FEMA credits

[nj593]

Hi all,
I have tried going through TESC to have them evaluate my FEMA courses that I have taken. They stated they will not even review them until i pay the 1500.00 tuition per year that I must pay. Need less to say I thought they reviewed them and they dont without paying. Does anyone know who I can talk to down their or give me a number with ext?
CCC offers this but I hear they went from $30.00 per eval of credit to $60.00.
Does anyone know of any new schools that are on board with eval of FEMA credits and that are cheap or maybe free to atleast eval them into credit?
thanks

[Donna709]

TESC will accept them as FREE ELECTIVES ONLY. The only exception to this is for certain majors ... I think Criminal Justice may be one of them (you may be able to have them count as more than FE then, I'm not quite certain though).

The reason they told you what they did is probably because they have reviewed your courses for your evaluation once (which was included in your application fee), but won't review them again until you are "officially" an enrolled student. It's kind of absurd, but they do not budge much on this policy.

When you are not an enrolled student, TESC can be difficult to deal with; however, they are very liberal with their tranfer policy.

Donna

[Donna709]

The process is FREE. TESC does not charge you anything to transfer them. Just make sure you do not go through Frederick CC. Just have FEMA send them to Thomas Edison when you are ready to enroll. I believe there is a form on their website for you to fax.

[gregjohnson]

FEMA credits
I asked the Admissions office about this subject for THESE TWO: Emergency Disaster Mgmt and the new Homeland Security degree that my wife is interested in. Here are the replies- **** I would say this still needs some clarification, ask your adviser*****

"Greg,
After checking with the assistant dean on this degree, there is NO limit on ACE or TESC evaluated FEMA courses in the BS.HSEP degree; they can be used as free electives. I hope this information helps and please let me know if you need any additional assistance in moving forward with this degree. Thank you.
Best regards,Caroline"

"Greg,
... For the EMS area of study, she would need to apply and submit a completed Practicum Review form. Please visit https://ssl.tesc.edu/practicum.php to submit this form online. The Practicum Review form, official job description and current resume are required of students applying to Human Services degree programs. The practicum work experience must be approved for students to pursue a Human Services degree program...... (ASPSS) and the Bachelor of Science in Human Services (BSHS) degrees were designed for students who have at least one year of current work experience (paid or volunteer) in the selected area of study at the time they apply to the College. Appropriate work experiences are required in order to complete the practicum requirements and the degree.The College will accept up to 25 FEMA credits and up to 90 credits of CLEP, DANTES or other tests.

I hope this information helps and please do not hesitate to contact me regarding additional information or assistance. Thank you.
Best regards,Caroline"

********Further verification advised*******
Again, I believe this applies only to the new Homeland Security degree-and I'm not sure about that! Check with your adviser. Greg

"From: James McCarty
Sent: Monday, March 23, 2009 9:03 AM
To: Caroline Tompkins
Subject: RE: Greg Johnson #xxxxxx

Caroline....since there is no prohibition against using any number of approved FEMA courses in electives, or free electives....this student can use whatever he/she has.

James M. Mc Carty
Assistant Dean
Heavin School of Arts and Sciences
Thomas Edison State College"

[Donna709]

Yes, those were the majors that had a different policy w/regard to the FEMA credits. Homeland Security and Disaster Mgmt. There could be others as well. But, in most instances, they can only be transferred to the Free Electives Space w/in your degree program ... they are usually not permitted to be used in other places.

[retake]

I have a question that's somewhat related.

I will be applying for both an ASBA and BSBA from TESC. I also plan on taking some courses at TESC and won't have all of the required credits for the BSBA until I complete those courses. As for the ASBA, I should have enough credits for it as soon as I apply. Does the TESC adviser reevaluate your credits when you are about to finish the bachelors?

For example, the ASBA only requires 6 humanities credits, but the BSBA requires 12. I should have 12 humanities credits by the time I apply for the ASBA, so I assume the other 6 credits could be applied towards the free elective requirements. However, when I apply for graduation for the BSBA, will those credits be redistributed back to fulfill the humanities requirements since I will have other credits that will fulfill the free elective requirements?

