As many of you know, I've developed a program that uses Charter Oak State College as a means for experienced opticians to obtain fully accredited Associate in Science or Bachelor of Science degrees. Since the ABO/NCLE examinations have been evaluated for 20 semester hours of the 60 required for the Associate of Science degree, Charter Oak offers an outstanding educational opportunity to working professionals. By the way, Charter Oak will transfer college credit from all acredited institutions, regardless of age; even those for the 60's and 70's.
It's inportant to stress that these degrees are for experienced opticians. The courses I have written assume attendees have at least three years experience, ABO/NCLE certification and/or state license. The classes consist of a pre-class assignment, midterm exam, two days of class work and a final examination. When designing the classes, I had in mind trying to blend them into optical meetings so participants could obtain both CE and three semester hours of college credit in a couple of days. Again, these classes are for experienced opticians. Entry-level personnel should attend one of the two-year programs or enroll in one of the distance learning courses to obtain basic education relating to the ophthalmic field.
To speed everyone along I've also developed 13 (39 semester hours) DANTES review courses covering topics such as Art of the Western World and Environment and Humanity. These courses allow the student to study at their own pace and take the exams at their local participating college. All these tests are accepted by Charter Oak and help fulfill the General Studies requirements.
Why aren't opticians beating down the door at Charter Oak? I truthfully don't know. The degrees are fully accredited and completion requirements are very straightforward. The cost is low (approximately $1,000 for the BS) and you're not required to travel to Connecticut. I wish I had known about the Charter Oak degree when I completed my Bachelor's.
Roy R. Ferguson, Ph.D.
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