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U.S. Info About Nontraditional Degrees
U.S. Info About Nontraditional Degrees
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So, you think college is no place for adults? Think
again.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, the
percentage of 25- to 34-year olds enrolled as college undergraduates increased
by nearly one-third between 1972 and 1994. In the even shorter period between
1976 and 1994, the percentage of undergraduates age 35 and older increased by
about one-third.
Students returning to school as adults bring more
varied experience to their studies than do the teenagers who begin college
shortly after graduating from high school. As a result, there are numerous
programs for students with nontraditional learning curves. Hundreds of colleges
and universities grant degrees to people who cannot attend classes at a regular
campus or have already learned what the college is supposed to
teach. |
You can earn nontraditional education credits in
many ways:
- Passing standardized exams,
- Demonstrating knowledge gained through
experience,
- Completing campus-based coursework, and
- Taking courses off-campus.
Some methods of assessing learning for credit are
objective, such as standardized tests. Others are more subjective, such as a
review of life experiences.
With some help from four hypothetical
characters-Alice, Vin, Lynette, and Jorge- this article describes nontraditional
ways of earning educational credit. It begins by describing programs in which
you can earn a high school diploma without spending 4 years in a classroom. The
college picture is more complicated, so it is presented in two parts: one on
gaining credit for what you know through course work or experience, and a second
on college degree programs. The final section lists resources for locating more
information. The steps you need to take to turn your educational dreams into a
diploma or degree are outlined in the accompanying box, "Roadmap to a
Degree." |
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Earning High School
Credit |
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People who were prevented from finishing high school
as teenagers have several options if they want to do so as adults. Some major
cities have back-to-school programs that allow adults to attend high school
classes with current students. But the more practical alternatives for most
adults are to take the General Educational Development (GED) tests or to earn a
high school diploma by demonstrating their skills or taking correspondence
classes.
Of course, these options do not match the experience
of staying in high school and graduating with one's friends. But they are viable
alternatives for adult learners committed to meeting and, often, continuing
their educational goals.
GED Program
Alice quit high school her sophomore year and took a
job to help support herself, her younger brother, and their newly widowed
mother. Now an adult, she wants to earn her high school diploma-and then go on
to college. Because her job as head cook and her family responsibilities keep
her busy during the day, she plans to get a high school equivalency diploma. She
will study for, and take, the GED tests. Every year, about half a million adults
earn their high school credentials this way. A GED diploma is accepted in lieu
of a high school one by more than 90 percent of employers, colleges, and
universities, so it is a good choice for someone like Alice.
The GED testing program is sponsored by the American
Council on Education and State and local education departments. It consists of
examinations in five subject areas: Writing, science, mathematics, social
studies, and literature and the arts. The tests also measure skills such as
analytical ability, problem solving, reading comprehension, and ability to
understand and apply information. Most of the questions are multiple choice; the
writing test includes an essay section on a topic of general
interest.
Eligibility rules for taking the exams vary, but
some States require that you must be at least 18. Tests are given in English,
Spanish, and French. In addition to standard print, versions in large print,
Braille, and audiocassette are also available. Total time allotted for the tests
is 7 ? hours.
The GED tests are not easy. About one-fourth of
those who complete the exams every year do not pass. Passing scores are
established by administering the tests of graduating high school seniors. The
minimum standard score is set so that about one- third of graduating seniors
would not pass the tests if they took them.
Because of the difficulty of the tests, people need
to prepare themselves to take them. Often, they start by taking the Official GED
Practice Tests, usually available through a local adult education center.
Centers are listed in your phone book's blue pages under "Adult Education,"
"Continuing Education," or "GED." Adult education centers also have information
about GED preparation classes and self-study materials. Classes are generally
arranged to accommodate adults' work schedules. Study materials are available in
libraries, schools, and bookstores, in addition to adult education centers. A
television series, "GED on TV," is broadcast on many public television stations;
call 1 (800) 354-9067 to find out which channel in your area carries
it.
School districts, colleges, adult education centers,
and community organizations have information about GED testing schedules and
practice tests. For more information, contact them, your nearest GED testing
center, or
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Skills Demonstration
Adults who have acquired high school level skills
through experience might be eligible for the National External Diploma Program.
This alternative to the GED does not involve any direct instruction. Instead,
adults seeking a high school diploma must demonstrate mastery of 65 competencies
in 8 general areas: Communication; computation; occupational preparedness; and
self, social, consumer, scientific, and technological awareness.
Mastery is shown through completion of the tasks.
For example, a participant could improve competency in computation by measuring
a room for carpeting, figuring out the amount of carpet needed, and computing
the cost.
