Gordon Said:

are excelsior college and pheonix online diploma mills?

We Answered:

Excelsior is accredited, and so in no way is a diploma mill. I admit to being skeptical of online programs (who knows who is doing the work), but I trust the accreditation organizations to deal with this.

If by Phoenix you mean the University of Phoenix, they are accredited as well, but lack accreditation for some of their programs. There is an active anti-UoP bias in the industry.

Raymond Said:

Im trying to find out if excelsior college courses transfer to cleveland state university?

We Answered:

Decisions on which courses to accept from other programs are usually made by the admissions department on an individual, or case-by-case basis when the named courses are submitted with an application. But, unless the course, the course material, and the college are well known to the university you are applying to, the chances are that previous course work will not be accepted. If the previous school is well known and their curriculum is respected, the previous work will be accepted if it fits with the degree program of the applicant school.

Henry Said:

TIPS FOR ONLINE EXCELSIOR COLLEGE?

We Answered:

You can easily compare info about these schools in this site - schools.iblogger.org

Bonnie Said:

im 26 and going to the navy but want a degree when i get out.out. Is online college the best way to go l?

We Answered:

Excelsior and Thomas Edison (and Charter Oak State College) are not [as importantly] online colleges - they're [most uniquely] assessment colleges. Offering online classes is something they've started doing fairly recently but it's a small part of what makes them valuable to military people. Their real function is to assess transcripts from many sources and offer a plan to complete the degree. They just happen to now also offer online courses.

Don't think of these three as "online college" - think of them like a bank that you deposit course credit in. When you have enough credit deposited to meet the degree requirements, you "withdraw" your degree.

Summarily ignore much of what you hear about what you should do from civilians - they can't possibly understand the unique situation. They think they can, but they can't. This includes family and friends that aren't veterans. Every military installation has an education officer that is the local expert on such matters. That's the person to listen to.

The BIG advantage that the "Big Three" offer military people is that they will accept transfer credit from any regionally accredited college, CLEP/DANTES/ECE/AP/etc... exams, and military service school credits. They don't have a transfer limit like almost every other college so you can transfer in (theoretically) 100% of your degree. Theoretically, you could test out of 100% of your degree though very few people would have the skills to do so.

The transfer limit is the problem most military people face that civilians don't grasp. Over the course of 6 years in the navy, you could well live in more than 6 places and attend college in each. We tend to never be anywhere long enough to meet the residency requirement (most require 30 hours at their school) to complete a degree but often have more than enough hours.

Then too - each school at each place you live will have just enough differences in degree requirements that there's always "one more class" that you need. I've taken "English 101" three times because of this. The "Big Three" solve this problem.

You could take classes anywhere you happen to be (or online from any accredited college) or take CLEP/DANTES exams (which are free for military people) and ultimately transfer all of that to one of these schools for the degree completion.

Online courses from these three providers are expensive. But, you could take online courses from the least expensive school you can find (http://elearningpundit.com/?p=493 see that table) and transfer them in. Many military people also use Brigham Young University and Louisiana State University for upper level online classes due to the low cost. Most public colleges extend in-state tuition to local military people so the local community or state college (in class or online) is very often a good choice.

If you do one of the Liberal Studies degrees then you will have incredible flexibility in your degree requirements as well.

Excelsior is the least expensive of the three. Charter Oak and Thomas Edison are state schools though and some people like that added credibility. All three are regionally accredited and well known in the military.

Excelsior's Associate of Applied Science in Administrative/Management Studies ( https://www.excelsior.edu/Excelsior_Coll… ) is a great program for military people to start with. It's very flexible and allows you to complete a short-term goal rather quickly.

Add: Charter Oak is only less expensive than Excelsior if you're only considering the cost of online classes. If you're doing your classes elsewhere - how much these charge per course doesn't matter. That initial year and continuing year service fee becomes really important in that case. ? Some additions for clarification are added in [brackets] above.

Pamela Said:

Are there other schools like Excelsior College where I can attain My ASN online? that are accreditated?

We Answered:

Unfortunately, no. Excelsior College is the ONLY on-line college through which you can earn an ASN *and then* be permitted to take the necessary exams -- like the NCLEX or any of the others -- leading the licensure. Any other on-line programs will not be accepted by testing or licensing commissions because they completely lack clinicals and other experiences that must be done in-person. (And, as a result, most of these on-line programs are scams.) So you can get an ASN on-line through various for-profit companies, but it will end up being virtually useless if you want actually work in nursing. Sorry. :(

I recommend seeking out a local in-person program instead. I know that it's getting harder and harder to be accepted to them due to demand, but it's better to wait for a legitimate program than to waste time on something else. Or, you can simply do Excelsior -- I've heard good things about them.

Jennie Said:

What do you think about earning an ASN from Excelsior College?

We Answered:

Excelsior College is well respected in many circles and especially in the military and government. There is a licensing issue in a couple states (California is one I believe) so be certain that Excelsior meets your needs.

The exams are very difficult - the study guides provided by EC are your best option. And remember, there is still the clinical component of the degree which you must arrange - you need access to a health care environment in order to be successful in this program.

It's a very good option for those who are already working in a primary health care setting who are advancing skills to nursing (resp. therapists, paramedics, military corpsmen/medics, etc...)

There are easier options if you're not in one of those professions. Your local community college for example.

Micheal Said:

Nursing, -- Excelsior college... can someone really receive their nursing degree online? Is this a reputable?

We Answered:

I for 1, got my RN degree from excesior, and i absolutely love it! i feel they prepared me well, and i'm lovong being an RN.

That being said, you have to be either a paramedic or an LPN already to get into excelsiors RN program, and there is a clinical. It is test out, and it's 3 days long.

Don't EVER let anyone tell you that a RN that got their schooling online is a bad nurse. Excelsior is accredited and they make sure you know your stuff before you get out.