BA in History -- Which one of the Big 3 is Best?

[cframe]

I am helping my high school son plan his way through a BA in History and could use some insight from those of you who have chosen one of the Big 3.

TESC was our initial plan simply because it was easiest for me to follow. He planned on enrolling his last year to have only the $2500 tuition to pay. Now that he has 63 credits, it is time to re-evaluate. Our state has free dual-enrollment for 11th and 12th graders which he will take advantage of the next two years to finish up credits that he can't test out of. At TESC, this is all of two courses, although he will take more just because he can.

If anyone is planning a BA in History and will share their opinion as to why they chose the college they did, I would appreciate the advice.

Thanks!

[cederic824]

I considered a history degree years ago. This was out of personal preference instead of any career goal. I researched it and came to the conclusion that the one at TESC could be done almost entirely through testing out, but would cost more $$$ because i don't live in NJ. The one through EC would have required some class work. I did not look into COSC.

[cookderosa]

I think that with the option of free dual enrollment, TESC is the way to go. Simply- you can use 90(check that number?) credits from community colleges for your BA. Also since TESC counts 200 level "in major" he could probably finish his degree locally either on campus or online - not taking anything at TESC. Sounds like a plan!

JUST BE SURE
BE SURE
BE SURE

That you enroll at some point because you NEED the advisor to confirm that the classes he will take count where you want them to. I took a 200 level soc class that came into TESC at 100 level- ouch! It was planned in major and so I had to shift around a lot of credits at the last minute and take an additional class I hadn't planned on.

You'll probably need to get a course catalog and forward catalog course descriptions, but otherwise this would be (for me) a slam dunk decision!

[MaieJaie]

I am helping my high school son plan his way through a BA in History and could use some insight from those of you who have chosen one of the Big 3.

TESC was our initial plan simply because it was easiest for me to follow. He planned on enrolling his last year to have only the $2500 tuition to pay. Now that he has 63 credits, it is time to re-evaluate. Our state has free dual-enrollment for 11th and 12th graders which he will take advantage of the next two years to finish up credits that he can't test out of. At TESC, this is all of two courses, although he will take more just because he can.

If anyone is planning a BA in History and will share their opinion as to why they chose the college they did, I would appreciate the advice.

Thanks!

First of all, please congratulate your son on his academic achievements hence far; that's very impressive, particularly for someone so young.

Also, there isn't any reason why he can't test out of the BA in History at either TESC or COSC. For EC, though, a course in Historiography or similar subject is needed for the major, and I'm not aware of any credit-by-exam programs for that particular course.

Here is a list of credit-by-exam courses for history:

CLEP:
US History I: Early Colonizations to 1877
US History II: 1865 to the Present
Western Civilization I: Ancient Near East to 1648
Western Civilization II: 1648 to the Present

Dantes:
Western Europe since 1945
The Civil War and Reconstruction
Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union
A History of the Vietnam War

Excelsior:
World Conflicts since 1900
American Dream

Ohio University:
Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia
Ancient Greece
Ancient Rome

There are other programs, as well, which offer by credit-by-exam. However, those are usually non-collegiate programs approved for college credit by certain colleges, so you'll want to choose which school before pursuing one of these options.

[cframe]

Unless anyone else wishes to weigh-in, looks like we'll stick with TESC.

Thanks for the words of wisdom.