Maybe someone knows the answer to this - college graduation related

[Just Kate]

I will be graduating college with a double major in Cognitive Science/Psychology in August and intended to enter the workforce again shortly thereafter.

or at least, that was the plan.

I have a course right now for the Cog Sci major that I'm having an excessively difficult time with.  I most likely will not pass it thus disabling me from graduating with at the Cog Sci portion of the double major.  The class, should I fail it, will not be offered again at my school until Fall 2010!

If I do fail the course, would it be better to officially "graduate" with the Psych degree, or wait until I can retake the class and graduate with both degrees in Dec 2010.  If so, will businesses accept a person as a degreed individual even if they haven't officially "walked across the stage" but have all college coursework completed?  The reason I ask is because after August I will have finished ALL course work related to the Psych degree and so would it be honest to advertise myself as having a degree even if I don't have the paper in hand?

Thanks for the help.  I'm really in an odd situation right now.

[TamTam]

It would be dishonest to say you had a degree in psych if you didn't have the actual diploma on your record, unfortunately.  Anyone can say they've completed <insert number here> courses, the diploma is what makes them official.  As for whether an employer would accept you as having the qualifications, I don't know.  I think it would depend on the employer.  Probably if you told them you completed all the coursework and then showed them you know your stuff, but then again, sometimes companies/schools/etc like to put in their statistics "we have ____ degree-holding individuals working for us" and they wouldn't be able to put you in that number.

I think it's up to you on which action would be better.  A year is a very long time to wait when graduation could be now.  Can you demote cog sci from a major to a minor and thus still keep it on your degree?

[shanetastic]

Are you sure you're going to be getting an "F" in it?

If not try to take it pass/no pass and just squeak away with a D or something so it gives you credit. 

Also, maybe you could try talking to the teacher and trying to get a humanistic response out of him.

[Alyssa M.]

Sometimes it's possible to take an incomplete and finish it up later (say, over the summer), even if it's just because you can't get the work done now. Most professors are more interested in you learning the material than in "weeding out" by being sticklers.

I'd suggest that you do whatever you can to get the degree now, because it's something you'll probably regret if you don't, even if it means some pain now -- you're almost there, and you'll be free really soon! Nobody is required to get a degree, and you're free to quit any time, but if you're this close, I bet you can make it.

Good luck and best wishes!

~Alyssa

[Luc]

For almost 3 years now, I've been 3 credits shy of my B.A. in psychology. When I've applied for jobs outside of the psych field, I've told them I have my B.A. For jobs in the realm of psych, though, I've told the entire truth, which is that while I finished every course I needed for my psychology major, I was left 3 credits shy because my college didn't tell me I needed an art or music class to fulfill my general education requirements until I was in my last semester, and by that point, all the classes were full.

The jobs for which I've applied that have been in the psychology field have denied me jobs not because I didn't have my degree in hand, but because I had no experience in the field. Interalia, I don't know if you live in the U.S., but if so, and if this is a bachelor's degree you're talking about, you may want to look into staying in school for another couple years. People entering the psychology field with only a bachelor's (in America, anyway) are almost always sorely disappointed... the most they can ordinarily get are secretarial positions, as it is a game of superiority. A master's degree will nearly guarantee you a job.

If, however, you intend to enter the workforce with a bachelor's alone (and I am merely surmising here, as your post didn't specify), I advise you to do internships, volunteer work, and anything else to bulk up your experiencial resume. It's a very rough field to enter without a higher degree.

SD

[Alyssa M.]

People entering the psychology field with only a bachelor's (in America, anyway) are almost always sorely disappointed... the most they can ordinarily get are secretarial positions, as it is a game of superiority. A master's degree will nearly guarantee you a job.

Some hope: I have a friend who graduated last Dec. with a BA in Psych. and just started a good job as an HR analyst last week.

But in general, Sebastian is right; it's not the most lucrative degree these days.

[Just Kate]

For almost 3 years now, I've been 3 credits shy of my B.A. in psychology. When I've applied for jobs outside of the psych field, I've told them I have my B.A. For jobs in the realm of psych, though, I've told the entire truth, which is that while I finished every course I needed for my psychology major, I was left 3 credits shy because my college didn't tell me I needed an art or music class to fulfill my general education requirements until I was in my last semester, and by that point, all the classes were full.

The jobs for which I've applied that have been in the psychology field have denied me jobs not because I didn't have my degree in hand, but because I had no experience in the field. Interalia, I don't know if you live in the U.S., but if so, and if this is a bachelor's degree you're talking about, you may want to look into staying in school for another couple years. People entering the psychology field with only a bachelor's (in America, anyway) are almost always sorely disappointed... the most they can ordinarily get are secretarial positions, as it is a game of superiority. A master's degree will nearly guarantee you a job.

If, however, you intend to enter the workforce with a bachelor's alone (and I am merely surmising here, as your post didn't specify), I advise you to do internships, volunteer work, and anything else to bulk up your experiencial resume. It's a very rough field to enter without a higher degree.

SD

The fact that the psych degree is so undervalued is exactly the reason I went for the Cognitive Science degree.  It integrates all of my computer science and neuroscience knowledge and is a much more valuable degree than the Psych degree as a bachelors.

All I want to do is merely finish, because with the amount of experience I have as a project manager, I can walk into those jobs and get them so long as I have a degree period - not necessarily one in my field (IT).  So I'm debating (and of course all of this is ONLY if I don't pass this class) on just finishing with the Psych degree now, just to show that I have one to land the better job, however, I do feel like I'd be cheating myself education-wise if I do not get the degree I've been working so hard on - the cognitive science degree.

[tekla]

Get the degree you can get, work toward the other one.

[Jester]

I don't have any advice, but if it's any consollation I should be graduating, but my GPA's so low that I'll never get into the education program, so I'm coming back for an extra year anyways.  Plus, the job market's crap and I can't afford to pay back student loans.

I guess what I'm saying is that maybe not graduating isn't all that bad a thing.

[Arch]

I'm assuming that this course is required for the major? All the same, you might talk to the instructor and the department, and find out if you can take the course as an independent study.

I would go with what Tekla says--finish one degree, then go back and do the second degree--but I don't know how hard it is at your school to graduate and then do a second bachelor's. You really should talk to an academic advisor and find out what your options are.