B.S. Organizational Leadership Degree Question

[mlwilliamsiv]

Hello everyone.

I was browsing the forum this morning and just happened to stumble upon a degree called Organizational Leadership at TESC. I looked it up on their website and it seems that you need 27 credits for the free elective credits and they only require a 100-level math course (no statistics or precalculus.) This sounds like a winner to me!!!!

My question is...how much clout does this degree hold in the business community? Is it perceived to be almost as equal to a degree in Business Administration? I only ask because this degree seems alot easier to obtain then a degree in Business Administration. But there are some pro's and con's that I need to weigh before I decide to switch.

I am not currently enrolled at TESC as of yet but plan on officially enrolling in late August this year. I have 25 FEMA credits in addition to 18 credits earned through CLEPS. I plan on obtaining an ASBA & BSBA in General Management. I have listed all the pro's about the Organizational Leadership Degree above, but it looks like the con's are going to be trying to find CLEPS & DANTES exams that will meet some of this degree's requirements. It looks like I would have to take alot more classes for this degree than the BSBA, as I want to "test out" of as much of my degree requirements as possible.

Just a side note...Does it really matter "in the grand scheme of things" what you choose to major in for your undergrad degree? Because from what I'm seeing in peoples plans on IC, the undergrad really doesn't matter, depending on what your plans are after the undergrad. I didn't know until I got on this forum that you could get a BA in Liberal Arts and apply to law school!!! I was going on the assumption that you needed some kind of business degree to do that...boy was I wrong!!!

So if my plan was to get an MBA after undergrad...would my BS in Organizational Leadership help me or hurt me. But in that case wouldn't I need an upper level math course anyway (in the end)?

If there is anyone who can provide any input on this matter it would be greatly appreciated. If someone on here is majoring in Organizational Leadership currently, that would be a huge plus. At any rate, I just wanted some input and advice from you guys.

I guess it would also help you all to know that I only chose the BSBA in Business Administration because that was my plan since I was 12!!! Here I am now...27 years old and I still don't have a clue as to what I really want to do with this degree. I do have some interest in the business world but I really didn't necessarily plan on getting an MBA after undergrad. I think it just may be to my benefit though because I plan on moving to Florida next year (permanently) and the job market down there is extremely tight. And I believe an MBA could boost my job options and increase my value to potential employers.

So with all that being said...HELP ME DAMMITT!!!!!!(smile) I really don't know what my "true" calling is at this moment. I really can't think of anything that really "does it" for me ya know. I'm just picking a degree and aiming for it.

I'm sorry for this long post but I know you guys love me anyway! I know if you made it this far you're probably saying to yourselves..."damn that boy can talk!!!"

Look forward to hearing your insight and ideas. I always value you guys opinions. Chat with ya later.

Peace be with you all.

From a loyal degree seeker,

Marshall

[ShotoJuku]

Sounds interesting.....

[bmills072200]

my advise is to get the easiest and cheapest bachelors degree that you can and don't worry about the title, especially since you have grad school aspirations. But, at some point you are going to have to buckle down and get some upper-level math under your belt if you plan on continuing in the business world...good luck

[gcalvin]

Whether your B.S. is in Business Administration or Organizational Leadership isn't going to mean nearly as much to anybody else as it means to you. Reading between the lines, I'm getting that you have some math anxiety, and it's making you consider turning away from a goal you've had since you were twelve years old. Just on that basis, I'd say go for the BSBA. First of all, a solid understanding of statistics really is important for good management. Second, while high-level math really isn't required for day-to-day management, it's going to mean a lot to you that you cleared that hurdle fair and square. And finally, you really can do it -- it is not beyond your grasp. It may be hard, frustrating work, and you may doubt yourself often along the way, but that will only make it feel that much better when you achieve it. And having cleared this obstacle, it will become a template for other challenges you will face in the future.

