90 CommCollege credits - help!

[scarletst33]

Hi all, 

Long time lurker, first time poster here looking for clarification and advise. I'm looking to finish my BA in communications, but I am not opposed to a professional studies, liberal arts, or general studies bachelors, and could go either way BA or BS (I prefer BA- but have no foreign lang).  I've reached the end of the interwebz researching for the right program - online, with max transfer credit, low residency policies, and am more confused than ever. 

I'm 49, just finished my AA in social/behavioral sciences at a regionally accredited community college. I have 90 credits from a regionally accredited community college -  NONE are upper level. State of CA ( IGETC and CSU transfer general ed breadth) is complete.

Questions: 
I am assuming RA credits are credits taken from a regionally accredited college? please confirm or clarify. 

In the case of the big three, is there a place I can look at upper level requirements?  residency reqs?  I think I saw that Excelsior only reqs 7 units. 

Does that mean that the remaining 23 credits ( in the case of Excelsior) could be taken through alternate sources (sophia or straighterline, etc?) 

I do have ACE credits from a marketing program certification program about 10 years ago that are put forward as CEUs. They are recommended for 9 LL- credits. I've worked in communications for about 25 years (15 years at a director level), so I am open to PLA, but don't have any "documentation" of outside training, since I'm usually the one LEADING the training. 

Friends.... please help! I'm so close and want to finish this degree! THANK YOU in advance! 

Here is my coursework -  AA in Social/Behavioral Studies: 

STEM: 
Math 105- Math for Liberal Arts Students
Earth Science 161 -  Earth Science with Lab
ANTHRO 101 - Biological Anthropology ( counted as biological science in the state of CA -  but apparently no where else?!?)

ENGLISH and Critical Thinking:
SPCH 100 /Fund of Speech- Public Speaking
ENGL 101 Reading & Composition
ENGL 103 Comprehension and Crit Thinking

HISTORY:
HIST 113 Social and Cultural Hist US Prior 20th
POLSC 102 Const & Rights of Americans 

HUMANITIES:
HUMAN 110 Eastern and Western Cultures
MUSIC 102 Intro to World Music 
MUSIC 190 Music of the Beatles 
FILM 153 Contemporary Film

SOCIAL SCIENCES:
SOCI 110 Courtship, Marriage and the Family
HUMSR 110 Intro Interview/Counsel 
PSYCH 130 Personal Adjustment 
ANTHR 140 Magic, Witchcraft & Religion

Communication classes:
COMM 150 Intro Mass Communications 
ENGL 178 Mass Media & the Public
SPCOM 130 Intercultural Communication
SPCH 116 Interpersonal Communications
SPCOM 104 Argumentation
JRNAL 120C Laboratory Newspaper 
JRNAL 199A Online News Publication 
RATV138 Writing for Radio & Tv 
RA-TV 134 Tv Studio Production
RA-TV 141 Tv-Video Documentary Production

Extras: 
MUSIC 172 Beg Record Studio Tech 
OFADM 362 Intro Bus Pres Software
OFADM 364 Grammar in the Office 
DRAMA 102 Oral Expression and Interpretation
ECE 242 Infant Toddler Caregiving
Fitness 116A- Walking


, Scarlet

[ss20ts]

Have you looked at UMPI's BA in English with Professional Communication and Journalism Concentration? You're in really good shape for transferring into to UMPI. You need to complete a minimum of 30 credits at UMPI with most of the UL's being completed at UMPI.

https://online.umpi.edu/programs/ba-prof...px#courses

If you're interested in pursuing UMPI, this is what I recommend you complete and then apply.

Sophia:
College Algebra
Introduction to Ethics
Human Biology
Environmental Science

InstantCert:
Spanish 1
American Government

Honestly, you could probably complete these by the next application deadline which is February 28th. The next session would begin March 14th.  Feel free to PM with any questions about UMPI. 

Side note. Just because your school considers them LL courses, but some other schools may consider some credits to be LL.

[rachel83az]

Questions: 
I am assuming RA credits are credits taken from a regionally accredited college? please confirm or clarify. 

Yes. Your CC credits are RA.

In the case of the big three, is there a place I can look at upper level requirements?  residency reqs?  I think I saw that Excelsior only reqs 7 units. 

Not exactly. You can see some info on the wiki at https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/ but a significant portion of it is "well... it depends". I.E., it depends on what you already have to see what is the best.

Some basic information:

• Excelsior: Requires 30 UL credits. If you bring in enough credits (and, at 90, I think you have enough), I think at least 6 of the 7 required credits can be considered UL. The remaining 24 credits could come from anywhere: Study.com, Coopersmith, Davar, Saylor, etc. Unfortunately, it's only possible to get a couple of degrees at Excelsior (IIRC, History and BS Liberal Studies are the easiest and a Business degree is theoretically possible, but you must take more EC courses than just the 7 credits).
  
• COSC: Requires 30 UL credits. Also requires a science-with-a-lab and at least 24 RA credits (which you have). Only easy/cheap degree is a BALS (General Studies) degree. 
  
