Advice on exam based IT/IS degree

[siersema]

As an Excelsior student, I too would recommend them. In regards to your question the three schools in question would be; Excelsior, Charter Oak State College, and Thomas Edison State College.

I can only speak for Excelsior (and even the only to a point), so here goes. Your broad choices for an IT related degree at Excelsior are BS in CIS (not sure if they still allow new students in this program), BS in IT, BS in MIS, and BS in Liberal Studies with a focus in Computer Information Sciences. (Also BA’s for much of above if you prefer)

Like libartsmgr I too started in another program (BS IT) and moved to a Liberal Arts program. I’m currently working on, and nearly finished with, a BS in Liberal Studies with a focus on Computer Information Sciences & Psychology. I moved for a few reasons; Faster completion time, lower costs, the ability to test out of the rest of my degree, and the ability to focus in multiple areas. I’m now looking into a few MS programs in IT, IT Management, or related field.

All of the Excelsior programs now require that you take a 1 credit Information Literacy course. This course is nothing more than a few exams online (and very easy to boot), so if you want to consider it a ‘course’ or an exam that's up to you.

As for testing out of the rest of the programs:

At one time you could with the BS CIS (I think they may have replaced this program with BS IT, so I don't know if it's open to new students). I don’t know for sure with the BS MIS (BMI), however from the catalog it looks like it might be doable. The BS IT can’t be tested out of (one of the reasons I transferred programs) on top of some interesting course requirements that exams don’t yet exist for the BS IT also requires a project at the end of the course. As for the BSLS with a CIS focus you shouldn’t have a problem testing out of everything (plus the Info Literacy course above). Excelsior seems to have a larger focus on IT than COSC or TESC, but that may just be my perception. Hopefully someone from one of those schools can relay some info on their IT programs. I’d recommend you contact Excelsior, and the other schools, with this question and see what they say.