Many working professionals who never earned a college diploma seek academic degree programs because of the career advancements such degrees afford.
However, the problem for students is this: academic programs many times offer courses in subjects and skill sets which have already been mastered on-the-job, forcing professional students to waste both time and money learning subjects they already know.
Fortunately, there are legitimate programs which will honor a student's work experience either with credit reductions or competency-based examinations. Unfortunately, the proliferation of illegitimate and illegal diploma mills which sell degrees as though they are baked goods has made it difficult for students to discern which programs are legitimate.
This article offers advice on how to find accredited, legitimate college life experience degree programs, and the warning signs to look for in programs which are illegal or a scam.
Life Experience Degrees – Competency-based Education
There are several accredited schools which offer work experience degree programs that are competency-based.
Competency-based programs allow students to use their work experience to earn degrees quickly by providing students with opportunities to demonstrate mastery of the required knowledge and skills.
This is how a competency-based program works: students are provided with a portfolio of skills that they must master in order to earn a degree, and are provided with extensive learning materials meant to teach those skills. Professional students who already have mastery over the skills needed to complete a degree can immediately, after enrolling, begin demonstrating that mastery by taking (and hopefully passing) competency examinations.
One of the primary benefits of most competency-based degrees which offer college life experience degree opportunities is that they are not credit-based, meaning there are no classes in which students must enroll.
One of the finest competency-based schools is Western Governors University, which is a non-profit online university supported by 19 state governors and accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
Work Experience Degree – Credit Reductions
A number of on-campus and online universities will offer students credit reductions for verified and demonstrated work experience in a relevant field. One example of this is Globe University, a Minnesota-based business school which offers students decreased credit loads for work experience in business. (Those who have extensive professional experience, and who receive large reductions, are in essence given the opportunity to earn a college life experience degree).
Adult students should also keep in mind that a number of established, state universities provide students with the ability to petition for credit reductions or credit for courses which offer skills that have already been acquired on the job.
A prime example of this is Purdue University, which allows some students to take the final examination for courses they've never attended.
College Life Experience Degree – Scams and Fraud
How can a student discern whether a school which offers a work experience degree or a life experience degree is fraudulent? Easy: the only thing demanded of the student is money. There are no tests, no courses, and no verification that a student has mastery over skills.
Additionally, illegal diploma mills which offer college life experience degree programs will have no accreditation from a recognized board or organization.
Schools offering life experience degrees are likely illegitimate (and illegal) if they:
- Offer something for nothing (other than money). No legitimate college offers a degree without some way of making sure a student has mastered the necessary material;
- Have no accreditation from a board recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
There are a number of legitimate schools which advertise online, and students are encouraged to ask such schools whether they have accreditation and how exactly they translate work experience into a degree.
Life Experience Degrees – Benefits
College life experience degree and work experience degree programs founded on competency-based models and course credit reductions offer students legitimate ways in which to translate professional experience into an academic degree.
Students are encouraged to closely examine schools when deciding where to learn. For online schools which give credit for experience, see also:
David Harris-Gershon - David Harris-Gershon – a blogger for Tikkun magazine and a freelance writer on Israel, the Middle East and America’s role in ...
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