• TESU: Requires 15 (18 counting the capstone) UL credits. Requires 24 RA credits (again, you have this). They do have a Communications degree, but you can't get the required UL credit for it alternatively. The closest you could get would be English: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...ts_Roadmap
  
• UMPI: Competency based. Requires 30 credits of residency (this can actually work out to be nearly as cheap as alternate credit). Requires science-with-a-lab and a foreign language. Most courses are passed with an essay or a project of some kind (since you want Communications, I presume that this wouldn't be a burden to you). Also requires a foreign language. This one is probably the cheapest and easiest for you to complete and you can get the Communications degree you want: https://online.umpi.edu/programs/ba-prof...alism.aspx
  

Honestly, I would recommend UMPI. I would have to match your courses to the GEC requirements to be certain, but you're probably good to apply to UMPI right now if you just get Spanish I from InstantCert. Most students who visit these forums are able to complete a UMPI degree in 2-3 sessions (4-6 months) after enrollment. That's faster than you'd be awarded a degree at any other school. 

If you're comfortable with essays and you just want to be done with your degree ASAP, then UMPI is probably the school for you.

Does that mean that the remaining 23 credits ( in the case of Excelsior) could be taken through alternate sources (sophia or straighterline, etc?) 

Yes. But, as outlined above, in the case of EC or COSC all of the remainder of your credits would need to be UL. 

I do have ACE credits from a marketing program certification program about 10 years ago that are put forward as CEUs. They are recommended for 9 LL- credits. I've worked in communications for about 25 years (15 years at a director level), so I am open to PLA, but don't have any "documentation" of outside training, since I'm usually the one LEADING the training. 

If it's not on an ACE (now Credly) transcript, it won't count. But they're LL credits anyway, so not really worth pursuing at this point in time.

[bjcheung77]

@scarletst33, do you have a preference between "test-out, using exams for alternative credit" or "competency based" options for your degree? Do you have a set budget or timeframe you're looking to finish this? What other commitments do you have besides work, got kids, volunteering, etc? If you're more into self-paced work, then the Big 3 maybe your choice, if you're into competency based degrees, then PUG, Walden, WGU, UMPI would work. I also think the UMPI degree may best be suited for you as you've got that experience to blast through those courses...

[dfrecore]

So, your best bet is going to be to make sure that all of your credits are graded a C or higher (you didn't say if any were C- or lower, and that makes a difference), you also didn't list how many credits each course is, which is also important - so you could say "all courses are worth 3cr except xyz which is worth 4 or 2 or whatever"; and finally, you didn't list your ACE credits, which you should.

Then, you just need to decide the best way moving forward. I can tell you some info about each of the Big 3 to help make a decision.

First, only TESU has a Comm degree, but you would have to take 2 courses from TESU to make this happen - Mass Comm II, and Comm Theory. Unless you can find those somewhere cheap (a CA CC) or if you want to do the FT/FR option there.

Second, you've met the RA requirement for TESU and COSC, so those are both in the running if you want.

Third, it looks like you've met all of your GE requirements for all 3 schools as well except Ethics, so that's easy enough to do.

So really, it just comes down to which of the 3 schools you're most interested in, and which would be fastest to complete your degree.

1) TESU only requires 18cr UL; for a regular BALS, you could easily get all of your UL credits from Study.com or Coopersmith. The cost for 6cr at TESU is $6654 OR if you want to do a single 16cr term there instead, you could pay $4639 for those 16cr, in which case you'd be good to get your BA in Communications.

2) EC - your only option is a BAL/BSL, they don't have a Comm degree. The cost for 7cr there is $4031; and you'll need 30cr of UL, so 24cr of UL in addition to the Cornerstone & capstone.

3) COSC - they do have a Communications concentration, and your courses check off the areas you need - but there's no way to get all of the UL courses in the major that you need. So for a BALS, you'd need to come up with another concentration that had a lot of UL available (like Marketing, or Psychology, or something like that). The cost for 6cr there is $2848.

Lots of options, and you are bringing in a lot of good credit, so it's just a matter of what you want to spend your time/money doing.

[scarletst33]

SO sorry for the delay in getting back to you.  I really appreciate all of the input here!
I spoke with UMPI, and it appears that they have the 30 unit requirement for classes to be taken with UMPI, so they are out.

I spoke with TESU, with which the BALS is the faster and cheapest course. I will pay the residency fee of $3192, to take only 6 units (SOS101 and Capstone) with TESU ($3114).  

Here is a copy of my eval and plan -- at the bottom of the plan, I have the idea for classes. You can feel free to comment on it or comment here.

I have all the RA/ GPA I need. To complete, I need the following:

2 TESU courses (SOS and Cap)
5 UL courses
4 LL courses (including Bio and Ethics)

Preferences: 
General:  I don't mind the touchpoints, especially if it is around leadership, or organizational/ business communications (an industry I have 25 years experience in) but would prefer fewer touchpoints obv. I also know a lot about psych.

