Work Experience College Degrees

Work experience degrees are the ideal solution for professionals who want to apply hard-earned, practical business acumen towards a university degree. Such a degree means that a wide range of learned skills can be applied to the transcript, including community service, workshops, conferences, seminars, licensures, certifications, military service, and any specialized training. It's more efficient and cost-effective for the student, but not all colleges want to make exceptions. The best opportunity for a work experience college degree is in how well one communicates their expertise to the school. Here are three principals to keep in mind.

First, all universities of merit are bound by policies and procedures for accreditation. Some education websites bear false promises for a degree claiming easy, fast, affordable credits for life experiences. But unaccredited degrees are generally less respected than those from universities that have completed a rigorous accreditation process. Universities may desire to issue life attained degrees, but not if it undermines their commitment to high quality academic standards for which they are broadly governed and financed. Colleges that look more at competency-based learning rather than classroom credit hours may be more willing to consider a request for work experience degrees. This allows the student to speed past simplistic coursework, disengage from courses designed for high school graduates and bring experiential wisdom onto campus--benefits that make a work experience college degree ideal for both student and university.

Second, a request for a work experience college degree may be valid, but it won't be relevant unless the student can demonstrate how it directly relates to course curriculum. Try to use standardized terms to help the university see how a degree incorporating personal work experience easily aligns with academic requirements. Personal life situations encountered and additional training may already have an academic equivalency. The American Council on Education recommends college credit for many corporate training programs. The trend to issue work experience degrees may be growing since students over the age of 25 make up 47 percent of the overall campus population. With careful record-keeping, a student can accelerate the review process at a time when colleges are more inclined to approve nontraditional coursework.

Third, it's the student's responsibility to verify the skills they've attained. This requires a portfolio of documentation, references, achievements, and awards. Proof through a strong supportive portfolio is not easy to prepare but the reward might save one third of the overall tuition. Overqualified students can also test out of classes by taking recognized exams like general and specific subject CLEP tests, DANTES Subject Standardized tests, College Board Advanced Placement tests, and more. Personal work experience college degrees can also be consolidated through "credit banking" services which will itemize the graduate's entire work and academic experience on one transcript. With this kind of forethought and determined effort, work experience degree will genuinely---and more accurately---reflect unique qualifications. "Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old" (Matthew 13:52).

Add to: File Insurance Business article Teen Photo Images