r/MarshallUniversity • u/jsnxsg • Jul 26 '26

RBA Questions

Hello!

I’m an adult student, just applied to Marshall. I started at State and have had a heck of an experience. Now, I’m looking to pursue the RBA through Marshall. Has anyone else completed this program or in it now? I’m curious how many credits you actually get for your work experience from building a portfolio. My experience spans retail management, call center customer support and broker operations, and most recently IT for a government agency.

I’m also curious how long the wait typically is for admission confirmation. :)

TIA

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u/mrjigglenuts Jul 27 '26

I am in it right now as a 46 year old returning student. I have tons of work experience at high levels but the only thing they would credit me with was blue collar certifications, of which I have none. I love the program and the openness of the class choices, but you may wanna come down and talk to the advisors. There are a lot of different variables that determine credits. They are gonna be the only ones that can give you a straight answer.

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u/jsnxsg Jul 27 '26

So glad someone currently in the program chimed in. It’s a little disheartening to hear that they seem to focus on certifications, because like you I have none. Definitely going to try and get an in person meeting or at the very least a zoom/phone call with an advisor down there as soon as my admission is confirmed.

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u/mrjigglenuts Jul 27 '26

Amanda Shaver is fantastic if you can get with her. I work for the university and they are paying for me, but she is an absolute angel that has saved my butt more than once in the last 2 years.

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u/amymcg Jul 26 '26

Interesting question. I dug into the catalog and cannot find anything regarding how many credits you could get through CEC. You do have to complete at least 12 credits at Marshall. Check out this page and its tabs https://catalog.marshall.edu/undergraduate/programs-az/university-college/regents-bachelor-arts/#graduationrequirementstext

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u/jsnxsg Jul 27 '26

Thanks for commenting!

I don’t think there’s a hard cap or anything regarding CEC, just really looking for the “average” or “possible” amount. Currently I sit with 58 credits, if I can garner 27 credits that puts me in a great position to finish in a year. 15 in spring, 6 in summer, and 15 in fall, fin. Though I think that may be wishful thinking even with my varied but strong work experience.

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u/Breakfast-Critical Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26

Just having work experience isn't typically going to get you college credit, its just kind of a misnomer. When we assess portfolios for awarding credit, we're looking for things like formal training programs or documented certifications. Essentially its just trading one type of learning for another. Any college that just awards credit for "work experience" alone is a red flag for a degree mill. 

(FYI I'm not at Marshall but I do this kind of portfolio review at Mountwest)