Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees Nontraditionally (Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning) [Paperback]

John B. Bear Ph.D. (Author), Mariah Bear (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1998 | Series: Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning

The essential reference to alternative education, this book covers it all: night and weekend colleges, foreign medical schools, degress by Internet and other e-mail avenues, and basically every other way of earning a Bachelor's, Master's, Doctorate, law, or medical degree through some unconventional method.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: C&B Publishing; 13th edition (June 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0962931241
• ISBN-13: 978-0962931246
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #759,654 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the BIBLE of non-traditional/distance learning!, February 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees Nontraditionally (Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning) (Paperback)

Pardon the hyperbole, but no "nontraditional" (i.e. working adult) student should be without this book. John and Mariah succinctly and humorously break down the good, the bad, and the ugly in this guide to the world of nontraditional and distance learning.

If you're a working adult considering your options for continuing your post-secondary education, you need this book. There are many ways to earn or complete a degree, and Bears' Guide attempts to show you the myriad paths and how best to select and pursue them.

Last, but not least, there are many "institutions" in the US and abroad that would love to have your money. In fact, many of them would be perfectly willing to sell you a degree that would serve you better as toilet paper than as a credential. This book helps you tell the difference between institutions that deserve your money/time and those that deserve to see your backside.

There are only a couple of high-quality general treatments of the topic of distance and nontraditional education, and this is one of them. The other is Marcie Thorson's Campus Free College Degrees. Peterson's guides get an honorable mention from me.

In closing: I own it; I love it; I highly recommend it. Now go buy a dozen copies!

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Without question, the best resource for adult learners, December 21, 1999

By 

Chip (Northern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees Nontraditionally (Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning) (Paperback)

I admit I was skeptical when I responded to a small classified ad offering this book for sale.

But the book written by John and Mariah Bear turned out to be an extremely well-written and carefully researched work, offering valuable and practical assistance on completing a degree at any of a hundred-plus quality, regionally accredited schools. The schools, including some very high-profile ones, offer many different specialties. Some are State-affiliated, and several allow the industrious student with a lot of work and life experience to complete an accredited undergraduate degree in under a year for less than $3000!

The book also has great -- and amusing -- information on various "less-than-wonderful" institutions to stay away from, as well as an interesting and colorful historical section on past diploma mills.

All in all, an excellent resource, enjoyable to read, and very highly recommended.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Info on Alternative & Accredited Degrees, January 13, 2000

By 

Chris Wilde (Seattle WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees Nontraditionally (Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning) (Paperback)

Huge excellent book and database for the ever-changing opportunities for adult distance learners wanting an accredited degrees. I particularly liked Dr. Bear's friendly candor and the time-saving information on life-credit for past work experience. Finding out about the educational "credit bank" alone was worth the price of the book.