An external degree is one granted on the basis of academic work undertaken through independent and flexible study and pursued in whole or in part outside of the framework of existing college and university courses. A person's qualifications for an external degree are measured not by a list of accumulated formal courses taken and passed, but by an…

Educational Testing Service studied the Servicemen's Opportunity College (SOC) Program at nine different military installations and their surrounding SOC colleges. Members of the Armed Forces (stratified by sex, age, years in service, and rank) were interviewed regarding their educational background, decision to enter the service, reasons for…

Adults learn from many sources, such as volunteer work, community services, homemaking, jobs, and other activities, and they increasingly want this learning to be recognized so that they can reenter the job market, get a promotion, or return to college. Therefore, scientific methods have been developed to help adults document their experiential…

The development, implementation, and integration of a nontraditional adult degree program at Mary Baldwin College, a traditional liberal arts institution, is described. The adult degree program is designed for adult men and women who cannot attend classes in the traditional manner; it may involve independent study, courses at other accredited…

Educational institutions need to help women get a better education by taking into account the learning they have acquired through experience in homemaking, volunteer work, and other activities. This paper examines the need for recognition of women's prior learning by educational institutions and delves into some of the intricacies of the process.…