Sample Excelsior Degree Requirements Roadmap

Information
Many thanks to dragonwolf for providing the basis of these plans. This page aims to help students plan out a degree from Excelsior University. Although Excelsior allows students to transfer in all but the final 7 credits of a degree, their degree requirements can be obscure and difficult for beginners to understand. The plans here aim to make it easier for students to choose Excelsior when that is their best option.

Excelsior requires students to have at least 30 UL credits in their degree. These do not all have to be in the major, some may go to electives. Check the Excelsior catalog or the plans below to determine how many UL credits your major requires. You may also ask in the forum for assistance.

Available Degrees
Degree plans are currently available for:


 * Associate of Science in Liberal Studies
 * Bachelor of Science in Business
 * Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts
 * Bachelor of Science in Psychology

While the Associate's degree plan is provided here, the tuition and fees to Excelsior are the same as for obtaining a Bachelor's degree. Students may wish to visit the Associate's Degrees page to see if there is a better alternative for their needs.

General Education Requirements
Although Excelsior does not currently require a specific number of courses from Regionally or Nationally Accredited sources, a selection of college and university classes are listed here as alternatives for people who want them. Unless and until Excelsior requires a specific number of RA and/or NA courses, students should feel free to use any source that will work for their specific needs.

Basic Credit Breakdown
Students must obtain at least 90 general education credits, which can be broken down as follows: Students may notice that the above chart adds up to more than 90 credits. This is because the larger number can encompass the smaller numbers. For instance, students must obtain 5 or more credits in Natural Science or Mathematics, of which at least 2 credits must be in Natural Sciences and 2 credits must be in Mathematics. In addition, some degrees may require more or less credits in the major than others. These overlapping requirements may be confusing, so be sure to ask in the forum if you have any questions.

Written Communication
6 credits are required for Written Communication, typically understood to be English Comp I & II.

Unlike some other schools, Excelsior does not accept a CLEP Exam as meeting their Written Communication requirements.

Humanities & Ethics
At least 3 credits of Ethics are required.

Ethics courses not taken from above can also work as a humanities option.

This is not an exhaustive list. Courses from other providers, including Coopersmith, Olivet Nazarene University, and Arizona State University should also meet humanities requirements. Feel free to reach out on the forum if you have any questions.

Social Science/History
9 or 12 credits required.

Natural Science
At least 2 credits required, but it's easiest to find 3-credit courses.

Mathematics
2 credits required, but it's easiest to find at least 3 credits.

Arts & Sciences Electives
Exact number required varies greatly depending on degree. Gen Ed portion of degree requires at least 48 credits.

Arts and Sciences are: humanities, social science, history, natural sciences, mathematics.

Major Courses
See above for courses that will work for your chosen degree.

Free Electives
The number of credits that goes here varies depending on the degree. These can be Arts & Sciences electives (see above) or Applied Professional courses.