Thomas Edison
State College
101 W. State St.
Trenton, N.J. 08608-1176
Thomas Edison State College
101 W. State St
Trenton, NJ 08608-1176
www.tesc.edu
College Description
Thomas Edison State College provides flexible, high-quality, collegiate learning opportunities for self-directed adults. Identified by Forbes magazine as one of the top twenty colleges and universities in the nation in the use of technology to create learning opportunities for adults, Thomas Edison State College is a national leader in the assessment of adult learning and a pioneer in the use of educational technologies. Founded in 1972, Thomas Edison State College enables adults to complete associate, baccalaureate, and master’s degrees through a wide variety of rigorous and high-quality academic methods that can be customized to meet their individual needs.
The College’s convenient programs are designed to help students pursue their educational goals while attending to the challenges and priorities of adult life. Accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Thomas Edison State College offers a distinguished academic program for the self-motivated adult learner. The College has approximately 25,000 alumni worldwide.
Academic advisement is provided to enrolled students by the College’s Advisement Center, which assists students in integrating their learning style, background, and educational goals with the credit-earning methods and programs available. Students may access advisement through telephone and in-person appointments through the Advisement Phone Center, and they have 24-hour-a-day access through fax and e-mail.
Academic Life
At Thomas Edison State College, students have the opportunity to earn degrees through traditional and nontraditional methods. These methods take into consideration personal needs and interests while ensuring both breadth and depth of knowledge within the degree program. Thomas Edison State College offers one of the most highly regarded, comprehensive distance learning programs in the United States. Students at Thomas Edison State College may use several convenient methods of meeting degree requirements, depending upon their individual learning styles and preferences. Thomas Edison State College courses, examinations, Prior Learning Assessment, corporate or military education, and credits earned at other accredited colleges may be combined in a number of ways to earn credits toward an undergraduate degree.
Each undergraduate degree requires work in general education, a major area of study, and elective subjects. Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the requirements of their chosen degree and work in conjunction with one of the College’s knowledgeable program advisers to develop a program plan that best meets their individual needs, goals, and interests.
Thomas Edison State College’s Military Degree Completion Program (MDCP) serves military personnel worldwide. The MDCP was developed to accommodate the special needs of military personnel, whose location, relocation, and time constraints make traditional college attendance difficult, if not impossible. The program allows students to engage in a degree program wherever they may be stationed. The program allows maximum credit for military training and education. As a result of its long-standing commitment to providing access to educational options for military personnel, Thomas Edison State College participates in the Navy College Program Distance Learning Partnership (NCPDLP) and the Navy College Program for Afloat College Education (NCPACE) and is a participant in the Army University Access Online (eArmyU) program.
In addition, the College welcomes community and county college students and graduates and values their educational experience. Thomas Edison State College works closely with community and county colleges to assure maximum credit transfer for students. Up to 80 credits from a community or county college may be transferred to Thomas Edison State College toward the 120 credits needed for a baccalaureate degree. Furthermore, the College accepts an unlimited number of four-year college credits toward degree requirements.
In addition, students are able to take distance learning courses through Thomas Edison State College, and they may earn credit for what they already know through testing, Prior Learning Assessment, and other methods of earning credit that are available through the College.
Thomas Edison State College also provides services for individuals who are not seeking a degree. These are credit-earning options for non-degree-seeking students, credit banking, and credit for licenses and certificates.
Credit-earning options for non-degree-seeking students benefit individuals who would like to earn credits through examinations, Prior Learning Assessment, Guided Study, and online courses. They may do so by paying the appropriate fee for these programs. An application to Thomas Edison State College is not required to take advantage of these credit-earning options.
Credit banking is for students who wish to document college-level learning gained through military experience, professional licenses, college proficiency examinations, college-level corporate training programs, or American Council on Education (ACE) recommendations. Thomas Edison State College offers a credit-banking service for individuals who wish to consolidate college-level work into a Thomas Edison State College transcript. Credits transcripted under the credit-banking program may or may not apply to a degree program at Thomas Edison State College.
