Fastest Ba/bs Earned By A Degree Info Member

[Dr. Gina]

Ok.....From Start to finish, who on this board has the record in earning their BA/BS in the shortest period of time?

Just curious...

[decimon]

Originally posted by Dr. Gina
Ok.....From Start to finish, who on this board has the record in earning their BA/BS in the shortest period of time?

Just curious...

Want to see me earn my BS?

Want to see it again?

[DBA with an MBA]

Originally posted by decimon

Want to see me earn my BS?

Want to see it again?

Ah, I see you used **Insert favorite word processor here** with a **Insert favorite color laser printer here**, just like me!

Cheers!
Rick

[roysavia]

Most colleges (DL and B&M) have a minimum time requirement on most programs. However, I have heard of cases where individuals have completed 120 credit hours in just over two years.
I'm looking at regionally accredited-GAAP schools only. With the SRU type schools, you can probably get your degree in 10 minutes.

[MarkIsrael@aol.com]

Here's the fastest legitimate BA that I know of:

Originally posted by John Bear at http://groups.google.com/groups?selm...29.ppp.lmi.net
It was far more common in the earlier years, when Regents gave 39 semester units for the GRE, so 3 GREs and one CLEP, for instance, would have been enough. [Regents College, now Excelsior College, originally awarded a flat 39 credits for a 35th-percentile score on a GRE subject exam. Such a score would be worth 3 credits today.]

It also used to be the case that the GRE was given every weekend in Washington. I once co-starred (so to speak) in an infomercial, in Arkansas, along with a National Guard Sergeant, who not only did his Regents BA with 3 GREs and a CLEP, but did it all in one weekend.

Here's the fastest legitimate BA I know of by a DegreeInfo member (I am sure somebody else will know of a faster one):

Originally posted by Steve Levicoff at http://groups.google.com/groups?selm....ix.netcom.com
For the curious, here's how I did my own B.A. in Humanities from Thomas Edison, earning 98 credits by portfolio, testing out of an additional 16 credits through TECEP and DANTES exams, and carrying in only six credits by previous coursework. Incidentally, even though I entered with only six credits, the whole ball of wax took me only a year and a half - with administrative and graduation paperwork included, I was in and out in 1 year and 10 months, and have never been turned down by a graduate program to which I've applied.

[roysavia]

Steve Levicoff? So that means he started his B.A. and finished his MA and doctorate in about 5 years!

[Randell1234]

Starting with an AA, I was able to complete my BS in 5 months combining two UoP classes with 16 exams. I completed 15 exams in 6 weeks and had to schedule the last one 5 weeks later.

Total time from AA to BS - 5 months.

[Tireman4]

Well,

At Thomas Edison, I tranferred in 117 credits from various schools that I attended. I then transferred a math class in one month. I then took my history test over the phone that took on hour from a professor at Rider University. The process from start to finish 8 months.

[airtorn]

Nobody has done it in four weeks?

[mojoehand]

Well, I haven't finished my BS yet, but here is my story. I was officially enrolled at Excelsior on 10 Nov 2003. After everything was evaluated, I had 73 credits. I took my first exam on 23 Dec 2003. I plan on taking my last exam no later than 1 Jun 2004 (16 exams in all, for 51 credits). After that, it's just a matter of waiting for Excelsior to process the paperwork for my diploma. If Excelsior doesn't take more than a month, I will have earned my BS in seven months, from enrollment to degree.

[Steve Levicoff]

Originally posted by roysavia
Steve Levicoff? So that means he started his B.A. and finished his MA and doctorate in about 5 years!

Moi? Perish the thought!

It was just under six years.

[Okay, let's see . . . I started TESC, carrying in only six credits, on 5/1/85 and graduated with the B.A. on 3/1/87. I spent the fall '87 semester in California, then returned east and started the M.A. program at Vermont College, then part of Norwich University, on 2/1/88. I presented my thesis in 1/89, then started the Ph.D. program at Union on 3/10/89 on contingent admission pending my graduation from Norwich which, after all administrative paperwork was done, was on 6/26/89 (thus converting my Union admission to full status). I graduated from Union 3/31/91. So the whole ball of wax from starting my bachelor's to graduating with the Ph.D. was 5 years, 11 months.]

Details, details . . .

[JJJ]

well, I enrolled @ TESC in December '03 with 0 credits, and completed my last 3 of the required 120 credit hours last week. The final tally was 1 online class, 4 TECEP exams (Thomas Edison's version of the CLEP) & the rest was CLEPs, so I guess it took about 2 & a half months.

