B.A. CS from TESC or more traditional like a B.S CS from DSU?

[okinomo]

Hi everybody! I've been lurking on these forums for a while and have thoroughly enjoyed learning about all of the options out there. It has actually led to me signing up for Straighterline and knocking out 18 credits so far. Booya! So thank you all for being around, as I would never have done this without you guys.


Getting to the point...

I want to go to school for a BS/BA in Computer Science. I've read a lot on the forums about people choosing different options. I've applied and been accepted to Dakota State University's Computer Science program. The way I've got it laid out is that I'm going to complete up to 32 credits (the max possible I can transfer to DSU) and transfer in as a sophomore and complete their program. However, that still is going to run me upwards of $20K.

Does the TESC BA in Computer Science hold the same merit as somewhere like DSU? I don't want to just get the degree and leave, but I do want a good education. I'm a hobbyest web developer with about 2 years experience who is going to be looking for a job in web development come summer of this year. Does it make more sense for me to go the more traditional route? Or would TESC suffice and still give me a good education? I thoroughly enjoyed the online courses I took through straighterline and definitely like that model of completing it on my own time more than a structured 16week course. If it matters at all, I'm 22 years old. And while my wife and I can make that 20K happen, it would be a lot less stress on us financially if I were to complete it by testing out and going more of a non traditional route.

Does anyone have any thoughts or opinions on this? Career-wise, I want to see myself working in web development, or software engineering in some way, form, or fashion.

**
I currently have these credits:
Us History 1 & 2
English Comp 1 & 2
Intro to Philosophy
Intro to Sociology
**All of these are from straighterline and on my ace transcript now.

[sanantone]

Have you calculated the costs for completing a computer science degree at TESC? Chances are that you're going to have to take several of TESC's courses or find them somewhere else. You can't completely test out of the computer science degree. So, your best options would be the Enrolled Options Plan where you pay a $3,000 enrollment fee plus $229 per credit hour for less than 24 credits a year or the Comprehensive Tuition Plan which costs $8,300 and is best for 24 or more credits per year. Then, you have to factor the amount of money you will spend on testing out of the general education requirements. The free electives can be completed for free.

[publius2k4]

Hi everybody! I've been lurking on these forums for a while and have thoroughly enjoyed learning about all of the options out there. It has actually led to me signing up for Straighterline and knocking out 18 credits so far. Booya! So thank you all for being around, as I would never have done this without you guys.


Getting to the point...

I want to go to school for a BS/BA in Computer Science. I've read a lot on the forums about people choosing different options. I've applied and been accepted to Dakota State University's Computer Science program. The way I've got it laid out is that I'm going to complete up to 32 credits (the max possible I can transfer to DSU) and transfer in as a sophomore and complete their program. However, that still is going to run me upwards of $20K.

Does the TESC BA in Computer Science hold the same merit as somewhere like DSU? I don't want to just get the degree and leave, but I do want a good education. I'm a hobbyest web developer with about 2 years experience who is going to be looking for a job in web development come summer of this year. Does it make more sense for me to go the more traditional route? Or would TESC suffice and still give me a good education? I thoroughly enjoyed the online courses I took through straighterline and definitely like that model of completing it on my own time more than a structured 16week course. If it matters at all, I'm 22 years old. And while my wife and I can make that 20K happen, it would be a lot less stress on us financially if I were to complete it by testing out and going more of a non traditional route.

Does anyone have any thoughts or opinions on this? Career-wise, I want to see myself working in web development, or software engineering in some way, form, or fashion.

**
I currently have these credits:
Us History 1 & 2
English Comp 1 & 2
Intro to Philosophy
Intro to Sociology
**All of these are from straighterline and on my ace transcript now.

One thing to look at when completing a degree in Computer Science is whether or not you receive any industry certifications as part of your course of study. I don't believe TESC does this, but I am not certain. I have no knowledge of DSU's program.

However, WGU has an IT program. The cost of sitting for the exams for industry certifications is included in tuition. The following certification exams are included:

• CIW Web Foundations Associate
  
• CIW Web Design Specialist
  
• CIW JavaScript Specialist
  
• CIW Database Design Specialist
  
• CompTIA A+
  
• CompTIA Network+
  
• CompTIA Project+
  
• CompTIA Security+
  
• Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) Windows OS Fundamentals
  
• Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) Windows Server Admin Fundamentals
  
• Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) Networking Fundamentals
  
• Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) Security Fundamentals
  
• Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) Software Development Fundamentals
  
• Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) Database Administration Fundamentals
  

[clep3705]

The following certification exams are included:

