Non degree seeking online graduate courses from reputable universities

[rgwen]

I currently hold a BA (English), BS (Electrical Engineering), and an MBA. I know this is going to sound very odd to most people, but after a very grade-focused high school experience I simply didn't look at my grades in undergrad. I mean I literally did not review a single grade I received (they were posted online) until I was forced to when applying to my MBA program the year after I graduated. I took classes that I thought I would enjoy, put more effort into those I did, and judged my success on what I felt I was getting out of them rather than what I received. 

 

Anyway, that philosophy worked out fine when I thought I would eventually utilize my professional degree (I always felt I was studying engineering for a career, and english for a passion) which I am 100 percent sure I will now never use.

 

GET TO THE POINT : My English BA GPA ended up being around a 3.4 (it's sort of convoluted when you consider my two Undergrads overlapped even though I walked/received the degrees 18 months apart). My grad degree is unrelated to English. I'd like to take a few (3-4) online graduate study courses as a non degree seeking student over the next two years as I prepare to apply to some competitive programs. I hope to illustrate proficiency in courses that mirror those I would be taking if accepted into a program. They have to be online, unfortunately, as I am in the Army. I see great opportunities at universities such as Stanford for Engineering, but no such luck when it comes to the humanities. Does anyone floating around here know of anywhere I might look for this? I've checked Stanford, Johns Hopkins, Princeton, Brown etc with no such luck.

 

Any help would be great!

[poliscar]

Honestly I don't think said courses exist—not at a graduate level at least, and certainly not at schools like those you've mentioned. You'd have better luck looking at funded MA programs. 

[rgwen]

I've received advice in another post here to look at Harvard Extension and UC Berkeley Extension. After a quick check, both seem to offer graduate courses online in my area of interest. They post video feeds of the classes shortly after they are given, and all assignments are treated as if you were in attendance.  I'm not sure that this will adequately demonstrate a graduate level top tier readiness, but given my circumstances I don't think success in a few of these courses could hurt considering a terminal MA is not an option. 

[poliscar]

I'd be wary of considering them graduate courses. Yes, they may label them as such, but they are going to be worlds different from what you would experience in the programs you express interest in. In all honesty, the likelihood of them helping you gain acceptance to a doctoral program is pretty minimal. They aren't going to be at the same level of rigour as a high level graduate seminar, nor will they help you gain reference letters. Really, those extension schools are cash-grabs; they simply aren't going to facilitate entry to competitive graduate schools. 

Why do you say that a terminal MA isn't a possibility? At this point, I would probably say that it is your only option based on the tier of schools you seem to be interested in. Even a lower tier would be a stretch unless you have stellar LoRs and a competitive writing sample. 

[rhetoricus aesalon]

rgwen, do you mind me asking what your goals are after receiving the PhD? Are you mainly interested in taking classes for fulfillment of your passion? To help study for the GRE subject test in literature? Your original post makes me think you might be seeking out a career with the degree. Outside academia? As tenured faculty? As an adjunct?

 

I'm not familiar with any online programs like the ones that you're asking about, but I also took non-degree seeking courses before returning to graduate school in 2012. I think the experience was incredibly helpful, and my wife has reminded me many times that they helped keep me "bearable to be around" since I was able to be studying something I loved again and not store sales reports. Furthermore, I am still in contact with all of the professors I took courses with, and one in particular has been instrumental in supporting me in graduate work. I think that as long as you are proactive in building relationships with your professors--which arguably may be much harder when you are not face-to-face with them--you could surely use the experience to your benefit. To get into Harvard? Eh, probably not. That's hard enough as it is. But to get back into English? Absolutely.

 

Another thing to keep in mind, though. If your end goal is a PhD in English, be prepared for 6-8 more years of school in degree-granting programs before you have the degree. I think some programs will grant a PhD after 5 years of study from the BA, but I am hesitant to say that having an MBA will shave much (if any) time off your coursework.

Edited May 27, 2014 by Chadillac

[rgwen]

Thanks for the input everyone,

 

Just to be clear though, the programs I listed were for consideration as options for taking graduate level courses now, not for applications to their PhD programs (with the exception of Stanford which I plan on being my just for the heck of it super reach). The actual list I am developing is slightly more modest than that..

 

Poliscar - I understand your concerns with the Extension courses. I'm just trying to find a way to show some recent proffecieny in my area of interest beyond the undergraduate level. My concerns with a terminal MA is that my earliest release from the Army is 2016 at which point I will be 29/30. I don't want to get into a whole additional degree that likely will only be partially transfered towards a phd. Also, I understand funded/partially funded programs do exist, but I also do know the financial sting of having 3 degrees and I'd like to save my GI Bill for the last couple years of a phd where funding could become shaky.  

 

Chadillac,

 

Thanks for your interest. The short answer to your question is I would like to teach at a small liberal arts college while continuing to serve in the reserve component of the military. The longer answer can be found in my other active thread here:

I'm definitely feeling a little bit of the itch you describe above, though. Glad you were able to get back into it!

[heliogabalus]

At 7560 pounds, it isn't cheap (but I think that's for the whole MA program), but you could look into something like the distance learning MA Nottingham offers (other British universities have similar programs).

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/pgstudy/courses/english/english-studies-by-web-based-distance-learning-ma.aspx

Edited May 27, 2014 by heliogabalus

[bhr]

Honestly, I'm not sure that you really need all that. You've proven that you can complete graduate level work with your MBA, a 3.4 won't kill you as an undergraduate GPA, and, while it will hurt you with some programs, coming from the service may help at some schools (especially if they are trying to increase their outreach). Look into University of Maryland, University College, which offers online and on-base programs for military members (I'm not sure what's at the UG vs Grad level).

 

Your best bet is to call or email one of your schools/POIs and have a conversation about what they are looking for. My guess is that they will tell you to work on your writing samples, SoP and maybe attempt to publish or present before applying. Heck, they may be able to rec a program that you can take classes from.

 

You may also look for overlap courses. A number of programs have courses where the MA/PhDs are taking undergraduate courses with an extra paper or two. In those cases, it may be easier to find an online section.