[Dr. Gina]

Originally posted by JJJ
well, I enrolled @ TESC in December '03 with 0 credits, and completed my last 3 of the required 120 credit hours last week. The final tally was 1 online class, 4 TECEP exams (Thomas Edison's version of the CLEP) & the rest was CLEPs, so I guess it took about 2 & a half months.

Ok...A new Member in the lead! It makes the rest of us look old and slow!

[airtorn]

Originally posted by JJJ
well, I enrolled @ TESC in December '03 with 0 credits, and completed my last 3 of the required 120 credit hours last week. The final tally was 1 online class, 4 TECEP exams (Thomas Edison's version of the CLEP) & the rest was CLEPs, so I guess it took about 2 & a half months.

Congratulations! That is incredible. You actually challenged the BA-in-4-weeks concept.

[Rich Douglas]

I took my first college class in August, 1978. I finished my last class for my first bachelor's in April, 1980. A whole lot of testing happened in between. I passed the last test for my second bachelor's in June, 1980. That's two bachelor's (from scratch) in 21 months. Oh, I turned 21 in June, 1980.

Rich

[drwetsch]

For me it may depend on how you look at it. From the time I inquired about completing my UND degree to having the degree awarded in 2001 was about 2 months. However, taking into account the time I started study at UND the overall length of time from start to finish was 23 years.

John

[Ian Anderson]

Originally posted by Dr. Gina
Ok.....From Start to finish, who on this board has the record in earning their BA/BS in the shortest period of time?

Just curious...

It took me 36 years to earn my BSLS, then aother 10 years to earm two masters.

Since you raised the question how long did it take you to go from zero credits to doctorate?

[June]

That's amazing! Did TESC take some of the CLEPS as upper- level credit? That's always been the sticky part for me--getting some arbritary number of upper-level credits.

[magnuski]

Thanks to this board, I enrolled at Thomas Edison with zero credits and did all of the work -- a combination of 70-some CLEP credits and 40-some portfolio credits within 11.5 months. The college then took another six months to confer my BA in journalism.

I'm now into my fourth trimester at Cal State-Dominguez Hills, in hot pursuit of a humanities masters.

Cass
(perpetual lurker)

[oxpecker]

Yow. Some of you are quick!

It took me 25 years to earn four degrees plus a graduate diploma (worth perhaps half a degree). So about 6 years per degree.

Perhaps we should have a competition for slowest degree!

[Randy_Excelsior]

Once I learned of distance learning I managed to test out my remaining 63 units in about 90 days. Of course, from the time of enrollment to conferral it's probably going to take about 7 months. I'd think you probably really could do one in 4 weeks from start to finish if you scheduled all the tests a month or two in advance.

[Buckwheat]

No way I can compete with the big three, however I was able to pull it off in 25 months ( from 0-121 hrs.) with a combination of campus and online classes. Like I said in an earlier post, I could have waited another year or two for the graduate school I'm attending to kick my teeth in!
Bustin' my ass -Buckwheat
PS, But we love it and don't deny it! We enjoy lamenting over our work load! Oh well, I'm back to prostrating myself before a 8x10 glossy of my professor (who could easliy crush my future with a stroke of a pen)

[airtorn]

Originally posted by oxpecker
Yow. Some of you are quick!

It took me 25 years to earn four degrees plus a graduate diploma (worth perhaps half a degree). So about 6 years per degree.

Perhaps we should have a competition for slowest degree!

I was on the ten year plan - 9 years and seven months from my first college class to finishing my B.S.

[Carlos M. Lorie]

It took me a year and 6 months from start to finish. Here are the numbers to the best of my memory.

Credits for my FAA certificates.............50
CLEP, DANTES Exams.........................33
PLA............................................... .....9
Miami Dade Community College.............6
Mountain State University....................30
Total............................................. ..128

[Dr. Gina]

Originally posted by Ian Anderson



It took me 36 years to earn my BSLS, then aother 10 years to earm two masters.

Since you raised the question how long did it take you to go from zero credits to doctorate?

1987-1991 BA Psychology at LIU-Brooklyn

1995-1998 MSW/CSW - Adelphi University

2002 to present - PHD Candidate (the school converted their DSW program) 2nd year. 24 more credits to go with dissertation.


All B&M Schools, I am considering going for a BA in Sociology/Economics from Excelsior (this board inspired me) Just need the time.

[CoachTurner]

Originally posted by oxpecker

Perhaps we should have a competition for slowest degree!

I took my first college course (English 100 and Univ. 101) at the Univ. of South Carolina in 1981.

I'm presently enrolled in a public university in South Carolina as a senior (I joke that I'm a 23'rd year senior).

