Archive for July, 2006

Posted on Jul 31st, 2006

Trying to learn more about Bachelor Degrees? Bachelor Degrees are undergraduate degrees, which are usually offered by four-year colleges and universities. Bachelor degree-holders are positioned for greater employment possibilities and higher earning power.

Full academic programs, Bachelor Degrees are comprised of a minimum of 120 to 150 semester credit hours. In the United States, Bachelor Degrees are frequently awarded with honors (e.g., cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude). To receive these rites, students must have maintained a minimum grade point average; and in some colleges and universities, students who desire to attain a Bachelors Degree are required to complete a thesis in particular majors, such as humanities.

In some instances, Bachelor Degrees may include an honors or scholars program that is provided to students who desire more challenge. These types of Bachelors Degree candidates are notated with “in cursu honorum.”

Aspiring students may earn a diverse array of Bachelor Degrees while attending four-year colleges and/or universities, and may include the following:

  • AB/BA – Bachelor of Arts Degree
  • BSc/SB/BS – Bachelor of Science Degree
  • BCom/BComm – Bachelor of Commerce
  • B.CompSc./BCS – Bachelor of Computer Science
  • BE/BEng – Bachelor of Engineering Degree
  • BFA – Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree
  • BHE – Bachelor of Home Economics
  • BCL – Bachelor of Civil Law Degree
  • LL.B – Bachelor of Laws
  • MB BChir/MB ChB/BM BS – Medicinae Baccalaureus and Baccalaureus Chirurgiae
  • BMus – Bachelor of Music Degree
  • B.Math – Bachelor of Mathematics Degree
  • BBA/BAdm– Bachelor of Administration Degree

Primarily, the differences separating Bachelors Degrees from Associates, Masters, etc., is the time span and course of study taken by students.

While many traditional colleges and universities provide these curriculums, many online colleges and universities have also begun offering a variety of online Bachelor Degrees programs to students who successfully complete a specific course of study.

Is a BA in your future? If so, feel free to visit our onsite glossary and browse all the exciting career opportunities waiting for you now.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERAL OVERVIEW and may or may not reflect specific practices, courses and/or services associated with ANY ONE particular school(s) that is or is not advertised on SchoolsGalore.com

Copyright 2006 - All Rights Reserved C. Bailey-Lloyd, in association with Media Positive Communications, Inc. for SchoolsGalore.com

C. Bailey-Lloyd is the Public Relations Director & Writer for Media Positive Communications, Inc. in association with SchoolsGalore.com Find Bachelors Degrees at SchoolsGalore.com; meeting your needs as your educational resource to locate schools.

Posted on Jul 30th, 2006

The best undergraduate business schools are mostly found in business schools that offer the top-rated graduate schools. They are mostly found here in the United States, although Ecole in France claims to be the first.

Enrolling yourself in an undergraduate business school does have some advantages compared to beginning at the graduate-level. You will have no trouble adjusting once you decide to take graduate courses. Most employers are looking for applicants who have already taken a business course and do not so much hire those who are simply poised to take it. You may also look at it as an investment, since most of the courses taught in graduate and the undergraduate levels are the same. Starting early in your career—even from your from high school if possible—can be an advantage, too.

To find the best undergraduate school, you have to consider the long-term course you will follow, since most business schools have their centers for excellence or focus on a specific field like Economics or Business Management. Check out their campus profiles; state colleges also offer good business courses.

The skills you learn at the undergraduate level are very tedious, and you might have to yourself prepare to get the hang of it. Your learning will be tested in what they call “Feasibility Studies” in which you will put to application the theories and concepts you have learned. Most of the rising entrepreneurs got their big breaks from these feasibility studies, and they have not yet graduated from college.

The best business schools in the country have tuition fees that can make you bankrupt, so you should be careful about deciding to begin early in your career. If financing is the least of your problems, try your luck at Wharton or Harvard. These two schools have a good reputation not only in the United States but all over the world. Multi-billion-dollar companies hunt for graduates of these schools to run their operations.