Before being accepted for the program, adults
undergo an evaluation. Tests taken at one of the program's offices measure
reading, writing, and mathematics abilities. A take-home segment includes a
self-assessment of current skills, and individual skill evaluation, and an
occupational interest and aptitude test.
Adults accepted for the program have weekly meetings
with an assessor. At the meeting, the assessor reviews the participant's work
from the previous week. If the task has not been completed properly, the
assessor explains the mistake. Participants continue to correct their errors
until they master each competency. A high school diploma is awarded upon proven
mastery of all 65 competencies.
Correspondence and Distance Study
Vin dropped out of high school during his junior
year because his family's frequent moves made it difficult for him to continue
his studies. He promised himself at the time he dropped out that he would
someday finish the courses needed for his diploma. For people like Vin, who
prefer to earn a traditional diploma in a nontraditional way, there are about a
dozen accredited courses of study for earning a high school diploma by
correspondence, or distance study. The programs are either privately run,
affiliated with a university, or administered by a State education
department.
Distance study diploma programs have no residency
requirements, allowing students to continue their studies from almost any
location. Depending on the course of study, students need not be enrolled full
time and usually have more flexible schedules for finishing their work.
Selection of courses ranges from vo-tech to college prep, and some programs
place different emphasis on the types of diplomas offered. University affiliated
schools, for example, allow qualified students to take college courses along
with their high school ones. Students can then apply the college credits toward
a degree at that university or transfer them to another institution.
Taking courses by distance study is often more
challenging and time consuming than attending classes, especially for adults who
have other obligations. Success depends on each student's motivation. Students
usually do reading assignments on their own. Written exercises, which they
complete and send to an instructor for grading, supplement their reading
material. |
| ROADMAP TO A DEGREE
1. Determine Where You Are
What credits do you
have?
What non-college courses have you taken?
What skills do you
have?
2. Determine Where You Want To Go
Field of
study?
Kind of degree?
3. Determine How To Get There
Traditional
Program
Nontraditional Program
4. Determine What You Need To Do
Transfer
credits?
Take exams?
Have experience evaluated?
Take new
courses? |
Getting College Credit For What You
Know
Adults can receive college credit for prior
coursework, by passing examinations, and documenting experiential learning. With
help from a college advisor, nontraditional students should assess their skills,
establish their educational goals, and determine the number of college credits
they might be eligible for.
Even before you meet with a college advisor, you
should collect all your school and training records. Then, make a list of all
knowledge and abilities acquired through experience, no matter how irrelevant
they seem to your chosen field. Next, determine your educational goals: What
specific field do you wish to study? What kind of a degree do you want? Finally,
determine how your past work fits into the field of study. Later on, you will
evaluate educational programs to find one that's right for
you. |
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Credit For Prior College Coursework
When Lynette was in college during the 1970s, she
attended several different schools and took a variety of courses. She did well
in some classes and poorly in others. Now that she is a successful business
owner and has more focus, Lynette thinks she should forget about her previous
coursework and start from scratch. Instead, she should start from where she
is.
Lynette should have all her transcripts sent to the
colleges or universities of her choice and let an admissions officer determine
which classes are applicable toward a degree. A few credits here and there may
not seem like much, but they add up. Even if the subjects do not seem relevant
to any major, they might be counted as elective credits toward a degree. And
comparing the costs of transcripts with the cost of college courses, it makes
sense to spend a few dollars per transcript for a chance to save hundreds, and
perhaps thousands of dollars in books and tuition.
Rules for transferring credits apply to all prior
coursework at accredited colleges and universities, whether done on campus or
off. Courses completed off campus, often called extended learning, include those
available to students through independent study and correspondence. Many schools
have extended learning programs; Brigham Young University, for example, offers
more than 300 courses through its Department of Independent Study. One type of
extended learning is distance learning, a form of correspondence study by
technological means such as television, video and audio, CD- ROM, electronic
mail, and computer tutorials. See the Resources section at the end of this
article for more information about publications available from the National
University Continuing Education Association. |
Any previously learned college credits should be
considered for transfer, no matter what the subject or the grade received. Many
schools do not accept the transfer of courses graded below a C or ones taken
more than a designated number of years ago. Some colleges and universities also
have limits on the number of credits that can be transferred and applied toward
a degree.
