From: dharper@hounix.org (David Harper)
Newsgroups: misc.education
Subject: College Guides
Date: 17 Aug 92 19:40:48 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Houston UNIX Users Group (HOUNIX), Houston, TX

Netfolks,

In regard to my earlier posting regarding college guides:

The following was posted to the EDUFORUM (Education Forum) 
on Compuserve. It is copyrighted by its author.

Enjoy, David Harper


----------------------------------------------------------

DIRECTORIES OF NON-TRADITIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION:

An Annotated Bibliography

of Directories Published Since 1980





Copyright (c) 1992 by William S. Pate, Jr., Ph.D.

      All rights reserved.








    After years of offering only formal schooling in higher education, many 
education leaders have started to realize that college-level learning can 
occur outside of the brick walls of a traditional college classroom.


    While there certainly is nothing wrong with the traditional college 
education-- there are many benefits of that learning style-- it is not the 
ONLY way to learn.  In fact, we know that people learn in different ways, so 
it is curious that some educators still insist that the traditional college 
format is the only way to provide a quality higher education.  Developing 
critical thinking skills actually can occur in the board room of a downtown 
business, not just in an ivy-covered campus building.  Students really can 
learn material through guided, independent study, not only in a lecture hall 
of 350 students.  College-level analytical skills and important information 
can be acquired through a series of business training courses, not solely a 
university class meeting at 10 am Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.


   Several factors have contributed to the rising interest in non-traditional 
education.  First, a recent decline in the number of college-age consumers has 
forced many colleges to target adults as a source of income.  At the same 
time, adults are finding that they need more education to compete or advance 
in their workplace.  But unlike the typical 18-year-old, many adults cannot 






spend four years studying full-time on a college campus; so other forms of 
education must be developed to match the needs of the college and the adult 
student.  A boom in media technology (computers on-line, videocassettes, cable 
and satellite television, etc.) has provided new ways to conduct and monitor 
learning.  And, perhaps because of the changes facing higher education, many 
schools have reconsidered their purpose and have realized that the real value 
in higher education is the LEARNING that occurs, not the form of SCHOOLING 
that promotes learning.


   Of course, there are many other events that contributed to the interest in 
non-traditional education; I do not presume to provide a single scenario.  But 
the point is that more colleges and universities are offering non-traditional 
education.  Now, a quality college education-- that awards bachelor's degrees, 
master's degrees, and even doctorates-- is available to just about everyone 
through external degree programs featuring off-campus courses, independent 
study by correspondence, courses on-line, credit-by-examination, and other 
methods.


   This is a brief annotated bibliography, describing several directories 
published since 1980.  It is designed to help you find books that contain 
detailed information about independent study college courses, external 
degrees, and other sources continuing education.  (The cut-off date is 
arbitrary.  Most of the volumes available, however, were published since 1980 
and older information is likely to be well out-of-date.)  It is not intended 
to be a complete listing, but I hope it is helpful one.



>>> THE DIRECTORIES


Bear, John.  (1991).  College Degrees by Mail.  Berkeley, CA:

   Ten Speed Press.  [224 pages, $11.95 paper]


   John Bear wrote to me a couple of years ago, saying that College Degrees by 
Mail essentially replaces Bear's Guide to Earning College Degrees Non-
Traditionally for most people interested in finding and completing a non-
traditional degree program.  While this newer volume does not contain the 
wealth of information listed in Bear's Guide, College Degrees by Mail is easy 
to read and provides much more information about the top programs.

   The heart of Bear's book is his summary of "One Hundred Good Schools 
Offering Degrees".  The list provides all information needed to contact the 
school, along with tuition estimates, degrees and fields-of-study offered, and 
specific information about the school's approach to external education and 
degree programs.  Of course, all of the usual information is available:  
accreditation, residency requirements, a contact person, etc.

   But College Degrees by Mail also includes some enjoyable and informative 
features of Bear's previous book.  His introduction discusses facts and 
assumptions about education-- and non-traditional education in particular.  He 






also provides enjoyable essays discussing some issues to consider when 
selecting a program:  the types and meaning of a college degree, how to select 
and apply to a school, and what accreditation really means.

   Finally, a useful section provides ideas for earning credit toward your 
degree.  "Ways of Earning Credit" includes, among other things, a list of 
colleges offering correspondence courses and suggestions on using equivalency 
exams and credit for life experience to complete your degree.