The important thing you learn in the undergraduate business school is focus. You don’t really need to enroll in the best school to learn that, but truth is, the school under your belt can spell your destiny.

Business Schools provides detailed information on Business Schools, Top Business Schools, Online Business Schools, Best Undergraduate Business Schools and more. Business Schools is affiliated with MBA Online.

Posted on Jul 29th, 2006

Nursing Degrees Online are truly beneficial and suitable for every pocket. Know the details of the program fees, online courses, online class methods and various other factors to become a successful and professional nurse.

General introduction

With the hype of computers spreading rapidly, earning an online nursing degree is becoming more and more popular. But you need to know various things before you launch into this nursing degrees online course. To begin with you should know how to search for a proper online school. This requires just a simple yet thorough search in the Internet. You can place the keyword “Associated Degree in Online Nursing” in the popular search engines to get the name of all types of online nursing programs in every part of the world.

The other things that you need to know when you are aspiring for nursing degrees online are the nature of the program. The degree programs can either be pace program or one that works in semesters. Find out when you can start with this nursing degrees online plan. Some online programs have rolling environment, which means that you can start them or end them at any time. Make sure that you have an academic adviser who can advise you to plan your course of studies. The advisor can also help keep you on track, connect you with other students and coordinate your clinical theory with those of practical classes.

Online classes

It is very important to know how these online classes work? There are various ways as the instructor posts lecture materials and assignments in the particular website and there is also a bulletin board along with discussion forums to reply to the questions placed by the students. For many of this nursing degree by Internet courses, there are written course works that takes the place of traditional examinations and the result is also published online.

Benefits of nursing degrees online programs

The benefits of nursing degrees online are listless. Through this process of nursing degrees online the nurses are provided with the option of learning online and earn an advanced degree at home, while completing the coursework at their own convenience. This saves a lot on travel time and money. You should take specified information on whether you need a Bachelor of Science in Nursing [RN to BSN] degree to enjoy administrative rights in the profession or you want a Master’s Degree in Nursing to qualify yourself for a larger number of career opportunities in the health care industry.

Last but not the least, you should know about the cost of fees of the nursing degrees online programs. A thorough search of different programs will help you find what is most affordable and perfect course for you.

We offer the best nursing degrees info source. Find it only on the Nursing Degree Plan Guide. Find more nursing degrees info on http://www.leandernet.com

Posted on Jul 28th, 2006

You’ve probably received an email message that offered you the chance to quickly and easily earn a "prestigious" degree based on life experience. Just call the phone number in the email, give them your credit card number, and they’ll take care of the rest. Such spam is pretty obvious to spot and hopefully you simply delete those messages.

But what about more sophisticated web sites that promise college degrees based on life experience? Perhaps they ask for copies of transcripts, test scores, job reports, or personal narratives. They might even mention how people with college degrees earn far more money than those without undergraduate or graduate degrees. Are these legitimate?

Please be aware that emails advertising so-called life experience degrees are most likely from unaccredited and dubious (if not fraudulent and illegal) institutions. If someone offers you an MBA or Ph.D. degree based on life experience, for example, that should be a red flag. The answer to the question of whether life experience degrees are legitimate is no, and yes, and no. Since that’s three answers to one question, let’s look at each in detail.

The first answer is no. You cannot earn a credible degree based on life experience. No accredited college or university in the United States will offer "life experience degrees." What is accreditation? In short, it’s a form of institutional peer review where representatives from accredited schools evaluate other schools to ensure that they offer quality educational programs. There are numerous accrediting agencies in the United States and the reputable ones are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. You can find a listing of recognized accreditation agencies and accredited schools by searching the Institution Accreditation database sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education.

The second answer is yes. On the undergraduate level, you can earn an entire associates or bachelors degree through a demonstration of prior learning. Demonstrating prior learning typically involves using transfer credits, credit by examination, or portfolio development and evaluation. Note that prior learning assessment is a more formal procedure than so-called credit for life experience and is recognized as a legitimate means of granting credit. If you can demonstrate that you’ve learned something equivalent to content taught in a college course, then you can earn college credits and apply them an undergraduate degree. The three accredited schools best suited for prior learning degrees are Charter Oak State College, Excelsior College, and Thomas Edison State College. You can also learn more about such programs at the Baker’s Guide to Custom Online Degrees listing.