To assign credit for prior coursework, most schools
require original transcripts. This means you must complete a form or send a
written signed request to have your transcripts released directly to a college
or university. Once you have chosen the schools you want to apply to, contact
the schools you attended before. Find out how much each transcript costs, and
ask them to send your transcripts to the ones you are applying to. Write a
letter that includes your name (and names used during attendance, if different)
and dates of attendance, along with the names and addresses of the schools to
which your transcripts should be sent. Include payment and mail to the registrar
at the schools you have attended. The registrar's office will process your
request and send an official transcript of your coursework to the colleges or
universities you have designated. |
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Credit For Non College Courses |
There is no guarantee you will receive all the
credits you are seeking-but you certainly won't if you make no
attempt. |
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Credit By Examination
Standardized tests are the best known method of
receiving college credit without taking courses. These exams are often taken by
high school students seeking advanced placement for college, but they are also
available to adult learners. Testing programs and colleges and universities
offer exams in a number of subjects. Two U.S. Government institutes have foreign
language exams for employees that also may be worth college credit.
It is important to understand that receiving a
passing score on these exams does not mean you get college credit automatically.
Each school determines which test results it will accept, minimum scores
required, how scores are converted for credit, and the amount of credit, if any,
to be assigned. |
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Colleges and universities. Many colleges and
universities have credit-by-exam programs, through which students earn credit by
passing a comprehensive exam for a course offered by the institution.
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Credit For Experience
Experiential learning credit may be given for
knowledge gained through job responsibilities, personal hobbies, volunteer
opportunities, homemaking, and other experiences. Colleges and universities base
credit awards on the knowledge you have attained, not for the experience alone.
In addition, the knowledge must be college level; not just any learning will do.
Throwing horseshoes as a hobby is not likely to be worth college credit. But if
you've done research on how and where the sport originated, visited blacksmiths,
organized tournaments, and written a column for a trade journal-well, that's a
horseshoe of a different color.
Adults attempting to get credit for their
experience should be forewarned: Having your experience evaluated for college
credit is time-consuming, tedious work-not an easy shortcut for people who want
quick-fix college credits. And not all experience, no matter how valuable, is
the equivalent of college courses.
Requesting college credit for your experiential
learning can be tricky. You should get assistance from a credit evaluations
officer at the school you plan to attend, but you should also have a general
idea of what your knowledge is worth. A common method for converting knowledge
into credit is to use a college catalog. Find course titles and descriptions
that match what you have learned through experience, and request the number of
credits offered for those courses.
Once you know what credit to ask for, you must
usually present your case in writing to officials at the college you plan to
attend. The most common form of presenting experiential learning for credit is
the portfolio. A portfolio is a written record of your knowledge along with a
request for equivalent college credit. It includes an identification and
description of the knowledge for which you are requesting credit, an explanatory
essay of how the knowledge was gained and how it fits into your educational
plans, documentation that you have acquired such knowledge, and a request for
college credit. Required elements of a portfolio vary by schools but generally
follow those guidelines.
In identifying knowledge you have gained, be
specific about exactly what you have learned. For example, it is not enough for
Lynette to say she runs a business. She must identify the knowledge she has
gained from running it, such as personnel management, tax law, marketing
strategy, and inventory review. She must also include brief descriptions about
her knowledge of each to support her claims of having those
skills.
The essay gives you a chance to relay something
about who you are. It should address your educational goals, include relevant
autobiographical details, and be well organized, neat, and convey confidence. In
his essay, Jorge might first state his goal of becoming an engineer. Then he
would explain why he joined the Army, where he got hands-on training and
experience in developing and servicing electronic equipment. This, he would say,
led to his hobby of creating remote-controlled model cars, of which he has built
20. His conclusion would highlight his accomplishments and tie them to his
desire to become an electronic engineer.
Documentation is evidence that you've learned
what you claim to have learned. You can show proof of knowledge in a variety of
ways, including audio or video recordings, letters from current or former
employers describing your specific duties and job performance, blueprints,
photographs or art work, and transcripts of certifying exams for professional
licenses and certification-such as Alice's certification from the American
Culinary Federation. Although documentation can take many forms, written proof
alone is not always enough. If it is impossible to document your knowledge in
writing, find out if your experiential learning can be assessed through
supplemental oral exams by a faculty expert.
The methods described above are merely an
overview; the process itself is much more involved. |
Earning a College Degree
Nontraditional students often have work, family,
and financial obligations that prevent them from quitting their jobs to attend
school full time. Can they still meet their educational goals?
Yes.
More than 150 accredited colleges and
universities have nontraditional bachelor's degree programs that require
students to spend little or no time on campus; over 300 others have
non-traditional campus-based degree programs. Some of those schools, as well as
most junior and community colleges, offer associate's degrees nontraditionally.
Each school with a nontraditional course of study determines its own rules for
awarding credit for prior coursework, exams, or experience, as discussed
previously. Most have charges on top of tuition for providing these special
services.
To determine which school best fits your academic
profile and educational goals, first list your criteria. Then, evaluate
nontraditional programs. Once you have chosen several schools to explore
further, write to them for more information. Detailed explanations of school
policies should help you decide which ones you want to apply to.