• CIW Web Foundations Associate
  
• CIW Web Design Specialist
  
• CIW JavaScript Specialist
  
• CIW Database Design Specialist
  
• CompTIA A+
  
• CompTIA Network+
  
• CompTIA Project+
  
• CompTIA Security+
  
• Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) Windows OS Fundamentals
  
• Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) Windows Server Admin Fundamentals
  
• Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) Networking Fundamentals
  
• Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) Security Fundamentals
  
• Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) Software Development Fundamentals
  
• Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) Database Administration Fundamentals
  

An education that emphasizes industry certifications will have different outcomes than a CS or MIS education from a major flagship university. A very large university may have both a College of Technology and a College of Natural Science. Certifications are more aligned with the education that one would receive from a College of Technology. A computer science department would be found in a College of Natural Sciences and less likely to be focused on certifications. It may even deemphasize industry certifications. Certifications tend to have a limited shelf life because they are tied to particular versions of products. Certifications are good for some career paths and less so for others. You need to figure out what your end goal is.

[UptonSinclair]

The source of your degree is going to be far less important than the content of your degree. Make sure you take the typical sequence of courses for a Computer Science degree if you decide to go the TESC route. From what I have been able to gather, the foundational programming and algorithm development courses are what differentiate a Computer Science degree from an IT degree.

[benjenkinsv95]

Hey there,

I am currently in the application process at TESC, I am under 21 so I had to get together a few credits first before applying If I wanted to get the "21 or over age policy" waived. I currently have 87 credits and am looking into their B.A. in Comp Sci as well(planning to start my first computer science related courses in March or April).

First thoughts. I have seen some computer science degrees that are very well geared towards web development, sadly I would say TESC isn't one of the better "applied"(actually learning web development languages and practices instead of theory) plans. TESC Computer Science courses themselves look about the same as any normal college, some of the courses cover hard useful material, and others are just blow off courses. I would suggest looking through their courses and finding the most rigorous courses they have to offer if you want to get a good education. In my own opinion, the following courses are the most rigorous and will teach me the most:
Artificial Intelligence
Switching Theory and Automata
Compiler Construction
Computer Architecture
Programming Languages
C++ programming
Systems Analysis and Design

I am an programmer intern at a local robotics company and have discussed with 4 other experienced programmers which courses were the most important to receive, and my boss personally looked at the course descriptions with me(Man did I get lucky).

With all this said, I believe you can get an on par degree from TESC as you could get at the majority of schools. But I would personally suggest ALWAYS supplementing your learning with free courses from Harvard Extension School, Udacity, MIT, Coursera, Codecademy, YouTube, and every freaking book you can find. Never stop teaching yourself!!! If you are always teaching yourself you should have no problem getting a good web development degree. Web development is taught everywhere and you can do amazing things if you just keep teaching yourself.

As for If the degree has as much merit as DSU. I live in Texas and have never heard of DSU so I am no help there, but if it counts for anything. If you move to Texas they will be equally as unknown so you can have the same non-existent Merit!

And it's worth stating, at TESC, 24 of my credits are 100% free. This is because they are FEMA Credits. I was then able to power through 14 DSST/CLEP tests in 4-5 months. Which cost me about $1600 between test's and study materials. The rest of my credits are AP/community college credits. But I expect to be able to finish my degree for about $13,000 in all. I mean you can't beat the price, and I dragged the price tag up with the community college credits.


In summary, I think the degree is fine. But you need to have a good grasp on your field when you walk in to apply for a job. If you want to be a PHP developer or whatever, don't stop studying on your own time. A college degree will not make you a programmer or a web developer (TRUST ME, i've seen terrible programmers who had bachelor degrees that have made me want to laugh... and i'm just a freaking intern). Your outside learning will make you a good programmer/web developer not the degree.

I wish you the best of luck, and hope my terrible grammar has still made some sense. If you do decide on TESC, I hope to talk to you again or see you in class someday.

[Prloko]

Getting to the point...

I want to go to school for a BS/BA in Computer Science. I've read a lot on the forums about people choosing different options. I've applied and been accepted to Dakota State University's Computer Science program. The way I've got it laid out is that I'm going to complete up to 32 credits (the max possible I can transfer to DSU) and transfer in as a sophomore and complete their program. However, that still is going to run me upwards of $20K.

Does the TESC BA in Computer Science hold the same merit as somewhere like DSU?

I can't speak for DSU, but on Linkedin (on the TESC alumni page), there was a recent graduate of CS from TESC who couldn't find work. She was a career changer I believe (no previous IT), but apparently TESC wasn't received well at the career fairs she was attending. If you are young, and don't have any IT experience, I would probably go with a more recognizable program. Thats my two cents. Good luck with whichever choice you make.

[clep3705]

Or maybe try this: Hackbright Academy - Fortune Tech: Technology blogs, news and analysis from Fortune Magazine