Thomas Edison State College grants credit for current professional licenses or certificates that have been approved for credit by ACE and the College’s Academic Council. Students who have earned one of these licenses or certificates must submit notarized copies of the license or certificate and a current renewal card, if appropriate, to receive credit. A list of licenses and certificates approved for credit may be found in the College’s Undergraduate Prospectus.
There are approximately 230 mentors at Thomas Edison State College. Drawn from other highly regarded colleges and universities, mentors provide many services to Thomas Edison State College, including assessment of knowledge adults already have, advisement, and other special assignments.
Programs of Study
Thomas Edison State College offers sixteen associate, baccalaureate, and master’s degree programs in more than 100 areas of study. Undergraduate degrees offered include Associate in Applied Science, Associate in Science in Business Administration, Associate in Science in Applied Science and Technology, Associate in Arts, Associate in Science in Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Associate in Science in Public and Social Services, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science in Applied Science and Technology, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences (a joint-degree program with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) School of Health Related Professions (SHRP)), Bachelor of Science in Human Services, and Bachelor of Science in Nursing. The College’s Undergraduate Prospectus contains a list of the more than 100 areas of study available within these degrees. To obtain the Undergraduate Prospectus, students should contact the College at its toll-free number or by e-mail.
Facilities and Resources
Distance education courses are provided through several venues, including Internet-based online courses via myEdison, print-based Guided Study courses, standardized TECEP® examinations, e-Pack® courses, and assessment of prior learning through the College’s unique Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) program. The College’s distance learning program is administered through its Center for Directed Independent Adult Learning (DIAL).
Thomas Edison State College students utilize the rich library research facilities of the New Jersey State Library, which is an affiliate of Thomas Edison State College. Students have access to the Virtual Academic Libraries Environment (VALE), a system that provides access to a network of research libraries.
Expenses
Tuition is payment for all costs that are directly associated with the academic delivery of a Thomas Edison State College education to registered students. Fees are designated as payment for administrative services associated with other activities in support of that educational process and for materials used by students for courses and other activities undertaken by them. Thomas Edison State College offers one annual tuition plan, the Comprehensive Tuition Plan, for students who want access to all components of the tuition package. Students who determine that they require only some components of the Comprehensive Tuition Plan are offered the Enrolled Options Plan. A complete listing of tuition and fees is included in the College’s information packet, which may be obtained by calling the toll-free number or visiting the College Web site.
Financial Aid
Thomas Edison State College participates in a number of federal and state aid programs. Eligible students may receive Federal Pell Grants or federal education loans, such as the Federal Stafford Student Loan (subsidized and unsubsidized), for courses offered by the College. Eligible New Jersey residents may also tap a variety of state grant and loan programs. Students may use state aid to meet all or part of their College costs, provided they are taking at least 12 credits per semester.
Students interested in using financial assistance, including student loans, should file an application as well as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and submit all required documentation at least two months prior to the start of the first semester for which they plan to enroll in the College. Once a student’s financial aid file is complete, a letter is sent to the student indicating what aid has been awarded.
Detailed information about the financial aid process may be found in the financial aid packet, which is available from the Office of Financial Aid & Veterans’ Affairs. To receive this information, students should call the toll-free number listed in this description or send e-mail to finaid@tesc.edu.
Admission Requirements
Adults seeking an associate or baccalaureate degree who are high school graduates and at least 21 years of age are eligible to become Thomas Edison State College students. Adults seeking a graduate degree must have a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university, and must submit a current resume, provide two letters of recommendation, and complete and submit all appropriate essay questions. Because Thomas Edison State College delivers high-quality education directly to students wherever they live or work, students may complete degree requirements at their convenience. There are two brief residency requirements for the organizational leadership professional focus area of the Master of Science in Management degree. A computer is required to complete graduate degrees and to take online courses. Once a student has applied for a specific degree program, an evaluator determines the number of credits the student has already earned and fits those into the degree program requirements.
Students may apply to Thomas Edison State College any day of the year by mail or fax or through the College Web site. The Office of Admissions assists potential applicants in determining whether Thomas Edison State College suits their particular academic goals. For more information, students should contact:
Thomas Edison State College
101 West State Street
Trenton, New Jersey 08608-1176
888-442-8372 (toll-free)
E-mail: info@tesc.edu