I have variously transcripted 190 hours of undergrad and 9 hours of grad credit with very large chunks from CLEP (all generals and 30+ hours of subject), DANTES, ACT/PEP, and AARTS (60+) [most of which this university did not accept in transfer] -- not to mention three community colleges and a couple state universities.

When I finish the BA (flute performance) that I am working on now, I may use some of those excess hours at Exelsior for an AAS and another BA (theatre). Then I want an MA (arts admin) and an MFA (creative writing) from somewhere.

At the rate I'm going -- it will be 25 years from zero-to- BA. But then, my objective is the experience and not the document.

For me, the issue is this -- you have a hard time getting funding from an RA to do undergrad work if you already have a BA...

[Rich Douglas]

Originally posted by oxpecker

Perhaps we should have a competition for slowest degree!

I started my Ph.D. in January 1986. I graduated in July 2003. That's 17.5 years.

[Rob L]

Through my ACE evaluated military credits, 3 classes from Central Texas College, CLEP tests, and 1 writing class from University of Phoenix named EML 299; I was able to earn an AA in 5 months.

I started my BBA at AIU Online in Nov 2002 and graduated 13 months later in Dec 2003. Currently, I am enrolled in the MBA program at AIU and am scheduled to graduate in Nov 2004. So, if everything goes as planned, I will have gone from an AA to an MBA in exactly 2 years.

Rob

[Gmund48]

Here are my credits so far as well as the ones I am scheduled to take. Lawries site is definately a possibility as I state below, this does not include the Time it takes to graduate and get everything graded, however it is an accurate protrayal of what is possible

And I had test Anxiety So bad I waited 8 months to start

Enrolled dec 30th
Existing 19 credits
11 dantes
Personal finance 1/7/2004
Intro to bus 8-Jan
Intro to computers 8-Jan
Europe after 1945 8-Jan
Prin of supervision 8-Jan
Human resource manage 13-Jan
Drug and Alcohol abuse 13-Jan
Organizational Behaivior 14-Jan
Management information Systems 14-Jan
Environment and Humanity 14-Jan
Fundamentals of counseling 15-Jan
Foundations of Education 16-Mar
Rise and fall of the soviet union 17Mar
Civil War and reconstruction 18Mar

11 cleps
Principles of management 13-Jan-04
Social sciences exam 15-Jan
Intro to educational physc 27-Jan
human growth and development 27-Jan
intro to sociology 27-Jan
Intro Systems and computer apps 27-Jan
Principles of marketing 28-Jan
Humanities 2-Feb
Natural Science 9-Feb
MIcroEconomics 9-Feb
MacroEconomics 9-Feb

Excelsior
Physc of Adulthood and aging 10-Mar
Foundations of Gerontology 11-Mar
Abnormal Pschology 11-Mar
Research methods in psychology 16Mar
World population 17Mar
Organizational behaivior 18Mar
Literacy of reading Elementary 19 Mar

Thomas Edison
Intro To social Psychology 23 March

Other Dantes/Clep Etc.
Statistics 24 March DSST
Business Law 23 Mar DSST
Ethics in America 23 Mar DSST
Prin Of Finance 25 Mar DSST
Money and Banking 25 Mar DSST
Criminal Justice 30Mar DSST
Intro to Law enforcement 30 Mar DSST

Algebra 31 mar Clep
Accounting 31 mar Clep




THis will give me a BS in Psych with an Education Focus
I will have earned approx 132 Sem Hours (so I can legitimately not count the 19 I had) This will enable me to get my business degree in a month after graduating.

If I get a C on Statistics and one other class I will have a GPA
between 3.55-3.76 based on my calculations.

I actually started taking the tests on 1-7-04 and complete on
1-31-04 (I had to fly to the states to take care of a business
matter so I did not test between Feb-9-Mar-10 so I will have completed in 91Days if you subtract the time I was in the states
it would be approximately with study dates 60 Days so I believe it is possible to do it in 30 especially if you do the GRE and go for a LA Focus.

I fell good about this and am taking courses online and inperson now that will allow me to student teach by next fall. If I do not go crazy, or lose momentem, I will try and get a Masters before
Dec 30th, which I am researching now.

Yes I feel I am bragging(correct this time however If It hadnt been for Drs Bear and Especially Lawries Site I would not have done this, I hope to get a PHD and teach at the college level some time but I will spend a month in Thailand first !!

Thanks,yes its possible

[Laser100]

Rich,

I got you beat for the slowest degree. My Associates Degree took me from1986 to 1998. I'm still attending ISU for my Bachelors Degree. I have attend school for 18 years now. However, I did not consecutively attend. I had a 7 year leave in my associates degree.

Paul