Burnt Out! Please Help me with a TESC Liberal Studies Roadmap!!

[publius2k4]

I am burnt out doing Western Governors University Coursework. I would like to try and complete my degree as quickly as possible by using credit by exam. Can anyone help me put my current credits into a roadmap? Thanks!

So far I've completed:

Clep English Composition (6)

I've completed these courses at Western Governors University
Principles of Management (4)
Communications Foundations (2)
Language and Communication: Essay (2)
Fundamentals of Business Law and Ethics (6)
Integrated Natural Science (4)
Ethical Situations in Business (3)
Quantitative Literacy: College Algebra, Measurement, and Geometry (3)
Quantitative Literacy: Statistics, Probability, and Problem Solving (3)
Fundamentals of Organizational Behavior and Leadership (4)
Reasoning and Problem Solving (3)
Integrated Natural Science Applications (4)
Fundamentals of Economics , Global Business and Quantitative Analysis (4)
Literature, Arts and the Humanities: Analysis and Interpretation (2)
Fundamentals of Marketing and Business Communication (6)
Fundamentals of Finance, Accounting and Information Technology (6)
Leadership Concepts and Applications (4)
Quality, Operations and Decision Science Concepts (8)
Strategy, Change and Organizational Behavior Concepts (7)


I've completed these courses at Georgia Military College:
American Government (5 quarter hours)
Introductory Psychology (5 quarter hours)
Western Civilization (5 quarter hours)

I've completed these courses at Wiregrass Technical College (formerly Valdosta Technical College)
Business Math (3)
Intro to Marketing (3)
Fundamentals of Selling (3)

And finally, I've completed the following FEMA EMI courses
IS-208a State Disaster Management
IS-802 Emergency Support Function (ESF) #2 Communications
IS-702a NIMS Public Information Systems
IS-701 NIMS Multiagency Coordination System (MACS)
IS-242a Effective Communication
IS-703 NIMS Resource Management
IS-704 NIMS Communications and Information Management
IS-706 NIMS Intrastate Mutual Aid an Introduction
IS-01 Emergency Program Manager
IS-240a Leadership and Influence
IS-139 Exercise Design

If anyone would PLEASE help me out, I would greatly appreciate it!!

[cooperalex2004]

With that many credits completed you should submit it for an evaluation (and pay the application fee). It looks like you're very very close to a degree so I'd say it will be easiest to get things started and have them complete an evaluation. I'll work on putting a rough eval together for you though, expect it to appear soon.

[cooperalex2004]

Here is a rough idea, you'll find some things are able to be debated with the school to show up where you want them too but you'll have to take that up with the school once you get an evaluation done. My guess is you are 40 credits short at this moment, it will depend on how some of those business courses might be able to be utilized if coded differently. You've basically got a situation similar to mine where you've got a stack of business credits that can't be used for a Liberal Studies (or most other BA degrees). You can test out of the rest of the degree though as long as you take the capstone course, LIB-495 from TESC. Note that some of these placements are guesses but I've gotten pretty good at figuring this out since I finished my BA and AAS with a ton of random credits. My course code ideas listed can be searched at this link: http://www2.tesc.edu/plasearch.php

Best guess for you to finish is:
-37 credits of test out courses (note that my guess is you have some UL credits mixed in there that would move down once other credits can fill in)
-3 credit capstone (required for any BA degree)
-enrollment fee & application fee

Finish the extra courses you need for general eduction and the capstone and you could be done within a few months (the capstone is a 12 week class). Once the school runs an evaluation you'll have a much more clear idea on how things will work out and whether or not you can ask them to move things around at all.

Good Luck!

C) 1: BA General Education Distribution
Complete all 5 subrequirements:
C) A: English Composition
> Complete one full year of English Composition with a grade
> of C or better.
Credits: 6
GPA Achieved/Needed: n/a / 2.000
C) Group 1
Credits: 6
**Clep English Composition (6)
ENC-101 English Composition I...... 3 *TE
ENC-102 English Composition II..... 3 *NE

C) B: Humanities
> Complete 12 semester hours of Humanities, including at
> least two subject areas.
Credits: 12
Communications Foundations (2) COM-108 or COM-134?
Language and Communication: Essay (2) Unknown ENG or COM course but should fit here. May end up as ENG-199 or COM-199 which are custom fit codes the school uses
Literature, Arts and the Humanities: Analysis and Interpretation (2) LIT-291 (Analysis and Interpretation of Literature)
Fundamentals of Marketing and Business Communication (6) Could be COM-300 Business Communication or some other course code

C) C: Social Sciences
> Complete 12 semester hours in the Social Sciences,
> including at least two subject areas.
Credits: 12 (hopefully they'll take 11.99 credits!)
American Government (5 quarter hours) (3.33 semester credits) POS-110
Introductory Psychology (5 quarter hours) (3.33 semester credits) PSY-101
Western Civilization (5 quarter hours) (3.33 semester credits) HIS-101 or HIS-102 depending on the dates covered
Fundamentals of Organizational Behavior and Leadership (2) *SPLIT, Take two credits here and two in General Education Electives PSY-361 (Org Behavior)

C) D: Mathematics
> Complete a 3 semester hour college-level Mathematics
> course.
Quantitative Literacy: College Algebra, Measurement, and Geometry (3) MAT-121 Algebra