    Bear's College Degrees by Mail, a paperback volume, is a good place to 
begin searching for your external degree program.  Either this book or 
Thorson's Campus-Free College Degrees should be your first purchase.  (The 
Independent Study Catalog, listed below should be your second.)




Bear, John.  (1990).  Bear's Guide to Earning College Degrees Non-

   Traditionally (11th Ed.).  Hilo, HI:  Greenwich University Press.

   [Available from the author:  John Bear, Ph.D., P.O. Box 1717, Hilo,

   HI, 96721]


   Since College Degrees by Mail essentially replaces Bear's Guide for most 
people, is there a reason to purchase the Guide?  How about this for an 
answer:  yes... and no.

   While College Degrees shows the "good schools", Bear's Guide also includes 
the "bad" and "ugly".  If you are just looking for a B.A. or M.A. external 
program, then you will do fine with College Degrees.  That easy-to-use volume 
contains all of the information necessary to begin your search.  (That's the 
"no".)  But if you are interested in broader issues in non-traditional 
education, you may want to find a copy of Bear's Guide.  (The "yes".)

   In addition to the information included in newer volume, Bear's Guide 
includes essays on the meaning and use of honorary degrees, the use of titles, 
whether a degree is worth the effort required to earn it, diploma mills, 
specialized schools, and other interesting topics.  The paperback Guide also 
lists many more degree-granting institutions, though many are places that you 
would want to avoid at all costs.

  If you want to find a quality degree to earn, stick with College Degrees by 
Mail.  But if you're interested in non-traditional higher education, more 
generally, you will enjoy Bear's Guide to Earning College Degrees Non-
Traditionally.



Council for the Advancement of Experiential Learning.  (1981).  You

   Deserve the Credit:  A Guide to Receiving Credit for Non-College







   Learning.  Columbia, MD:  Council for the Advancement of

   Experiential Learning.  [Not in print; try a large library

   or CAEL.]


   Though I have not found a copy of this volume, it was noted in Eugene 
Sullivan's book, Guide to External Degree Programs in the United States (2nd 
Ed.).  Sullivan summarizes You Deserve the Credit as "a guide designed to help 
learners become familiar with the many options available to them as they seek 
recognition for their noncollege learning achievements" (from Appendix C).

   A companion volume to Valerie McIntyre's Wherever You Learned It, the 
Council for the Advancement of Experiential Learning published You Deserve the 
Credit to describe how colleges and universities award credit for life 
experience and how to prepare your learning for formal assessment.  McIntyre's 
volume lists colleges that would award the credit, as of 1981.



Duffy, James P.  (1981).  How to Earn a College Degree Without Going

   to College.  Chelsea, MI: Scarborough House.  [192 pages, $14.95

   hardback, $8.95 paper]


Duffy, James P.  (1985).  How to Earn an Advanced Degree Without Going to

   Graduate School.  Chelsea, MI:  Scarborough House.  [208 pages, $16.95

   hardback]


   Frankly, I have not yet acquired a copy of these two books; I am trying to 
locate them for the next draft of this bibliography.  The two volumes are 
included here because the first one was noted, though briefly, by an author of 
two excellent directories of non-traditional college degrees.  In his Bear's 
Guide to Earning College Degrees Non-Traditionally, John Bear writes that this 
guide lists several external degree programs, but that the volume does not 
distinguish between accredited and unaccredited schools, nor between good and 
bad ones.

   You probably would want to begin with one of the "indispensables" (Bear or 
Thorson) instead.  But if you use either of these books, let me know if it is 
good!



Halterman, William J.  (1983).  Complete Guide to Non-Traditional

   Education.  New York:  Facts on File.  [Not in print; try a large

   library.]








   Halterman's directory is a solid publication, though it cannot compete well 
with the more up-to-date directories by Bear and Thorson.  Published in 1983, 
the Complete Guide to Non-Traditional Education contains the usual 
information:  a three-page discussion of accreditation, a description of non-
traditional degree programs by state, and a several pieces discussing topics 
in non-traditional education.

   The program list provides basic information for each program:  a brief 
background of the school, admission requirements, degrees awarded, a brief 
program description, whether credit is awarded for life experience, and the 
time required to complete the degree.  Most entries run from a half-page to 
one page.  More popular programs-- like the University of the State of New 
York and Thomas A. Edison College-- consume more space.

   This list of "programs" is more difficult to use than some others.  First, 
the program descriptions include schools that offer correspondence study 
alone, no external degrees.  Second, many of the schools listed as offering 
degrees do not offer a real "external degree".  They qualify as non-
traditional because they schedule their regular classes and degree 
requirements around the lifestyle of working adults-- even though they offer 
only the "regular" degree programs, on campus.