The third answer is no. Prior learning assessment as a means of earning a complete degree doesn’t apply to graduate programs — all accredited masters and doctoral degrees are based on new learning. While you may be able to earn a few graduate credits based on prior learning assessment, they are generally limited to a handful, if any. If you closely examine the schools that advertise graduate degrees based on life experience, you’ll notice that they aren’t accredited by a recognized agency, and so you would be wise to avoid such programs.

So you can earn credit and even an undergraduate degree through a demonstration of prior learning but be wary of programs that lack accreditation or promote quick degrees through life experience. At the minimum, you’ll receive a credential with little value in the marketplace. At the maximum, you’ll be violating state law by using an unrecognized credential and bring penalties and embarrassment upon yourself. Earn your degree right the first time and your efforts will speak for themselves.

Copyright © 2006 by Jason D. Baker

Jason D. Baker, Ph.D. is the author of Baker’s Guide to Christian Distance Education. Bakersguide.com began in 1997 as an online listing of accredited Christian universities offering distance learning programs and has grown into the leading free online resource in the field.

Posted on Jul 27th, 2006

Approximately 90 million adults in the United States are now enrolled in some kind of training or educational program. Four out of every ten college students are over twenty-five years of age. Another 800,000 take the General Educational Development (GED) test every year to earn high school diplomas. Adult education and re-training is a big trend!

Some of the pressure to get more education is coming from a job market that demands up-to-date skills, especially in technology. The workers with the best and most current skills are in the most demand and earn higher salaries. A college degree often opens the door for a better job or promotion. The United States Bureau of Census estimates that a college degree is worth about $1.2 million over the course of a person’s career.

Colleges have adapted to the growing market of returning adult students by changing the way they offer their courses. Many big-name universities now offer their most popular degree programs, such as the Masters of Business Administration, in classes that meet evenings and weekends. Others are providing a combination of weekend, evening and online courses to accommodate the schedules of busy professionals.

One of the biggest trends of all is the emergence of the online university. Tens of thousands of adults are now earning "online" college degrees. They can log into a chat room and discuss assignments with other students and their professionals. They can study online whenever it’s convenient. Many of these online schools do not follow formal semester schedules and thus can allow students to take classes whenever they want to start.

Adult students, sometimes called "re-entry students," can qualify for traditional government financial aid if they are enrolled at least half-time. This usually means that they must be taking two full-credit courses at once. Their schools must have the proper accreditations to participate in Title IV programs in order for them to be eligible for aid.

If a re-entry student is taking enough credits to qualify at a Title IV school, he or she then goes through the traditional financial aid process. The first step is to fill out a FAFSA, an abbreviation that means Free Application for Federal Student Aid. You can download a FAFSA and instructions at http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/fafsa.jsp. Students need to fill this out to qualify for programs.

If a student demonstrates financial need, he or she may qualify for government grants, which do not have to be paid back. The Perkins Loan program, also for low-income students, provides loans at very low interest rates that are paid back over a period of ten years beginning nine months after graduation.

College students who are enrolled at least half-time and who can maintain a C average may apply for government loans, also at low interest rates and long payback periods. Sometimes you will owe the money directly to the government. In other cases, a student will have a loan from a private lender who acts as a middleman.

Re-entry students should always contact their financial aid officer at the college of their choice. Their counselor can help them with their FAFAs and other forms, as well as find them a bank to loan them money through a government program.

A good knowledgeable financial aid officer will help students find private scholarship money, too. Although the majority of scholarships are for undergraduates in traditional campus programs, there are over 1800 for re-entry students over twenty-five years of age. While there are private scholarship search companies, most students should be able to do this task themselves for free on the Internet or through their financial aid office.

If you are now serving or have served in the military, you should ask your college financial aid officer about military benefits for continuing education.

Sometimes employers will pay for continuing adult education. Many employers just want an employee to pick up a certain course to enhance job performance in one area. Other employers will pay for the completion of college degrees and even advanced degrees.

