Nearing the end, capstone & cornerstone questions

[SammyHam]

Your Location: Phoenix, AZ
Your Age: 47
What kind of degree do you want?: BSBA, Accounting 
Current Regional Accredited Credits: 15 - 9 more coming via 3 TECEPs, leaving capstone and cornerstone to complete the last 6, to equal 30 (all 15 so far are via TECEPs)
Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: 90
Any certifications or military experience?: No
Budget: $12,000 - $13,000
Commitments: full-time job, no pets - job is demanding at times - I can study mornings, evenings, weekends, and sometimes during work when it's slow
Dedicated time to study: 15 hours per week - can make more time if I condense things and see light at the end of the tunnel 
Timeline: April to August 2025
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: Yes, my workplace has allowed me to expense my classes, so far

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all of the information and help. Here's what I'm trying to achieve, and why:

I should have my last 3 TECEPs completed by the of of May. I'm thinking about doing the Capstone and Cornerstone together, to get it done. I've read that allocating 80/20, respectively, is a good approach.

Here's why I'm considering doing them together:

At the moment by company has reimbursed me for my expenses. I'm worried about this going away, if the economy gets weirder or falters. September and forward are also extremely demanding at work. While June - Aug may be busy at times, I would have more time to study.

Given the information I provided in the template, and the additional info given, is there anything wrong with doing the cornerstone and capstones together?

When should I apply for graduation, if so?

Finally, from what I can tell the capstone for the BSBA is the same, regardless of the AOS (accounting, in my case). Just want to make sure I understand that correctly. I've seen it recommended to order the textbook(s) in advance. Does TESU in the course description mention the textbooks to use?

[LevelUP]

Your Location: Phoenix, AZ
Your Age: 47
What kind of degree do you want?: BSBA, Accounting 
Current Regional Accredited Credits: 15 - 9 more coming via 3 TECEPs, leaving capstone and cornerstone to complete the last 6, to equal 30 (all 15 so far are via TECEPs)
Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: 90
Any certifications or military experience?: No
Budget: $12,000 - $13,000
Commitments: full-time job, no pets - job is demanding at times - I can study mornings, evenings, weekends, and sometimes during work when it's slow
Dedicated time to study: 15 hours per week - can make more time if I condense things and see light at the end of the tunnel 
Timeline: April to August 2025
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: Yes, my workplace has allowed me to expense my classes, so far

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all of the information and help. Here's what I'm trying to achieve, and why:

I should have my last 3 TECEPs completed by the of of May. I'm thinking about doing the Capstone and Cornerstone together, to get it done. I've read that allocating 80/20, respectively, is a good approach.

Here's why I'm considering doing them together:

At the moment by company has reimbursed me for my expenses. I'm worried about this going away, if the economy gets weirder or falters. September and forward are also extremely demanding at work. While June - Aug may be busy at times, I would have more time to study.

Given the information I provided in the template, and the additional info given, is there anything wrong with doing the cornerstone and capstones together?

When should I apply for graduation, if so?

Finally, from what I can tell the capstone for the BSBA is the same, regardless of the AOS (accounting, in my case). Just want to make sure I understand that correctly. I've seen it recommended to order the textbook(s) in advance. Does TESU in the course description mention the textbooks to use?

It looks like you have enough study time available that you can do the Capstone and Cornerstone together.  You can ask for an extension if you need to as long as you have 50% of the course done.

If you want to graduate in September, then you need to start TESU by May.  Otherwise you will graduate in Dec.
https://www.tesu.edu/student-resources/g.../index.php

The book you need is described in the syllabus.  I would buy it used on eBay/Amazon or sometimes see if they have a digital version of it for rent.  ($8 used $27 new on Amazon)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aoal...it?tab=t.0

[SammyHam]

It looks like you have enough study time available that you can do the Capstone and Cornerstone together.  You can ask for an extension if you need to as long as you have 50% of the course done.

If you want to graduate in September, then you need to start TESU by May.  Otherwise you will graduate in Dec.
https://www.tesu.edu/student-resources/g.../index.php

The book you need is described in the syllabus.  I would buy it used on eBay/Amazon or sometimes see if they have a digital version of it for rent.  ($8 used $27 new on Amazon)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aoal...it?tab=t.0

Thank you! I appreciate it.

[bjcheung77]

Yes, I recommend the 80/20 split between the Cornerstone and Capstone as you want to focus on the Capstone much more, if ever needed, you can also extend the capstone only. Your focus now is to get everything else complete and transferred in if you're missing requirements, then the final 3 TECEPs before you start the cornerstone/capstone combo.

In short... If you can get the TECEPs done before you start your cornerstone/capstone, that would be great, I also suggest doing the combo in May so you can graduate earlier. Do you like physical copies of textbooks or do you prefer digital copies or PDF type format? Good luck, keep us updated on how you're deciding to do things...

[SammyHam]

Yes, I recommend the 80/20 split between the Cornerstone and Capstone as you want to focus on the Capstone much more, if ever needed, you can also extend the capstone only.  Your focus now is to get everything else complete and transferred in if you're missing requirements, then the final 3 TECEPs before you start the cornerstone/capstone combo.  

In short... If you can get the TECEPs done before you start your cornerstone/capstone, that would be great, I also suggest doing the combo in May so you can graduate earlier.  Do you like physical copies of textbooks or do you prefer digital copies or PDF type format? Good luck, keep us updated on how you're deciding to do things...

Thank you for all of your help, as I've found many of your posts incredibly helpful (same with LevelUp, and the community as a whole). I tried to make a few meager contributions along the way, to give back, instead of just consuming.

All of my ACE and NCCSRS courses are transferred in, so no worries there. While I'd like to graduate earlier, I'm not sure if I could knock out all 3 TECEPs by the end of April, in order to leave the May term free to focus entirely on the cornerstone and capstone. With a delay in graduation (December, if I start in June), that's just delaying when I can actually receive the degree, right? It is possible that I can knock out all three TECEPs though in April; will have to give that more thought.

I definitely prefer digital textbooks, especially those that are available on Kindle. I did a Coopersmith course on auditing, and it was lovely to have the required textbook on my Kindle.

[SammyHam]

An additional question: I'm not seeing a textbook required for the cornerstone, SS-1100. Is that correct?

EDIT: Disregard, I double and tripled checked and see that there is no required textbook.

[SammyHam]

I've taken and passed my last TECEPs. That leaves the cornerstone, which I'm starting in the May term, and the capstone, which I'll begin in the June term. Question, though, about the capstone textbook:

I can't seem to find it in ebook form. Did I miss something? I do see a newer edition available in ebook format, but I gather the differences between editions may be significant enough to warrant the use of the one specified, even if it's an older edition. Couldn't seem to find if anyone had used a more recent edition of the BSBA capstone textbook for the course.

Perhaps I can do both, get a current ebook, and then a physical copy of the 21st edition? Not sure if the capstone is structured in such a way where you "read pages x to z," and how dissimilar the chapters may be. It's infinitely easier for me to read ebooks, especially as I can do so when I have downtime at places where I wouldn't have a physical book on me.

[bjcheung77]

Required Textbook
Thompson, A. A., Peteraf, M. A., Gamble, J. E., & Strickland, A. J. III (2018). Crafting and executing strategy: The quest for competitive advantage, concepts and cases (21st ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
ISBN-13: 978-1259732782