Accelerated Degree Programs

Accelerated Colleges: How do they work?

So, I’d been looking at distance education classes.  I really wanted to get my bachelor’s degree but aside from the fact that the only decent college near me didn’t have a criminal justice program, I really didn’t want to spend four more years in my crappy minimum wage job while I worked on getting it.

I’d saved some money up, so I was willing to go to part time, and live off ramen noodles for a while (hey, isn’t that what college is all about?), whatever–I just wanted to get it done.

So when I saw ads for accelerated colleges I perked up.  This is just exactly what I need, I thought to myself.  But the more I looked, the more confused I got.  Some of them, I was pretty sure, were scams… if not technically “scams” they sure as heck weren’t something I’d be proud to have on my resume.

But others were clearly not scams–it just seemed like “accelerated colleges” could have all types of different meanings. Anyway, here are a few different things their programs can include, so that you know what you’re looking for and don’t get as confused as I did!

Accelerated Colleges: Program types

1. Accelerated courses: Most of the schools I looked at offering accelerated programs made at least some use of accelerated courses as part of the program.  These are condensed courses–six to eight weeks long–which contain the same info as regular courses
2. Testing for credit: Testing for credit includes things like CLEP and DANTES exams, as well as exams that are written by the school itself.  Basically, you take an exam in a particular subject, say, Algebra, and if you pass–voila, you get credits
3. Easy transfer of credit: If you have prior college experience, these programs allow you transfer more credits more cheaply and easily than traditional programs.