The open book format of Sophia is GREAT for me. I understand that will not be possible for UL courses. 
I have some text anxiety, but for a topic I know well, that may not be an issue.

That said, I am willing to pay more for UL courses that are open book/ study notes or non-proctored if they exist at all. 
Prefer faster over cheaper.  Prefer easier over faster.

It seems that Coopersmith allows you to basically take the class and if you pass, you pay the fee to convert to credit -  please correct me if wrong! 


For the 2 easiest and fastest LL courses through Sophia
I am thinking Visual Communications and maybe Project Management, Psych, Intro to Business, or Marketing unless you all have other ideas there.

For UL, I am considering the following based on my prior knowledge and familiarity with the topics and would love any ideas on these: 
Coopers: Org Behavior (BUS-302)
Coopers: Drugs, Society and Human Behavior (PSY-305)
Coopers  Foundations of Stress Management (PSY-310)
Coopers: Psych of motivation and emotion (PSY-372)
Coopers: Understanding ADHD (PSY-365)
Coopers: Abnormal Psychology (PSY-302)
Coopers: Corporate Advertising and Branding (BUS-315)


SDC: Business 302: Foundations of Leadership                 >> LDR-305 Foundations of Leadership

• Business 307: Leadership & Organizational Behavior  >>MAN-312 Advanced Organizational Behavior
  
• Business 309: Digital Marketing & Advertising           >>MAR-441 Marketing with Digital and Social Media
  
• Business 305: Leadership Communication                >> MAN-376 Leadership Communications
  
• Psychology 310: Psychology of Personality               >>PSY-352 Psychology of Personality
  
• Sociology 305: Sociology of Work                           >>SOC-362 Sociology of Work
  

I'm building the plan now - and just have to run it past my advisor for approval.  The goal would be to knock out the Sophias, then onto the ULs, and then finish the final 2 classes at TESU. I do work full time in a highly-demanding Head of Communications role for a software company, so I'll have to take it as it comes, but would appreciate any advice you folks might have for me. 

Can not thank you enough for your help and recommendations here.  Ya'll are doing such a service to people who are overwhelmed with all the info and options out there. <3

[P226mem]

It seems that Coopersmith allows you to basically take the class and if you pass, you pay the fee to convert to credit -  please correct me if wrong! 

That sounds more like ASU Universal Learner program.

Coopersmith - you pay for course which is self study. take proctored online exam, pass and send to university for credit.

[ss20ts]

Yes you have to complete 30 credits at UMPI. Most people on here are completing them in 1 or 2 terms which is 8 or 16 weeks and costs $1400 or $2800. Both of which are faster and cost less than TESU.

[rachel83az]

Are you sure that a BALS is what you want? Nothing wrong with that, but you might want to do "what if" for a BSBA, perhaps in HR/Org. Management. Or, with all the Psych courses you have listed, a BA in Psych.

If you are sure about the BALS, you can get your UL credit almost entirely from ONU: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Ol...University Christian theological courses may not be for everyone, but it does satisfy your desire for more open-book credit. If you sign up for ASU ( https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Ar...al_Learner ) right now, you'll be able to do CIS-309 and/or CIS-310 when they start on March 15th. I'm not sure how CIS-310 will come to TESU, but CIS-309 should count for a Liberal Studies degree.

Also, since you prefer open-book format, you might want to reconsider UMPI. You need at least 33 credits for TESU, only slightly less than the 30 you'd need to take with UMPI plus the handful of courses you'd still need from Sophia, InstantCert, and Study.com

[natshar]

If you don't mind changing it up a bit you aren't too far from a communications degree at TESU vs a liberal arts one.

TAKE:

BUS 313 at study.com (COM 391 at TESU)
BUS 373 at study.com (MAN 373 at TESU) OR MAN 373 as a TECEP
Marketing Communications TECEP
BUS 319 at study.com (NEG 401 at TESU) OR NEG 401 as a TECEP
BUS 305 at study.com (MAN 376 at TESU)

If these work, pick 3 from above list and then take these 2:
Ethics of Speech I on Coopersmith (you'd have to ask about this one)
Ethics of Speech II on Coopersmith (you'd have to ask about this one)

and there might be more if anyone else knows of any UL comm courses I forgot about.

Before you attempt this double check your plan with TESU advising to make sure it would work.

Then also take from sophia or anywhere:
ethics
science course
(unless you plan on taking on of these as the part of the 3 credits to reach 16)

Then take at TESU:
COM-100 communication theory
COM-121 mass comm II
sos-110
lib-495 capstone
3 cr class of your choice (maybe take sci or ethics)
1 cr pla 100 (super easy course)

I know it looks like a lot. But pla 100 is easy and can be completed quickly. Also I've heard Com-100 is super easy and honestly with your background in com classes COM-100 and COM-121 shouldn't be too bad. If you do all 16 credits in one term is 4639 and you don't have to pay the residency fee. And that price is before any financial aid so it could be cheaper.

Not saying you have to go this route, but if you want a communication degree it is not too much more work.