each his own, but I spent about double that for my culinary degree- and that was in 1988-1990.
What's the degree?
ALM
The Latin translation is Master of Liberal Arts
Your degree would be: Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies.
Your transcript would have your concentration. (there are many to choose from)
The FAQ suggests you can list it on your resume this way:
Harvard University, Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies, concentration in X
*note* there are many programs, but all of them are "in extension studies" with a concentration in something.
Distance question again
Harvard isn't really doing "distance" learning the way more experienced (or online) schools do it. It's really an after thought for them. Like "oh, you missed a lecture, well, we can put it online for you- and you can turn in your homework electronically...oh, since we are doing that anyway, let's call it distance learning" but they really only have a few classes that are exclusively online (mine isn't one of them). My class offers what they call "distance option" which really just means you can turn things in electronically. You don't get any special privilege, in fact, the class is on Tuesday, but lecture isn't uploaded to the web until Thursday- so technically, I get 2 fewer days to do my weekly homework than the on campus students.
How hard is it?
This class isn't as hard as I thought, but it's hard. There is a lot of work and the semester is long (Sept 15 - Jan 20) this one lasting more than 16 weeks. I'm glad I'm only taking 1 course this semester. Two might be a handful depending on your specific course. Here is what my load is for this class, and this is on the light side- some of the classes are VERY crazy and make this look like cake:
a weekly reading assignment of about 100-150 pages.
a weekly response paper, 2 pages length - 14 papers assigned
a weekly forum requirement, 2 questions - 28 questions assigned
a weekly video lecture (2 hours)
weekly lecture notes (slides) to be printed out for lecture
an optional weekly movie related to the subject
2 hours study pool (participate in experiments)
mid term exam - 2 hours proctored locally
final exam - 3 hours proctored locally
term paper - 10 to 15 pages, APA style, 10+ references
Do you feel like you are missing out?
Something I wish I could do on campus is the study pool. You must complete 2 hours before the close of the term. This can be done online or in person. I have done my experiments on line, but it would be awesome to do them on campus. There are a lot of interesting ones listed, and if you are in the Boston area, you can earn $ for participating.
The forum replaces the in-person section discussions that go on. There are 175 people in my class, and many do the discussions in person, so I'm missing that for sure.
What about exams?
Then for exams, you have a mid term and final which are to be proctored. Huge down side- they have to be taken on the same day/time as everyone else, they are very strict in that way. Proctor must fax them back in after your test. (I just took my midterm, it was pretty intense)
Is it grad or undergrad?
Now, this is just my class. I am taking PSY1240 Abnormal Psychology. If you sign up for a different class, your requirements will vary. Also, within one class, you may have people with different requirements. For example, if you take it for undergrad credit, you don't have to do the term paper. Grad students have their papers graded by the professor, undergrads by the teaching assistant. You'll find some classes are restricted to only undergrads, or only grad students, but nearly all are open to both.
Where are the online courses listed?Can I see your syllabus
If you are interested, go to the Harvard site, and enter the "continuing education" link. Search for a class, and many will allow you to view the syllabus or even preview a lecture and/or visit the class web site. If you want to preview a lecture and can't find one, send me a pm and I'll help you.
What is the degree plan for the psychology concentration?
The format is open, so you get to choose the 10 classes you would like to fulfill your degree requirement- there isn't a "list" of classes for your major. There are requirements that you're better off looking up yourself- certain number of courses must be taught by Harvard professors, one must be writing intensive and outside your concentration, one must be a field seminar, etc. There is a pdf you can print out for any major that has the specific requirements, but as long as you can plug in the proper classes you can use any class you want.
Also, they add and remove classes like crazy- so if you see a class today, it might never run again. That said, there are likely to be dozens of new classes added each semester,so there are a lot of opportunities to get an exciting blend. ALL the cool psych classes are (so far) only on campus. There are tons. There are only (so far) 4 psych classes offered online that count for the degree- and they are (in my opinion) more boring- and a little harder than the on campus options (not an accident I'm sure).
What about the thesis?
This has major fear factor for me. If I don't enroll, it will be because of the thesis. The proposal alone (according to the HES website) should be about 20 pages long and must contain original research! So, I don't know how adequately prepared I will be to actually DO original research. That remains to be seen. Also, there are a lot of details that must work themselves out for me to do research here in Illinois with an advisor and resources in Mass. I' don't have a plan at this point.
Someone on my Harvard Extension forum posted stats, and it's something like 50% of those who enroll in the degree program will graduate. That doesn't include people like me- who are taking a class without being in the degree program. Even though I'm a student, I'm not "enrolled" because I have not met the 3 course requirement yet. Even if I keep going, I won't be able to be enrolled until after I get on campus for a summer session.
I wanted to say this:
ANY OF YOU HERE CAN GO TO HARVARD. ANY OF YOU. (not the same as saying it will be easy or you'll finish LOL but you can TRY!!)
__________________
Your Grad School - bat21 - 11-06-2008
I will start Liberty University's Master of Arts in Human Services:Executive Leadership Specialization, IN January it is only $250.00 per unit for Military or Government Employee or $395.per credit hour.