Some universities try to pressure students into enrolling before the students know how much financial aid they will receive per semester. To avoid this problem, you can go online and plug in your FAFSA numbers to get a rough estimate of your financial aid package. Your financial aid officer can help you get this estimate before you sign up for tuition payments.

It is also important to understand your school’s refund policy. Some students enroll and find out that they cannot carry a half-load of college work plus their professional and family responsibilities. Then they find out their schools will not refund their tuition money either in whole or in part, and that they will have a problem getting out of their federal loans. Investigate all these areas before you sign up for any continuing education program.

Gary Stuart is an enthusiastic proponent of higher education. Translating his own experiences into the development of http://www.adultlearn.com, Gary provides readers with the blue prints for successfully pursuing a higher education. His site provides readers with an overview of the benefits of online and on-campus schools, course options and employment advancement opportunities.

Posted on Jul 26th, 2006

The University of Florida is a public college and land-grant institution located in Gainesville, Florida. It is currently the fourth largest university in the United States with 49,693 students accompanied by the eighth largest budget. A notable academic college, University of Florida ranks 1st in the state and 16th among all public universities nationwide. Recognized as one of the Public Ivies and a member of the Association of American Universities, the school is ranked 57th among the world’s top 500 universities.

Although the university claims to be founded in 1853, the campus that exists today in Gainesville was actually founded in 1905. The Buckman Act created the current University of Florida by removing funding for existing educational institutions, including the University of Florida at Lake City, the East Florida Seminary in Gainesville, the St. Petersburg Normal and Industrial School at St. Petersburg and the South Florida Military College at Bartow. The first classes began on September 26, 1906, on the new campus that was built in Gainesville. The alligator was chosen as the universities mascot in 1911. The Buckman Act also established the University of Florida as the only public school in Florida for white males. Enrollment for females began in 1947 and the enrollment for African-American students began in 1958.

University of Florida is divided into 16 colleges, which offer 100 undergraduate majors and 200 graduate degrees, including the only dentistry, pharmacy and veterinary medicine programs offered publicly in the state. The acceptance rate at the school has gone downward as a result of the applicants becoming more competitive. In 2005, the average incoming freshman had a grade-point average of 3.9, a score of 1340 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test and an American College Test score of 29. Undergraduate tuition for Florida residents is around $120 per credit-hour, while it is $520 per credit-hour for out-of-state students, with a typical accumulation of 30 credits per year. The Freshman Class of 2005 ranked number one in the nation in terms of National Merit enrollment, enrolling more National Merit Scholars than any other university. A full tuition academic scholarship is awarded to all National Merit Scholars admitted to university. The University of Florida is also home to an Honors College that offers many honors courses to students who obtained high scores on their "SAT" and "ACT" tests. The Honors program lasts for a student’s first two years, but Honors program services and courses remain available to upperclassmen. The university also was 13th among all universities public and private in the number of U.S. Patents awarded in 2000.

Florida dedicates about $44 million per year to its sports teams and facilities. This could be due to having swept, For the sixth time, the overall men’s and women’s Southeastern Conference All-Sports Trophy in 2002 as well as ranking among the nation’s top 10 athletic departments for 19 straight years. The football team won a national championship in 1996 and the men’s basketball team won their first national championship this year. The Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is a great place to catch a Florida Gaters football game if you live in Florida. This school is among the top in the nation academically as well as athletically, therefore being a smart choice for any high-school graduate.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to College

Posted on Jul 25th, 2006

Michigan State University is a public college located in East Lansing, Michigan. It is a land-grant university and was the first agricultural college in the United States. Michigan State University(MSU) has a fantastic hospitality school and the study abroad program is the largest of any single-campus university in the nation, offering more than 200 programs in more than 60 countries on all continents. Following the introduction of the Morrill Act, "MSU" became co-educational and expanded its curriculum beyond just agriculture. "MSU" is currently listed as the six-largest university by enrollment. As a research university, Michigan State University is a member of the Association of American Universities.

