# Where to take online college physics? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 11, 2015, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-take-online-college-physics/727563 "2015-08-11T16:27:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2015, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-take-online-college-physics/727563/1 "2015-08-11T16:27:32Z")
Suddenly I need to take 6 units of college physics, to teach HS physics this year and then next. I’d rather not have to travel for it, and I’m living in a place that would mean a lot of traveling if it’s not an online course. Anyone got experience with something like this, and have recommendation? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2015, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-take-online-college-physics/727563/2 "2015-08-11T19:23:38Z")
What you need to know first is which online courses, if any, meet with your employer’s standards. What accreditations do they accept/require, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2015, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-take-online-college-physics/727563/3 "2015-08-11T20:21:18Z")
Any accredited college, really. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2015, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-take-online-college-physics/727563/4 "2015-08-11T20:30:45Z")
Do you have to complete the courses before you are eligible to teach the class? Or can you be concurrently taking the classes while you are teaching? If the former, I believe that you are SOL. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2015, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-take-online-college-physics/727563/5 "2015-08-13T00:38:52Z")
If you already know the material or feel you can learn it on your own, you could take a standardized college-level exam for credit. It looks like CLEP has discontinued their physics exam and DSST has never had one but there is a [UExcel physics exam](http://www.excelsior.edu/exams/physics) worth 6 credits. The test costs $95 and proctoring fees are (if memory serves) another $50 in addition. If your employer won’t accept the UExcel results by themselves, they _may_ accept them if they come on a transcript from a credit bank, such as [OneTranscript](http://www.excelsior.edu/onetranscript) a service of Excelsior College (which is an accredited college). I believe Thomas Edison State College has a similar credit bank, but I don’t know as much about it. There is no need to enroll in a degree program to use the credit bank service, but there are fees that run about $300 I think. If you want to learn or refresh the material in preparation for taking the exam, there are several introductory physics courses online free to participate in from EdX, Coursera, [MIT Open Courseware](http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm), and [Saylor](http://www.saylor.org/pathways/foundational-courses/). All or most offer free access to lectures, homework assignments, etc. Some of these will also offer a verified certificate for money but that wouldn’t help you because they’re non-credit courses. If you don’t already know calculus, stick to an online course that is algebra-based which is all the Uexcel exam requires if memory serves.