After you have thoroughly investigated each
prospective college or university, you can make an informed decision about which
is right for you.
Accreditation
Accreditation is a process colleges and
universities submit to voluntarily for getting their credentials.
Regional agencies accredit entire schools, and
professional agencies accredit either specialized schools or departments within
schools. There are no national accrediting standards.
Because accreditation is not mandatory, lack of
accreditation does not necessarily mean a school or program is bad. Some schools
choose not to apply for accreditation, are in the process of applying, or have
educational methods too unconventional for an accrediting association's
standards. |
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Program Features
Because nontraditional students have diverse
educational objectives, nontraditional schools are diverse in what they offer.
Some programs are geared toward helping students organize their scattered
educational credits to get a degree as quickly as possible. Others cater to
those who may have specific credits or experience but need assistance in
completing requirements. Whatever your educational profile, you should look for
a program that works with you in obtaining your educational goals.
A few nontraditional programs have special
admissions policies for adult learners like Alice, who plan to earn their GED's
but want to enroll in college in the meantime. Other features of nontraditional
programs include individualized learning agreements, intensive academic
counseling, cooperative learning and internship placement, and waiver of some
prerequisites or other learning requirements-as well as college credit for prior
coursework, examinations, and experiential learning, all discussed
previously.
Lynette, whose primary goal is to finish her degree,
wants to earn maximum credits for her business experience. She will look for
programs that will not limit the number of credits awarded for equivalency exams
and experiential learning. And since well documented proof of knowledge is
essential for earning experiential learning credits, Lynette should make sure
the program she chooses provides assistance to students submitting a
portfolio.
Jorge, on the other hand, has more credits than he
needs in certain areas and is willing to forego some. To become an engineer, he
must have a bachelor's degree; but because he is accustomed to hands-on
learning, Jorge is interested in getting experience as he gains more technical
skills. He will concentrate on finding schools with strong cooperative
education, supervised fieldwork, or internship programs.
Residency Requirements
Programs are sometimes deemed nontraditional because
of their residency requirements. Many people think of residency for colleges and
universities of terms of tuition, with in- State students paying less than
out-of-state ones. Residency also may refer to where a student lives, either on
or off campus, while attending school. |
But in nontraditional education, residency usually
refers to how much time students must spend on campus, regardless of whether
they attend classes there. In some nontraditional programs, need not ever step
foot on campus. Others require only a very short residency, such as 1 day or a
few weeks. Many schools have standard residency requirements of several
semesters but schedule classes for evenings or weekends to accommodate working
adults.
Lynette, who previously took courses by independent
study, prefers to earn credits by distance study. She will focus on schools that
have no residency requirement. Several colleges and universities have
nonresident degree completion programs for adults with some college credit.
Under the direction of a faculty advisor, students devise a plan for earning
their remaining credits. Methods for earning credits include independent study,
distance learning, seminars, supervised field-work, and group study at arranged
sites. Students may have to earn a certain number of credits through the
degree-granting institution. But many programs allow students to take courses at
accredited schools of their choice for transfer toward their degree.
Alice wants to attend lectures but has an
unpredictable schedule. Her best course of action will be to seek out short
residency programs that require students to attend seminars once or twice a
semester. She can take courses that are televised and videotape them to watch
when her schedule permits, with the seminars helping to ensure that she properly
completes her coursework. Many colleges and universities with short residency
requirements also permit students to earn some credits elsewhere, by whatever
means the student chooses.
Some fields of study require classroom instruction.
As Jorge will discover, few colleges and universities allow students to earn a
bachelor's degree in engineering entirely through independent study.
Nontraditional residency programs are designed to accommodate adults' daytime
work schedules. Jorge should look for programs offering evening, weekend,
summer, and accelerated courses. |
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Tuition and Other Expenses
The final decision about which schools Alice, Jorge,
and Lynette attend may hinge in large part on a single issue: Cost. And rising
tuition is only part of the equation. Beginning with application fees and
continuing through graduation fees, college expenses add up.
Traditional and nontraditional students have some
expenses in common, such as the cost of books and other materials. Tuition might
even be the same for some courses, especially for colleges and universities
offering standard ones at unusual times. But for nontraditional programs,
students may also pay fees for services such as credit or transcript review,
evaluation, advisement, and portfolio assessment.
Students are also responsible for postage and
handling or setup expenses for independent study courses, as well as for all
examination and transcript fees for transferring credits. Usually, the more
nontraditional the program, the more detailed the fees. Some schools charge a
yearly enrollment fee rather than tuition for degree completion candidates who
want their files to remain active. |
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