Northern Arizona University Launches Competency-Based Online Degree Program

[Beate]

I'm not seeing how many transfer credits they accept in total, just that they accept 64 CC credits. Does anyone know how many they'll take in total?

My guess is 90, as

"At least 30 units of coursework taken through Northern Arizona University, of which at least 18 must be upper-division courses (300-level or above). This requirement is not met by credit-by-exam, retro-credits, transfer coursework, etc."

         Northern Arizona University | Standard Page

[sanantone]

The information packet also states this: "Prior learning in an academic environment, not life experience, is the basis for awarding transfer credit. You may be awarded no more than 35 credit hours using methods recommended by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) and the American Council on Education (ACE)."


Only 35 ACE credits

This program was modeled heavily on WGU's program.
It was started with a $1mil Grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
3 degree offerings right now. Liberal Arts, Computer Information Systems, and Small Business Administration (All Bach of Arts).

Only major question I have about this program is what about financial aid? I have looked through the packet, the FAQ's, and the "affordability" section, and I have yet to see anything about financial aid.

Do ACE credits include CLEP and DSST? I'm just downloading the packet now. WGU has the upper-hand on technology degrees since the cost of certifications are included in the tuition. Hopefully, NAU is not like WGU in that you can't add any tests to your plan once it's been finalized. Several months ago, someone on here posted about the University of Wisconsin system starting a competency-based system. Texas A&M, Commerce is also working on competency-based degrees. There might be a couple of others, but I can't remember who they are. WGU is a pioneer for these kinds of degrees, but I would definitely prefer to earn a degree at a college that scream online only right on its home page.

[sanantone]

I already spotted some things I don't like and would push me to WGU or elsewhere if I were looking for this kind of degree program. It looks like you have to score an 86% to pass a subject. That isn't too bad, but it also looks like that is recorded as a "B." You need a 95% to get an "A." It also looks like you can't use financial aid. The information packet talks about payment plans and accepted credit cards, but it says nothing about financial aid.

[taylor]

This program is self-paced so there is a possibility it could be completed in 6 months, but I would caution you to begin with that expectation. The curriculum is rigorous and you would have at minimum the 54 units of major coursework to complete this degree.

The above is the response I got from NAU. 54 units?!! That's way more than I was expecting. The response says it can be done in 6 months but I have a feeling that's not realistic, even 12 months would seem like a huge stretch to me. But I have no experience in competency based format, so who am I to say it can't be done.

FYI I noticed NAU has a lot of other online degrees that aren't competency based. Anybody have experience with them?

[VGreene]

Everyone’s concerns got me worried about enrolling in Personalized Learning. I wrote NAU yesterday, and I received a response this morning. Here are the highlights of the email:

--Students can transfer 64 credits. If your credits are ACE, then NAU only accepts 35.

--Students cannot fail. Tests can be taken numerous times in order to reach competency. In other words, the lowest grade you can get is 85%.

--Financial Aid isn’t yet available for Personalized Learning, but it sounds like NAU’s working really hard at getting it for this program.

[sanantone]

Getting a B on everything is still terrible. If you pass a test, are you allowed to take it again to try to achieve an A? A 95% in order to get an A is rather high. Since it's competency based, isn't your grade on each course dependent upon one or two tests or projects? I'd rather have no grade than a 3.0 GPA. 64 units of transfer is low. There are too many programs that will accept up to 75% transfer credits.

[taylor]

--Students cannot fail. Tests can be taken numerous times in order to reach competency. In other words, the lowest grade you can get is 85%.

I actually like this part. But I agree with sanantone the transfer credits seem too low. However, if 54 units can indeed be completed in 6 months (2500 bucks) or at most a year (5000 bucks) while working full time, maybe still worth it for a B&M. But I'm still not sold on it because the format is still murky to me.

[Daithi]

I sent them the following email. I'll post their response when I hear back.

I am interested in the details of your new degree program. I am currently a software developer with over 20 years experience but no degree. I have recently started taking CLEP tests and ACE approved courses for credit. My plans had been to enroll in Thomas Edison State College once I had completed most of their degree requirements through CBEs (i.e. CLEP, DSST, ACE approved courses, etc.). Now that I have seen your program I am very interested in getting more details.

1) Is there a limit on the number of credits you accept through CLEP, DSST, and ACE approved courses?
2) What are the specific courses that you require in order to earn a BA in Computer Information Technology?
3) Are all of these courses available online?

I am a veteran and can take CLEP and DSST tests for free. I really would like to maximize as many of these courses as possible. I have also already taken several ACE approved courses from Straighterline and ALEKS, and don't want to waste those credit either. Lastly, I'd like to get as many of these non-NAU courses out of the way before enrolling in your courses. My goal would be to finish the remaining NAU courses as quickly as possible (hopefully within 6 months).

[sanantone]

I sent them an email for clarification on their grading system. It sounds difficult to maintain a high GPA in their program. A guaranteed 3.0 GPA for passing is not enough for competitive graduate programs.

[Daithi]

Someone had asked if NAU accepts FEMA courses. I believe they do, but indirectly. From reading through their Info Packet it states--

If you have an associate degree, or 64 transferable units, your minor requirements in a NAU-Personalized Learning degree program are waived. An Associate of Applied Science (AAS) will waive the requirements for a minor except where precluded by program policy.

so if you earn the COSC AS degree laid out by Rebel100 then it looks like NAU would just accept the degree. This would be pretty sweet because as Rebel100 points out, you can earn that AS degree for about $1,500. If you can earn the BA from NAU for another $2,500 then the total costs for your degrees is only $4,000. With all the money you have saved on your undergrad degree, you can go get that Masters in Computer Science from Georgia Tech via Udacity for only $7,000 more.

Unfortunately, the response I got back on the email I sent NAU was just a form letter response that answered none of my questions. Their website also sucks. You can't even view the requirements for their Computer degree because links are broken or return errors when connecting to a back end database. I think I'll try calling them today, but so far I haven't been too impressed.