Now having said that, I'll say that it probably won't matter to well over 90% of graduate schools or employers whether your degree is in Business Administration or Organizational Leadership. And in that handful of cases where it does matter, it's probably better for you to be filtered out anyway (but that may be my bias against overly bureaucratic, rule-driven organizations talking). So don't do it for them, but do it for you.

-Gary-

[WendyR]

I can't comment on what holds more clout in the business world, but I will say I recently looked into that degree at TESC.

I spoke with an advisor and if you want a degree that you can test out of the majority of classes, that is not the way you want to go. Off the top of my head, I remember there being at least 12 classes that had to be taken as TESC online classes (no testing option available) and they were of the 300 and 400 level. I previewed the online classes and there is a lot of reading involved, online discussions, written assignments, case studies, and final papers (average 10 - 12 pages) that count as a final exam. The classes are 12 weeks long.

Let me know if you want any other info.

Wendy

[originalbigjim]

If I were you, I would drop the idea of a major all together and go for the liberal arts degree, ONLY if you are planning on getting the MBA. I went the extra mile to get a major in political science, something i had wanted since I was in high school, I was a CNN junky and wanted to know everything about politics and once I finished the degree I am sick and tired of the subject and wish that i would have went with the liberal studies route and got done a year sooner. Now I am going to grad school for strategic leadership (no major required). There are many, many, many, many, many MBA programs that simply require a bachelors degree of any kind. Now if you are not going on to the MBA then I would go with the easier of the two, it really doesnt matter to anyone which one you have but you. I think as adults we no longer have the luxury of spending a lot of time enjoying what we study because when it comes down to it, most of need a degree and we need one fast to get a better paying job to fill up the gas tanks of our SUVs.

[mlwilliamsiv]

Thanks everyone for responding to my post.

Based on the information that I've received, I think I'll just stick to the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree.

I don't know how quickly I will pursue an MBA program so I think I'll stick with the BSBA. I'll just have to figure out a way to conquer my math demons!hilarious

Thanks to all of your for your insight and advice. Chat with ya later.

Peace be unto you all.

From a loyal degree seeker,

Marshall

[cookderosa]

>>


I just went through the list, and I only count 6 classes not available through CLEP/DSST. It's possible that some may be testable with TECEP or ECE, so it could be less. I didn't check that far into it, but to me, that doesn't seem like a lot. You also have the option of using free FEMA credits.

Ok- I have a plan for you.

With this degree you can have a "get out of math free card" but you can still take statistics or precal if you want. Use it them as electives, and if you fall on your face- so what?? You don't need them for your degree. This degree allows you to focus on leadership, which is general enough for you to think about what you might like to do with your degree. Leadership isn't industry specific. Anyone who might be leading people may find utility in this degree.

I would disagree that you need higher level math going into an MBA. My husband's business degree doesn't include stats or pre-cal either. After an afternoon of looking at MBA programs his fears of being deficient were gone. There are so many types of MBAs out there, that I don't think it will be hard to find a good fit. (Besides, when the time comes, maybe you will have changed your mind about what path to take for your masters)

All the best either way!!!!!

[WendyR]

The advisor I spoke to about this told me that the bulk of the Leadership Foundations and Advanced Leadership can only be taken through TESC online courses. You could DSST or TECEP Organizational Behavior and CLEP Principles of Management, but that leaves 4 other classes under Leadership Foundations that need to be taken as online classes. Everything under the Advanced Leadership area of study must be taken as online classes, which is another 6 and the practicum is yet another online class. Add in Intro to Organizational Theory and then Managerial Communications and that is where I came up with 12 classes. You could always PLA Managerial Communications and then you only have 11 classes.

I'll be honest, after I talked to the advisor about this particular degree, I didn't research other methods of earning credit beyond TECEP, DSST and CLEP. The advisor made it sound like these other requirements must be taken as classes.

[ShotoJuku]

The advisor I spoke to about this told me that the bulk of the Leadership Foundations and Advanced Leadership can only be taken through TESC online courses.

How much do these coures co$t?