In 1855, Governor Kinsley S. Bingham signed a bill to establish the nation’s first agriculture college, the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan. Classes began in May of 1857 with three buildings, five faculty members and 63 students. The first designed curriculum was one that required more scientific study than any undergraduate institution of the era, balancing liberal arts, sciene and practical training. After the Reorganization Act of 1861 was passed, Colleges had a four-year curriculum and the power to grant master’s degrees. That same year, the school changed its name to State Agricultural College and its first class graduated. However, there was not much for an elaborate graduation ceremony, most of the alumni were drafted into the American Civil War that followed soon after. The college first admitted women in 1870, although at that time there were no female dormitories. Females, even from the early days, took the same scientific agriculture courses as male students. In 1896, the faculty created a "Women Course" that melded liberal arts and sciences, with a home economics curriculum. That same year, the College turned the old Abbot Hall dorm into a women’s dormitory. However, it was not until 1899 that the State Agricultural College admitted its first African American student. The first African American student, William I. Thompson, went on to teach at what is now Tuskegee University. In September 2005, current university president Lou Anna Simon called for "MSU" to become the global model leader for Land Grant institutions by the year 2012.

The Athletic teams, all 22 of them, are named the Spartans and dress in green and white colors. Michigan State offers 14 varsity sports for men and 15 for women. The men’s basketball team has won the national championship twice, once in 1979 and another in 2000. The 1979 championship team was led by the well-known NBA great, Earvin "Magic" Johnson. Football has a long tradition at Michigan State, starting as a club sport in 1884, but football gained varsity status in 1896. The team won the Rose Bowl in 1954, 1956 and 1988. The basketball games are played at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center and the football games are played at Spartan Stadium, in the center of the campus.

Michigan State University is one of the many fine schools to attend after high school in the United States. The academic program and athletic program of the university meets the requirements to become successful beyond graduation.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to College

Posted on Jul 24th, 2006

Located in Durham, North Carolina, Duke University is a premier private research college. Duke University’s undergraduate and graduate programs are highly regarded. Duke is also especially well known for its research, especially in natural sciences and health. The university is divided into nine schools, in which the undergraduates would enroll in either Pratt School of Engineering or the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences. The graduate and professional schools to attend are the Divinity School, the School of Law, Graduate School, the School of Nursing, School of Medicine, the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences and the Fuqua School of business. Recently, 19,358 students applied to become part of the incoming undergraduate class of 2010. Of these students, 3778 were admitted.

Although Duke University was official founded in 1924, what is known today as Duke University started as Brown’s Schoolhouse, a private subscription school founded in 1838 in Randolph County, North Carolina. The state legislature granted a rechartering of the academy as Normal College in 1851 and gained privilege of granting degrees in 1853. To keep the school operating, the trustees agreed to provide free education for Methodist preachers in return for the churches’ financial support and in 1859 the name was changed to Trinity College. In 1892, Trinity opened in Durham, as it became more involving with research instead of recitation. It was in 1900 when Trinity College became the first white institution of higher education in the South to invite Booker T. Washington to speak and that same year graduated its first Native American student. Soon after, Trinity College had developed into one of the leading liberal arts colleges in the southern United States. When 1924 came around, Duke University was born out of the establishment of the Duke Endowment, which was a $40 million dollar trust fund. The university grew quickly and within the next 20 years it had such additions as the Medical School and hospital, the Religion and Graduate School, the School of Nursing, School of Forestry and the Law School.

Besides the universities fine academics, it has 26 varsity sport teams known as the Blue Devils. Within the 26 teams is the very successful men’s basketball team under 25 years of coaching by Mike Krzyzewski. Their successes include becoming the only team to win three national championships since the tournament field was expanded to 64 teams in 1985. In addition to winning the championships, they have reached the "Final Four" of the tournament ten of the past twenty years. Many of the players of Duke have gone on to become popular players of the National Basketball Association and make millions of dollars on top of that. In recent years, the women’s golf team has also become dominant, winning three championships.

