Big 3 Timeline (EC, TESU, COSC)

[Life Long Learning]

The original “Big 3” Assessment Colleges:  Transfer in 100% (1971-2000?) with real B&M Credits (very limited non-traditional credits).

Major Change #1: Cheap exams and online courses allow for faster/cheaper non-traditional credits.  Now even stringing a whole degree becomes possible with non-B&M Mortar credits

Major Change #2: Capstone Course Required (not sure who led this one and what order followed)

Major Change #3: Cornerstone Course Required (not sure who led this one and what order followed, EC in 2020)
 
Big 3 Model in 2020 is a two-course requirement resident model (?-2020)!
 
Anyone remember anything different?

[sanantone]

COSC was the first one to require a cornerstone. EC and COSC had capstones before TESU, but I don't know who started first because they both required them when I first discovered the schools.

[dfrecore]

TESU allowed you to completely test out including the capstone with a business degree until about 2016. But they required a capstone for the non-BSBA for as long as I can remember.

[bjcheung77]

When I first recommended the Big 3, Excelsior was the cheapest.
The cost of a degree from them was just a whopping $1500!
That was over a dozen years or more ago, 2003-2004 or earlier...

Fast forward a few years, TESU was on my radar as all courses could be transferred in.
Just that I am far from a testing center, I didn't go for the degree until later.
2012 was the year of the BA Capstones, this was a requirement for most degrees.

The 2015-2016 catalog year was the last year for the BSBA capstone transfer and TECEP.
More changes on the way with TESU. COSC/Excelsior was pretty dormant, except the fees.

[sanantone]

TESU allowed you to completely test out including the capstone with a business degree until about 2016.  But they required a capstone for the non-BSBA for as long as I can remember.

They started requiring a capstone for the BA degrees around 2013 or later. I didn't have to take a capstone course, and I graduated at the end of 2011.

[dfrecore]

TESU allowed you to completely test out including the capstone with a business degree until about 2016.  But they required a capstone for the non-BSBA for as long as I can remember.

They started requiring a capstone for the BA degrees around 2013 or later. I didn't have to take a capstone course, and I graduated at the end of 2011.

Ah.  I came to this forum in 2011 (as a lurker) and then officially joined in 2013, so that's why I can't remember the BA w/o capstone.

Also, TESU allowed you to use TECEP's for residency, and test out of the capstone, so you could get a BSBA for roughly $1000 in TECEP fees, and maybe $500 in other fees.  The BA would cost about $875 for TECEPs and then the tuition for the capstone plus fees.  Maybe $2000ish.  It was a good deal, but not one that I think could last forever...as it hasn't.

[sanantone]

TESU allowed you to completely test out including the capstone with a business degree until about 2016.  But they required a capstone for the non-BSBA for as long as I can remember.

They started requiring a capstone for the BA degrees around 2013 or later. I didn't have to take a capstone course, and I graduated at the end of 2011.

Ah.  I came to this forum in 2011 (as a lurker) and then officially joined in 2013, so that's why I can't remember the BA w/o capstone.

Also, TESU allowed you to use TECEP's for residency, and test out of the capstone, so you could get a BSBA for roughly $1000 in TECEP fees, and maybe $500 in other fees.  The BA would cost about $875 for TECEPs and then the tuition for the capstone plus fees.  Maybe $2000ish.  It was a good deal, but not one that I think could last forever...as it hasn't.

Yeah, the per credit tuition plan has only been around for about five years, and they only allowed TECEPs and portfolio assessments to count toward the residency requirement for a couple of years. When I earned my first degrees, there was only the option to pay a nearly $3,000 enrollment fee or choose the comprehensive tuition plan. I paid the enrollment fee. I'd rather pay the enrollment fee instead of being required to take a cornerstone and capstone, but I guess TESU has standards now. TESU used to also award UL credit for CC courses if the course titles and descriptions matched those of UL courses in the PLA database.

[dfrecore]

I will also say that it used to be much faster to get a degree from the Big 3. Now, with the addition of the cornerstone and/or capstone, the requirement that you get everything done prior to enrolling for the capstone, and everything else, I'm guessing very few people would be able to do anything close to what we used to see. I'm guessing that if someone came here with 60 credits, it would take a year to graduate from any of the Big 3. You could do it a bit faster if you were talking about coming in with 114-117cr that fit perfectly in a degree, but even then, I think it's 6 months, possibly more depending on the graduation cycle at the school.

[jsd]

WGU is getting more and more attractive

[Life Long Learning]

The Big 3 are still King.  

It's just not as good as 120/120 (my first Big 3 BS degree).
It's just not as good as 117/120 (my second Big 3 BS degree). 

Transferring in 114/120 credits is still the best deal in adult higher education.