   Of particular interest are a list of accrediting agencies and associations 
in the United States recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education, with 
addresses and phone numbers (Appendix B), and sections on Bible colleges, law 
schools, and medical schools.

   All things considered, this is a good directory.  But it is not as easy to 
use as some others and is older than many in this bibliography.



Jones, John H.  (1984).  The Correspondence Educational Directory and

   Alternative Education Opportunities (3rd Ed.)  Oxnard, CA:  Racz

   Publishing Co.  [528 pages, $46.50 paper]


   This is the type of comprehensive reference book that you would consult in 
a college or university library, but probably would not want to buy as a 
consumer. 

   The book includes just about everything you would want to know about 
correspondence and other forms of non-traditional education.  External college 
degrees are just the beginning.  Among the degree or certificate programs 
summarized are: accredited correspondence and extension programs; external 
degree programs; accredited trade, technical, and professional correspondence 
schools; accredited national and international degree programs; accredited 
contract degree programs; and several specialized schools.  The specialized 
programs include:  religious and "spiritual" schools, law schools, and 
alternative medical and health schools (e.g., schools teaching holistic health 
and various psychological topics).  Separate lists review accredited programs 






in other English-speaking countries-- England, Canada, Australia, and New 
Zealand.

   If that's not enough, there are other sections which list independent study 
courses (though not as well as The Independent Study Catalog or The Macmillan 
Guide to Correspondence Study), trade schools, and contract learning (mostly 
military and governmental organizations).  A separate list of "unlisted", or 
unaccredited, schools is provided.

   While the book is complete, it is far more than most people need when 
finding a quality external degree program-- unless they are looking for one in 
another country or want to earn a trade certificate.  The usual information 
students are seeking-- a description of the external degrees available and a 
list of courses that can be applied to the degree program-- is available 
elsewhere in a more manageable and less expensive format.



McIntyre, Valerie.  (1981).  Wherever You Learned It:  A Directory of

   Opportunities for Educational Credit.  Columbia, MD:  Council for the

   Advancement of Experiential Learning.  [Not in print; try a large

   library or CAEL.]


   Eugene Sullivan summarized Wherever You Learned It in his book, Guide to 
External Degree Programs in the United States (Appendix C).  According to 
Sullivan, McIntyre's volume lists over 500 colleges that award credit for 
learning acquired outside of college.

    Often called "credit for life experience", many colleges will assess the 
learning acquired by adult students on the job, through travel, or from other 
life experiences.  That college credit can be applied to an external degree 
program at that school or, sometimes, transferred to another college.  The 
schools listed in this volume grant college credit for learning that 
corresponds with topics in the college curricula.

   The directory is comprised of five regional volumes.



The Macmillan Guide to Correspondence Study (4th Ed.)  (1990). New York:

   Macmillan.  [Books in Print lists the 1983 edition as 497 pages, $65

   hardback; but a 1990 edition is available.]


  Published about every two years, The Macmillan Guide to Correspondence Study 
may be the most complete directory of correspondence study now available.  
Like The Independent Study Catalog, published by the NUCEA, the Macmillan 
Guide lists correspondence courses available across the United States.  But it 
contains much more information, including full course descriptions and a 






complete summary of each institution.  Institutional summaries include:  1) a 
description of the school, with address and phone number; 2) a contact person; 
3) the academic levels of available courses (college, graduate, high school, 
non-credit, etc.); 4) a list of degree programs offered; 5) admission 
requirements; 6) tuition and fees; 7) enrollment and equipment information; 8) 
grading and credit information; 9) library services available; and 10) the 
school's accreditation.

   In addition to colleges and universities, the Guide lists correspondence 
courses offered by proprietary schools; private, nonprofit and governmental 
institutions; and computer-based programs.  (Some institutions listed provide 
mainly job training or other vocational courses.)  You may want to use this 
text at a local library, but the 700-page volume probably is not something you 
would want to buy for your home library.  A more useful directory to purchase 
would be The Independent Study Catalog.



Peterson's Guides.  (1981).  Who Offers Part-time Degree Programs?

   Princeton, NJ:  Peterson's Guides.  [Not in print; try finding this

   book at a large library.]


