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Life Experience Degrees Online
Many students complain voraciously about the boring general education classes they have to sit through before earning admittance into the courses that make up their actual college major. Yawning through these classes, many students wonder why they have to sit through these classes when they have already had so much experience in the subject areas already. If only life experience counted for something. But – perhaps it does! Are there really "life experience degrees"? And can you really obtain life experience degrees online?
Is it possible to earn life experience degrees online?
While this may not be as much of a dream as it may seem, there is a way to obtain life experience credits towards your degree online. This does not, however, pertain to things like earning three credits for knowing how to make great lasagna, or opting out of mathematics classes because you have an uncanny ability to know how much to tip your waiter. Many colleges do offer the option to opt out of certain classes based on prior knowledge though. The fashion in which this is done is by using specific test called the College-Level Examination Program, or the CLEP test. This test allows a prospective student to prove to the college admissions program that they are well versed in a variety of subject areas. Many colleges require that students complete the CLEP exam in order to place them in appropriate courses. Students who score highly on certain areas of the exam may have the option to be placed in more advanced classes then students who achieve lower scores. Students may be able to "test out" of certain classes by achieving a certain percentage of points, or earn up to 12 college credits from taking each CLEP exam, depending on the policy of the school!
Life Experience Subjects for Degree Credit
So, if that master lasagna can't earn you college credit – what subject areas can? The CLEP actually offers over 30 tests, encompassed in five subject areas! Students can take over 30 CLEP exams in the categories of: Business, Composition and Literature, Foreign Languages, History and Social Sciences, and Science and Mathematics. A list of the subject areas which can the CLEP test can be taken:
Business
- Financial Accounting
- Introductory Business Law
- Information Systems and Computer Applications
- Principles of Management
- Principles of Marketing
Composition and Literature
- American Literature
- Analyzing and Interpreting Literature
- College Composition and College Composition Modular
- English Literature
- Humanities
Science and Mathematics
- Biology
- Calculus
- Chemistry
- College Algebra
- College Mathematics
- Natural Sciences
- Precalculus
History and Social Sciences
- American Government
- Human Growth and Development
- Introduction to Educational Psychology
- Introductory Psychology
- Introductory Sociology
- Principles of Macroeconomics
- Principles of Microeconomics
- Social Sciences and History
- History of the United States I: Early Colonization to 1877
- History of the United States II: 1865 to the Present
- Western Civilization I: Ancient Near East to 1648
- Western Civilization II: 1648 to the Present
Foreign Languages
- French Language (Levels 1 and 2)
- German Language (Levels 1 and 2)
- Spanish Language (Levels 1 and 2)
More About Earning Online Degree Credit With the CLEP
The CLEP test is a 90-minute exam comprised of mostly a multiple-choice questions, though in some subject areas essay answers or fill-in answers are required. Wrong answers are penalized, though students are encouraged to make their best possible guesses in these areas. In the case of multiple-choice tests, students often receive the scores immediately after they have finished taking the exam. The CLEP exam credit you can earn towards a degree is the closest that most online schools will offer when it comes to online life experience degrees. Students will not actually earn a “degree” for their prior life experiences, but they can use the knowledge they have gained along the way to get ahead on their college degree!
Capella offers numerous degree programs including Business Management Specializations, Health Care, K 12 Education, Public Administration, Information Technology, Human Capital Management, Public Safety and Mental Health.
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