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 Studies
 * 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.

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
3 credits of Ethics are required. Different degrees may require different numbers of credits for Humanities. Business & Psychology require 9 credits, Liberal Arts 12 credits.

Confirm with an advisor before taking the UExcel exam to confirm whether it will work with your plan or not.

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
Credit requirement varies depending on degree. Likely 9 or 12 credits required.

Natural Science
At least 3 credits required, some degrees may require 4 or more credits.

Mathematics
At least 3 credits required. Some degrees may require more.

Arts & Sciences Electives
Number required varies greatly depending on degree.

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.