How to Reduce Cost of College Degree in US if you can Self-Study ( contd)
Competency Based Degree Programs and the Bologna Process...
If your education path is linear i.e. you are studying one subject after another then whenever you start a subject you move from the lowest level to higher levels.
But what if you have love reading and have already read and understood something?
Or you did an internship in an area and have some knowledge and insights about it. So much that you can just read a book and give the exam. Someone teaching it to you would be a waste of time and money and would bore you?
To get such subjects out of your curriculum, some colleges have started offering Competence Based Degrees.
What are Competence Based Degrees
These are degrees where you can directly demonstrate competence in subjects instead of taking tutions for the same. This makes education cheaper and more flexible for the students.
Under which act are they Defined?
“Advancing Competency-Based Education Demonstration Project Act of 2014 - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to direct the Secretary of Education to select up to 30 institutions of higher education (IHEs) or systems or consortia of IHEs to: (1) carry out, on a voluntary basis, competency-based education demonstration projects; and (2) receive waivers of certain statutory and regulatory requirements that would otherwise prevent such an entity from participating in federal student aid programs or inhibit the operation of competency-based education.
Defines "competency-based education" as an educational process or program that measures students' knowledge, skills, and experience through assessments instead of, or in addition to, measuring their credit or clock hours.
Includes in the waivers:
(1) limitations on the provision of instruction through correspondence courses,
(2) requirements that schools provide a minimum number of weeks of instruction, and
(3) requirements that students enroll for at least a minimum number of credit or clock hours.
How can I Benefit from them?
You can finish your degree faster and at a much lower cost in these colleges
Who should opt for such an option?
People wo are self-disciplined and ambitious can opt for such an option as in this case the onus of clearing the exam lies on the student and not the teacher
Which colleges offer these?
University of Wisconsin
What are the charges?
A flat fee is charged per semester
Are there any cons?
Yes,
- You may take longer than you thought
- Faster learning is easily forgotten
- Some such programs do not accept credit transfer
- Always check the passing rate of such colleges
Are there any similar practices in Europe?
The Bologna Process is a series of ministerial meetings and agreements between European countries to ensure comparability in the standards and quality of higher-education qualifications.[1]
References are given below
Competency Based Degree Programs | Schools.com
Competency-Based Education: What It Is and How It’s Different (wisconsin.edu)