Sorry if I confused you.

[nj593]

I will let you know what they say again. I just sent them another email regarding this. Alot of you state that they will take them and review them. But the story im getting is extortion more or less telling me that they will review them only if I pay the fee of the tuition plan. So i dont know all i know is im sitting with well over 38 femas now that are useless and I dont have no $60.00 to pay per credit to Frederick.

Thanks to all though that have left feedback I will update you on this fiasco.
Any other thoughts please drop me a line.

[annegirl]

I'm not sure I understand what difficulty you're having with TESC. I can tell you that they accept up to 25 FEMAs for free elective credit. It is accepted raw, no transcripting through FCC required. If you go for a BSHS in Emergency Disaster Management you can use 15 FEMAs for your area of study.

[Donna709]

You are basically in a "Catch 22" situation, as they say. The "gatekeepers" that answer the phone won't let you speak to an advisor because you have not officially "enrolled" by paying your fee. They are not authorized to tell you if these credits will be accepted.

TESC will only evaluate your credits ONCE for the $75 application fee. That is probably why they are telling you you have to pay first.

I don't know what your major is, but from what I understand, IF you have free elective space, FEMA credits can be used to fulfill your free electives. Students have told me that; advisors have told me that; and I have personally used them myself in that area.

The thing that is really important is NOT to go through Frederick College. They will charge you. When you are ready to bring them over to TESC, just fill out the FEMA form and fax it to them. They will send your official FEMA transcript to TESC, who will post them.

Once you are an enrolled student, give TESC a list of the FEMA courses you want to go under free electives (they MUST be the ones that count as college credit). Ask them to put these on your evaluation under your free electives.

You must be very specific in telling TESC what you want done. They will not do it automatically. The best way to do this is to "submit a ticket" through their help system after you are enrolled. It provides a paper trail and it is less likely you will be given wrong information.

P.S. One final note: you might want to try choosing the option on voice mail for an enrolled student. You might get a sympathetic advisor who will speak to you for a few minutes, as a prospective student. The admissions people who answer the phone will never transfer you to one, but if you choose the option yourself, you can bypass them. I did this once or twice and was successful. Give it a try. The worse thing that can happen is that they say "no." ... and, you could of course try again! Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the oil!

Good Luck!

Donna

[nj593]

Great post Donna thank you I will try all these options
But yes I did pay the 75 thats why I was mad because now they keep telling me more and more money :>)

You are basically in a "Catch 22" situation, as they say. The "gatekeepers" that answer the phone won't let you speak to an advisor because you have not officially "enrolled" by paying your fee. They are not authorized to tell you if these credits will be accepted.

TESC will only evaluate your credits ONCE for the $75 application fee. That is probably why they are telling you you have to pay first.

I don't know what your major is, but from what I understand, IF you have free elective space, FEMA credits can be used to fulfill your free electives. Students have told me that; advisors have told me that; and I have personally used them myself in that area.

The thing that is really important is NOT to go through Frederick College. They will charge you. When you are ready to bring them over to TESC, just fill out the FEMA form and fax it to them. They will send your official FEMA transcript to TESC, who will post them.

Once you are an enrolled student, give TESC a list of the FEMA courses you want to go under free electives (they MUST be the ones that count as college credit). Ask them to put these on your evaluation under your free electives.

You must be very specific in telling TESC what you want done. They will not do it automatically. The best way to do this is to "submit a ticket" through their help system after you are enrolled. It provides a paper trail and it is less likely you will be given wrong information.

P.S. One final note: you might want to try choosing the option on voice mail for an enrolled student. You might get a sympathetic advisor who will speak to you for a few minutes, as a prospective student. The admissions people who answer the phone will never transfer you to one, but if you choose the option yourself, you can bypass them. I did this once or twice and was successful. Give it a try. The worse thing that can happen is that they say "no." ... and, you could of course try again! Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the oil!

Good Luck!

Donna