This paper, as the title suggests, presents a discussion of the dangers and possibilities of the external degree. There are 8 major dangers that widespread offering of external degrees might precipitate: (1) the deterioration of standards rather than quality education; (2) a proliferation of degrees that might debase the degree; (3) the use of the…

Describes Occupational Competency Credit program at East Texas State University, which grants students college credit for competencies acquired through work experience related to their educational objectives. (JG)

This paper discusses the development of a doctoral program specializing in community college leadership. When Morgan State University (Maryland) expanded its existing Urban Educational Leadership Doctoral Program to include a concentration in Urban Community College Leadership, it became the first historically black university in the United States…

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…

Presents results of a national survey of institutions offering college level aerospace studies. Primary survey concern is the availability of nontraditional aerospace education programs; however, information pertaining to institution characteristics, program characteristics, and staffing are also included. (SL)

Millsaps College inaugurated an Adult Degree Program to compensate for the predicted diminishing number of traditional age students and to establish a degree program incorporating a number of innovations of value to working adults. Issues considered before implementing the program included the impact of such a degree offering on existing programs,…

Despite the abundance of information available regarding enrollment trends in higher education, few institutions are adequately prepared to offer educational experiences tailored for the newest phenomenon on campus, the adult part-time student. This group is expected to make up almost half of the undergraduate student body by 1992. Many of these…

Describes the formation and programs of the Marylhurst (Oregon) Education Center for Lifelong Learning, the only lifelong learning institution fully accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges. Faculty and facilities of the former Marylhurst College (closed due to declining enrollments) provide traditional college courses with…

This index of programs of study and graduate degrees is designed to help students find out which colleges offer the fields of study that interest them. In addition, it includes lists of colleges that offer special academic programs. The index lists nearly 600 majors, each listed alphabetically, and the colleges and graduate schools that offer a…

A wide variety of selected innovative or nontraditional programs in accredited two- and four-year American colleges and universities is described, using information derived from an extensive study covering over 2200 accredited institutions. Although the intent is to aid career preparation, the scope is broader than the title suggests. Chapters…

A study sought to determine the rate of retention of adult students in the University of Minnesota College Program for Individualized Learning (PIL) for the 1983-84 academic year, as well as factors that might relate to this retention rate. A review was made of the 67 applications submitted by students admitted to PIL during that year to determine…

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…

This working paper is an intermediary stage in the development of a new telecurriculum for the To Educate the People Consortium. Section 1 is an introduction to the process. Section 2 contains the outlines of 18 courses in the telecurriculum based on concept papers submitted by teams from the consortium. Each course is in the format of six 1-hour…

A general overview of the Cooperative Assessment of Experiential Learning's Operational Models project is presented. The information is intended to aid other institutions in developing a similar model. Three papers are included: Developing an Operational Model for Assessing Experiential Learning by Warren W. Willingham and Kurt F. Geisinger,…