   There's not much special about this volume.  Plain and simple, it is a list 
of colleges, universities, junior colleges, and community colleges that award 
degrees for part-time study.  (Or that awarded them in 1980, when the 
information was gathered.)  There are no features and little additional 
information.

   Part-time degree programs are listed, by state, along with the type of 
institution, the certificates or degrees awarded, enrollment figures, library 
holdings, and other information about part-time study at the particular 
school.  The typical entry is about two paragraphs.  Indices include a list of 
colleges offering part-time evening programs, part-time summer programs, and 
external degree programs.

   Someone may want to consult this book for the list of external degrees.  
But you would be better off calling community colleges in your area to see 
what they offer.  Most programs in this book are standard, on-campus, part-
time programs-- like those offered at most community or junior colleges.  You 
can get the same information directly from your local school.



Sullivan, Eugene (Ed.).  (1983).  Guide to External Degree Programs in

   the United States (2nd Ed.)  New York:  Macmillan.  [Just recently out

   of print; you may still be able to purchase this text at a large or

   specialized bookstore.  If not, try a large library.]








   Prepared for the American Council on Education, Sullivan's book lists 
(literally lists) about 100 external-degree programs available in the United 
States. 

   There is little prose in this book, just a highly structured set of 
information about each school:  degrees offered, accreditation, education 
required to enter the program, credit for prior learning and achievement 
tests, credit-hour and residency requirements, instructional methods, support 
services, grading procedures, enrollment in the program, degrees conferred, 
the year the program began, and whether the school accepts out-of-state 
students.  The rigid structure of the volume makes the information fairly easy 
to use; the same items are included for each school and are located in the 
same position in each list.  But the volume is not very enjoyable to read and 
provides few insights into the character or philosophy of each external degree 
program.

    As a side note, the second (and latest) edition was published in 1983, so 
some information may be out-of-date.  Since the text may be dated and few 
additional "features" are included, this volume makes a good supplemental 
source of raw data, rather than a primary text to begin your search for an 
external degree program.



Thorson, Marcie K.  (1992).  Campus-Free College Degrees (5th Ed.).

   Holbrook, MA:  Bob Adams.  [158 pages, $9.95 paper]


   If you decide to buy a directory of external degree programs requiring 
little or no residency, you basically have two good choices:  Bear's College 
Degrees by Mail or Thorson's Campus-Free College Degrees.  Both provide basic 
information about the various programs and give some "feel" for the structure 
and philosophy of the program-- at least as much as any author can do with one 
page per school.

   The book begins with the common discussion of accreditation and a good 
summary of several ways to earn college credit:  correspondence study, 
examinations, military experience, and experiential learning.

   But the heart of this volume is its summary of "Bachelor's, Master's, and 
Doctoral Programs Requiring Little or No Residency."  (Well, almost:  Penn 
State, which offers only Associate's degrees, also is included.  But that's a 
minor point.)  Summarizing only accredited degree programs, Thorson includes 
the usual one-page descriptions:  basic information, the agency which 
accredited the school, whether the degrees require "no" or "little" residency, 
the exact degrees offered, and a description of the program structure with 
information about types of credit accepted.  But the summaries provide much 
more information than some directories, like Sullivan's, and are easier to use 
than others, like Jones'.

   There are few feature articles; still, this is a good, solid directory of 
non-traditional programs.  In fact, an earlier edition was the first guide to 
non-traditional study that I saw.  It was very helpful then, as it is now.









Wasserman, Steven; O'Brien, Jacqueline W.; & Applebaum, Edmond L.

   (1987).  Learning Independently:  A Directory of Approximately 4,000

   Self-Instruction Resources, Including Correspondence Courses,

   Programmed Learning Products, Audio and Videocassettes, Films and

   Filmstrips, Games and Simulations, Multi-Media Kits, and Conventional

   Learning Materials Such as Books Intended for Non-Formal Education.

   Detroit, MI:  Gale Research Co.  [450 pages, $220 hardback]


   This is the only book I have ever read that accurately reviews itself.  It 
was tempting just to refer readers to the title, but it may help to provide 
some additional information about this volume.

   While the book does list many college-level correspondence courses (of 
every conceivable type), it does not discuss external degree programs at all.  
The emphasis here is on locating materials for personal or professional 
development.

   Contents are arranged by subject.  The approximately 400 subjects range 
from "Accounting" to "Zulu", and hit such popular topics as arson 
investigation, listening, and statistics along the way.  Under "Accounting", 
for example, entries include the titles and producers of audio cassettes, some 
of the many correspondence courses available, films, printed materials 
(guides, outlines, etc.), and programmed-learning materials.  Subfields of 
accounting, such as "Managerial Accounting" follow and are listed in the same 
manner.