There are many great things to see at Duke University, such as the huge William R. Perkins Library or the Nasher Museum of Art. The indoor athletic games are held at the Cameron Indoor Stadium while the football games are played at Wallace Wade Stadium. Despite the recent controversies at Duke University involving the lacrosse team, Duke is a great university but is difficult to be admitted into without a doubt.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to College

Posted on Jul 23rd, 2006

Trying to get into business school can be gruesome, and you’re not even guaranteed a spot on the consultancy firm you’re eyeing even if you graduate. The statistics are alarming: Wall Street has lost 34,000 jobs, and only fourteen percent of MBA graduates at the average business school secured consulting jobs last year (down from twenty-four percent five years ago). But getting into a top-rated business school might just get you that extra lift you badly need to get to the top yourself.

Getting into a business school is difficult, depending on your brains and your financial means. First, you need to think about what specific field you want to study. When you have done that, the next thing is to acquire a decent budget. Remember–the top has its price, and it isn’t cheap.

After you’ve done that, try looking at their requirements; most of them have units in finance as prerequisites or require job experience (for graduate school). Preparing yourself for the interview is very helpful, as some of the top-rated business schools tend to accept students with better-developed personalities. State business schools are a way to go if you want a decent school without the “price over quality” tag some private business schools have. Some state-run schools are top rated, too, but admission is very competitive.

If you’re planning on entering a private business school, there are many to choose from. Try to research which field the school is known for and then weigh your options. A well-known name or a general reputation of a school may appear more than it actually is, so you have to be careful not to be deceived with this. A true top business school produces the best students; research the top executives running the big companies or those who own successful consultancy firms today and see which school they graduated from.

Once you’ve entered business school, you will find that the lessons are more realistic in a sense that the cases you study or are presented with are from actual situations in the corporate world. You might be embedded in a lot of research work for this and that can become overwhelming if you’re working part time. Don’t get fooled by Tom Cruise in “Risky Business”. These schools can be exhausting.

Another thing to check is the faculty and research facilities they have. How many books have the faculty published and how efficient are the laboratories and libraries? Scheduling for a campus tour must cover these things.

Business Schools provides detailed information on Business Schools, Top Business Schools, Online Business Schools, Best Undergraduate Business Schools and more. Business Schools is affiliated with MBA Online.

Posted on Jul 22nd, 2006

The University of Kansas is just one of the quality schools for higher education in the state of Kansas. The main campus of the University of Kansas is located In Lawrence, Kansas. Lawrence is actually home to two universities, the University of Kansas, and the Haskell Indian Nations University. The town of Lawrence is 25 miles from the capitol city of Topeka, and just 40 minutes from the thriving city area of Kansas City. The Kansas International Airport is also in Kansas City and provides transportation for many students. One unique thing and the University of Kansas is that it is a multi-campus facility. In addition to the main campus is Lawrence; the campus of the University of Kansas includes the Medical Center in Kansas City, the Edwards Campus in Overland Park, and the clinical campus of the School of Medicine in Wichita.

Student Body Information

The University of Kansas was founded in 1866, and today has more than 29,000 students enrolled. There are students from all 50 states, as well as international students from 110 countries. Students can choose from over 170 majors, and the University of Kansas is one of the top 50 public universities, and is well known for their public research and teaching disciplines. There are plenty of fields of study to choose from for the prospective student. In addition, students in their senior year often study abroad.

The Perfect University Location

With the jay hawk as their mascot, the University of Kansas is ideally located. The town of Lawrence is small, with a population of around 85,000 people. Lawrence has been ranked as one of the top 15 best small art towns in America and is also known for their dedication to historic preservation. The town has a wonderful art scene, and boasts many specialty shops, coffeehouses, and other amenities to make students and residents alike feel at home. Lawrence is considered a safe community that cares about its residents.

Tuition Costs

Another unique thing about the University of Kansas is that they consistently have a below average tuition. This does not mean, however, that their teaching staff is below par. It is actually anything but! They have expert researchers and experience professors teaching their classes. Many of these professional are nationally ranked. Housing costs for students are also lower than the national average. So students at the University of Kansas are definitely getting a quality education for their tuition dollars.

Everything you need to know about Kansas City.

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