The course load is only 30 units and you can transfer in 6 units of grad credit
Master of Arts in Human Services
Executive Leadership Specialization
CORE COURSES (18 hours) Hrs Semester Grade
HSER 500 Introduction to Human Services 3 ______ _____
COUN 502 Human Growth and Development 3 ______ _____
COUN 506 Integration of Psychology and Theology 3 ______ _____
HSER 508 Studies in Interpersonal Communications 3 ______ _____
HSER 509 Multicultural Issues in Human Services 3 ______ _____
HSER 511 Group Dynamics 3 ______ _____
SPECIALIZATION COURSES (12 hours)
CLED 510 Biblical Foundations of Christian Leadership 3 ______ _____
CLED 520 The Life of the Leader 3 ______ _____
CLED 610 Team Leadership and Conflict Resolution 3 ______ _____
CLED 620 Vision and Strategic Planning 3 ______ _____
TOTAL HOURS 30
Graduation Requirements:
30 total hours
24 hours must be completed through LU
2.5 GPA or higher
Coursework with a grade below C will not count toward the degree
Degree must be completed within 5 years
Your Grad School - PatsGirl1 - 11-07-2008
I'm still picking between two programs, and I'm already doing another one now.
I’m currently getting my Secondary Education teacher cert. in English Language Arts for grades 6-12. I’m almost done with the program (about 2/3 done, but can’t be considered “finished” until I finish my Bachelor’s in December). I’m happy I did it mainly for personal pride and the completion of a life-long goal, and I will always hold out hope that I can get a teaching job with it, however… there is not a market for English teachers here and because of financial concerns (mainly, we can’t sell our house in the dead-end Michigan housing market) we can’t move for a few years minimum.
So… I will be starting at either Amberton University or Northwestern State University.
Amberton University’s M.S. in Human Resource Training and Development is RA, $225/credit hour, a 36 credit degree. They don’t offer financial aid, so it’s either pay OOP or get tuition reimbursement from your employer. I would be paying OOP. I’ll be able to design and implement adult learning and training programs. It’s a private Christian college but no religious courses or credits are required for their Master’s programs and it doesn’t ever seem to come up in their syllabi or course descriptions.
Northwestern State's M.A. in Adult Education is a 33 credit degree program. Tuition is on a pyramid structure so the more you take the less it costs per credit, but it's about $150-$170/credit. It's a public state school.
**I’ll still get to teach, just adults. One way or the other, I’ll end up teaching. I’m “hedging my bets” and covering myself either way, and whichever way it takes me is fine. I’m 27 and have plenty of years to do both. Bonus is, I won't be in debt this way, so I have that on my side.**
Your Grad School - OnMyWay - 11-07-2008
Cool thread!
I'm currently working on a Master's in Public Administration with a concentration in Health Policy at American Military University (NA & RA). I choose this school because it had the program I wanted that could be completed quickly at a fantastic price - $250 per credit hour. I will graduate in August of 2009 (with the help of 3 classes of transfer credit). I am also set up to start my Master's in Social Work at Ohio State in September 2009 - hopefully I can add more about that later. My ultimate goal is a government job in social services policy administration.
American Public University System (AMU & APU)
First, there is no difference between the schools. The classes are exactly the same and people enrolled in AMU and APU are in classes together.
I love the fact that you have a nice selection of classes within each program. There is usually something for everyone. This helps make the classes more enjoyable
The curriculum is engaging, class conversation is good. The classes are not easy but the work is doable. There is a lot of reading but the textbooks are enjoyable! *Definitely pick something you're interested in for graduate studies.*
The customer service is great! I've asked many questions and received helpful answers. There is a forum where you can hang out with your classmates, network, and even get help from faculty. It's been a really good experience for me so far. No school is perfect, but I don't have anything negative to say about APUS.
Your Grad School - dc67 - 11-07-2008
This is a great topic. I am just trying to finish up a BS but I have been thinking of a Masters after that. It is good to get as much information as possible.
Doug
Your Grad School - bat21 - 11-08-2008
I have taken several upper level classes with them, and they are pretty military friendly and very receptive to the students.
I was looking into their MA program as well, but Liberty is quicker with 8 week class sessions.
Your Grad School - OnMyWay - 11-09-2008
Graduate classes at AMU are 8 weeks, only the undergraduate classes are 16 weeks.
Your Grad School - Professor_Adam - 11-09-2008
I'm finishing my bachelor's at EC in December...conferral in February. I plan on going for my master's at Excelsior in March or April. Has anyone here taken graduate level courses at EC? Any advice or wisdom is appreciated! Thanks.
Your Grad School - bat21 - 11-09-2008
I have not taken any EC classes, I do hear that they are very "writing Intensive" and on the expensive side.
I would shop around for classes or, find a cheap "Grad Program". I have seen quite a few out there.
Andrew Jackson University which is NA has a good sponsorship program for tuition going on right now, and they are a very decent school.