Question:

I have a friend who claims he earned his college degree online by “testing out" of courses and by putting together a portfolio of all his work and military training over the last two decades. Is it really possible to earn an entire online degree based on career and life experience, or has my friend been scammed big time?

—Todd
Modesto, California

Answer:

Input “college credit for career experience” into any search engine and you’ll be swamped with hundreds of websites that promise to review your resume and convert your career experience and training into a college degree.

Most of these websites are indeed scams.

However, a few are the real deal. A select handful of these online colleges represent solid opportunities for seasoned professionals to jump-start a college degree.

Four colleges in particular excel in helping adult learners turn their professional knowledge into college credentials. Older students should explore these four colleges and what they have to offer.


The Best Distance Learning Assessment Colleges

Is it possible to earn an entire degree based solely on credit for experience?

The answer is yes—but rarely. Most regionally accredited colleges limit the number of life experience credits they will accept to thirty credits (one year of college). Typically, the last 30 semester credits (senior year) of any regionally accredited bachelor’s degree must be taken as formal courses directly from your degree-granting college.

However, two regionally accredited, distance learning colleges, Thomas Edison State College and Excelsior College, operate primarily as assessment colleges.

These two special colleges were founded in the 1970s to help adult students earn undergraduate degrees through credit-for-experience options. It is possible at these two colleges to earn an entire college degree without taking a single formal course.

(However, most learners who attend these two colleges also complete some formal college courses to earn their degrees.)

Adults who’ve had years of specialized military training or corporate training should explore both these colleges carefully. Both are great schools to consider if you’ve had a lot of technical training—such as aviation mechanics, nursing or electronics technology—and need a solid way to have these non-collegiate training programs “translated” into college credit and applied toward an associate or bachelor’s degree.

If you’re a well-read natural learner, both these schools will also let you take “competency exams” to earn college credit in areas such as American history, foreign languages, literature, business law and finance.

Connecticut-based Charter Oak State College is another distance learning college that offers a wealth of opportunity for adult students who want to accelerate their degrees using challenge exams, military training, and specialized business training programs.

A fourth, and newer, option is Western Governors University, of Utah. Founded by the
governors of 19 western states, WGU offers an outstanding online education program under the guidance of dedicated mentors.

WGU is a competency-based university. You earn your degree by demonstrating your knowledge or “competency” in specific subject areas. WGU students work with “online mentors” to develop personal academic action plans.

Rather than being required to study a subject for a 16-week semester, you’re only required to study a subject for as long as it takes you to acquire the knowledge needed to pass a competency exam. The competency method allows those who enter with advanced knowledge to move more rapidly through the series of exams that will be required to earn the degree.

More good news—all these “competency colleges” are ranked among the most affordable online colleges in the U.S. by GetEducated.com’s national research team. If you’re a seasoned professional who seeks a degree that’s both fast and affordable, these distance learning colleges are well worth exploring.


Online Graduate Degrees for Life Experience?

You didn’t say what kind of degree your friend earned. Most credit-for-experience programs apply only to undergraduate degrees—associate or bachelor's degrees. It is extremely rare for an accredited graduate degree program to award credit for life or career experience.

If your friend claims to have earned a master’s or doctorate degree online based solely on life experience, check his credentials carefully. His degree has almost certainly been issued by a “degree mill.” Degree mills are fake online colleges that “mill” or crank out worthless paper degrees to thousands of unsuspecting students each year.


Related Resources

Diploma Mill Police
Top Ten Signs: College Degree or Diploma Mill
5 Ways to Earn College Credit for Career & Life Experience


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