   Of course, Learning Independently is not the type of volume that you would 
buy for use at home-- the book includes too much information for anyone to use 
individually, and the cost would probably be prohibitive.  (Priced, I would 
guess, for institutional sales.)  But if you're looking for something that is 
listed in the title, Learning Independently would be a good reference to 
consult at a local library.



Wells, John H. & Ready, Barbara C.  (1989).  The Independent Study

   Catalog:  The NUCEA Guide to Independent Study Through Correspondence

   Instruction (4th Ed.)  Washington, DC:  National University Continuing

   Education Association.  (Published by Peterson's Guides)  [125 pages,

   $11.95 paper]








   If you plan to take independent study courses for your degree, this 
paperback catalog is a "must".  Essentially, The Independent Study Catalog is 
a college catalog for the entire nation:  It lists all independent study 
courses offered by 71 colleges and universities in the United States.

   The basic entry for each school includes the school name, address, and 
contact person.  Following that is a list of courses with the course number, 
credit hours awarded, and level of instruction (lower-division undergraduate, 
upper-division undergraduate, graduate, etc.)  The most useful part of this 
guide is the "Index to Subject-Matter Areas", which notes the courses, first 
in broad categories (e.g., Life Sciences and Physical Sciences), then in 
particular disciplines (e.g., Biology), and finally within specialties of the 
discipline (e.g., Animal Genetics).  (Actually, the index provides the page 
number of courses in each category, but the courses are easy enough to find.)

   One major advantage of independent study is the ability to study one of the 
many regional or "specialty" topics offered by schools across the country.  It 
is unlikely, for example, that a student at the University of Miami could 
study the Natural History of Alaska on his campus in Florida.  But through 
independent study, any student has access to that course, one of the other 
seven "Alaska courses" offered by the university in Fairbanks, or any 
independent study course offered by any other school.  The Independent Study 
Catalog is the key to finding these interesting and relevant courses.

   Another advantage of this catalog is the ability to find the least-
expensive course in any particular subject. For example, a student needing to 
take General Chemistry may find 10-20 courses that would meet the requirement.  
By comparing the tuition and fees at each school, the student can find the 
least-expensive option to meet the chemistry requirement.

   Notes: 1) The Macmillan Guide to Correspondence Study contains the same 
information and much more, but the cost and size of that volume makes The 
Independent Study Catalog the choice for a list of courses.  2) The fifth 
edition of this publication has just been released, with a copyright date of 
1992.  The new edition, though containing the same information, has a new 
design-- and costs $5 more.



>>> OTHER OPTIONS


I have seen two other guides mentioned.  One is Best's External Degree 
Directory by Thomas J. Lavin.  However, I could not find a copy and it is no 
longer in print.  If you have access to that volume, it may be worth 
reviewing.  A second is a publication called University Degrees by Mail, 
offered by something called the Official University Directory at a 
Westminster, California, address.  I have requested a copy of this edition, 
but have not seen the book yet.



>>> THE INDISPENSABLES








   The directories that you will need to consult depend, of course, on your 
educational goals and the type of program that you want to pursue.  Most 
people looking for an external degree program, however, may want to obtain two 
books. 

   The first would be one of the directories of external degree programs.  
These will provide a list of schools offering degrees and some basic 
information about each program.  The best ones I have seen are John Bear's 
College Degrees by Mail and Marcie Thorson's Campus-Free College Degrees.  
Both are available in paperback and each is under $15.

   The second would be a directory of courses available for your external 
degree.  While some schools provide their own courses and accept no transfer 
credit, other degree programs allow or even encourage courses from other 
schools.  (Several programs-- like the University of the State of New York and 
Thomas A. Edison College-- do not even offer classes, but depend solely on 
credits from other schools.)  The Independent Study Catalog is the most 
complete and affordable list of courses, schools, and credits.



>>> CONCLUSION


   Non-traditional study may not be for everyone, but it is an excellent way 
for many people to learn, receive credit for their accomplishment, and advance 
in their work.  The growing availability of quality external degrees and 
courses is good news for adults and others who have not been served by the 
traditional way of delivering a higher education.  I hope that this annotated 
bibliography will help you find the right program and enjoy the fruits of a 
higher education.
Newsgroups: misc.education,alt.security,soc.culture.usa,talk.politics.guns