I work with nontraditional higher education in the US.

While as associate degree is thought of as two years of full time study and the baccalaureate is four years (which can include the optional associate), fewer and fewer students are starting college at 18, going to school full time and completing the degree in 2 or 4 years. More people are going part time while working, stopping out, and coming back.

I work with Thomas Edison State College, New Jersey's distance learning college for adults. We offer associate, bachelors, and masters degrees in lots of areas with many options of how to complete credits toward the degree. A typical student is 39 years old and comes to us with 60 to 90 credits earned over the last 20 years from 4 or 5 colleges, some CLEP exams, millitary training, etc. We help the student find what (s)he needs to complete the degree requirements.

Of course we are fully accredited. Sorry for the commercial. You can e-mail me for info using member e-mail or susan@digitrad.org.