Having no faculty or classrooms and offering no courses by mail or television, the external degree program at Thomas Edison State College in Pennsylvania is described as an accredited program whereby college credits are gained primarily through the use of CLEP (College Level Examination Program) tests and individual assessment. (BM)

Nontraditional higher education is a movement toward increasing the options open to an individual in the pursuit of post secondary education. Its major emphasis is in recognition of individual differences and making institutions more flexible in response to them. This paper describes many programs and proposals throughout the country, giving…

Discusses two alternatives to traditional classroom learning: (a) universities' acceptance of standardized examination results as evidence of learning and (b) "external degree" programs, which involve a reorganization of the higher education system. Discusses one such program in detail. (Author)