How quick can I reasonably get through school?

[StephandOwen]

I'm working on my associates right now and then I'll transfer schools and get my degree in special education.

After this summer I will have 31 credit hours. I'm signed up for 15 more in the fall. I'll do 15 more next spring which will give me my associates. Then I'll transfer schools. How quickly can I get through that? Does anyone know? If they offer online classes then I can do it through the summer. Can I get it done in 1 1/2 years? Fall 2011, spring 2012, summer 2012 and fall 2012?

[Dar]

It will depend on your program... when I got a B.A. in special education, the last 2 years of the program had to take 2 years. Those two years were pretty structured, with certain sequences of courses and internships each semester, culminating in a semester of student teaching.A group of us moved through the program together, as a cohort, and each of the last 4 semesters built on the previous one.

There was some courses that one could take early or during the summer, but there were 6-9 hours that were only available in sequence.

I imagine this is all going to really depend on your university though, and you could probably check their website to find out...

[One_Girl]

When I first started in the education program I went in to an advisor and she mapped a schedule of classes I needed to take in order to be done in two years. Some classes were only offered in spring or only in fall so going in was very helpful. I think you should do that before you enroll in the university for the first semester. Requirements change so doing it now may not help you in a year.

[JElaineB]

At the university I work at students can take up to 12 hours of credit in the summer total. They can also take up to 18 hours in the fall and spring (or more with permission) and one class (3 hours) in the short winter session. There are online classes offered year-round as well. Each school is different, though, but there should be options for year-round schooling if that is what you want to do. I agree that once you get more into your major the classes you need might not be available during certain semesters or during the summer. I would recommend you sit down with an academic advisor at both your current school and at the one you plan to transfer to to map out a plan for completely your degree in a reasonable timeline.

[sparklett]

My husband is in a bachelors-master's combined program and will finish in three years total. He's able to do it so quickly becuase he has a 4.0 GPA and is able to petition to take additional units beyond the maximum units allowed per term. He's also using CLEP credit and petitioning for waivers for a few classes.

As the other posters said, how fast you can finish really depends on your program and how often the courses are offered.