C) E: Natural Sciences
> Complete 9 semester hours in the Natural Sciences,
> including at least two subject areas.
Credits: 9
Integrated Natural Science (4) NAS-101 Natural Sciences
Integrated Natural Science Applications (4) NAS-102 Natural Sciences II
Quantitative Literacy: Statistics, Probability, and Problem Solving (1) *SPLIT, take one credit here and two in General Education Electives - STA-201 (can fit here even though it is math)

================================================================================
I) 2: BA General Education Electives (18 SH)
> Complete 18 semester hours from any of the following
> General Education subjects: Humanities, Social Sciences,
> Natural Sciences or Mathematics.
Credits: 11
Fundamentals of Organizational Behavior and Leadership (2) *SPLIT, Take two credits here and two in Social Sciences - PSY-361 (Org Behavior)
Quantitative Literacy: Statistics, Probability, and Problem Solving (2) *SPLIT, take one credit here and two in Natural Sciences - STA-201
Reasoning and Problem Solving (3) - Unknown Math, maybe MAT-102 College Mathematics?
Fundamentals of Economics , Global Business and Quantitative Analysis (4) Unknown ECO or MAT course? Either category fits here.
**NEED 7 CREDITS HERE

================================================================================
C) 3: BA Liberal Studies (33 Sh)
Credits: 33
GPA Achieved/Needed: 4.000 / 2.000
Complete both subrequirements:
I) A: Lbrl Stds 18 upr lvl
> Complete 18 semester hours of 300 and 400 level Liberal
> Studies coursework. At least TWO or more different areas
> must be included to provide breadth of knowledge in the
> Liberal Studies Area (e.g., AREA I: Humanities courses:
> 18 semester hours; AREA II: Social Sciences courses: 9
> semester hours; AREA III: Natural Sciences courses: 6
> semester hours). The two areas can span the 15 credit and
> 18 credit requirements. **It is highly recommended that
> course LIB-495 be completed to satisfy 3 semester hours of
> this requirement.**
Credits: 18
**NEED 18 UL Credits Here INCLUDING THE CAPSTONE LIB-495. ANY UL COURSES THAT APPEAR IN OTHER AREAS HIGHER UP WILL FLOAT DOWN HERE AUTOMATICALLY ONCE YOU TAKE ADDITIONAL COURSES TO TAKE THEIR PLACE...

C) B: Liberal Studies 15
> Complete 15 semester hours of Liberal Studies coursework. A
> maximum of 6 credits can be at the 100 level.
Credits: 15
**NEED 15 UL Credits Here

================================================================================
C) 4: BA Free Electives (27 SH)
> Complete 27 semester hours of Free Electives.
Credits: 27
Fundamentals of Finance, Accounting and Information Technology (6) **BUSINESS COURSE, NOT A LIBERAL STUDIES (GENERAL EDUCATION ELECTIVE COURSE)
Fundamentals of Business Law and Ethics (6) LAW-201? **BUSINESS COURSE, NOT A LIBERAL STUDIES (GENERAL EDUCATION ELECTIVE COURSE)
Quality, Operations and Decision Science Concepts (8) **BUSINESS COURSE, NOT A LIBERAL STUDIES (GENERAL EDUCATION ELECTIVE COURSE)
Strategy, Change and Organizational Behavior Concepts (7) **BUSINESS COURSE, NOT A LIBERAL STUDIES (GENERAL EDUCATION ELECTIVE COURSE)

================================================================================
OTHER COURSES (Not counted toward 120 credits needed)
Principles of Management (4) MAN-301 **BUSINESS COURSE, NOT A LIBERAL STUDIES (GENERAL EDUCATION ELECTIVE COURSE)
Business Math (3) BUS-161 (Not a Math Class) **BUSINESS COURSE, NOT A LIBERAL STUDIES (GENERAL EDUCATION ELECTIVE COURSE)
Leadership Concepts and Applications (4) **BUSINESS COURSE, NOT A LIBERAL STUDIES (GENERAL EDUCATION ELECTIVE COURSE)
Intro to Marketing (3) MAR-301 **BUSINESS COURSE, NOT A LIBERAL STUDIES (GENERAL EDUCATION ELECTIVE COURSE)
Fundamentals of Selling (3) MAR-310 **BUSINESS COURSE, NOT A LIBERAL STUDIES (GENERAL EDUCATION ELECTIVE COURSE)
Ethical Situations in Business (3) BUS-311 **BUSINESS COURSE, NOT A LIBERAL STUDIES (GENERAL EDUCATION ELECTIVE COURSE)

And finally, I've completed the following FEMA EMI courses (Since you won't even need them I won't spend the time to code them)
IS-208a State Disaster Management
IS-802 Emergency Support Function (ESF) #2 Communications
IS-702a NIMS Public Information Systems
IS-701 NIMS Multiagency Coordination System (MACS)
IS-242a Effective Communication
IS-703 NIMS Resource Management
IS-704 NIMS Communications and Information Management
IS-706 NIMS Intrastate Mutual Aid an Introduction
IS-01 Emergency Program Manager
IS-240a Leadership and Influence
IS-139 Exercise Design

[publius2k4]

With that many credits completed you should submit it for an evaluation (and pay the application fee). It looks like you're very very close to a degree so I'd say it will be easiest to get things started and have them complete an evaluation. I'll work on putting a rough eval together for you though, expect it to appear soon.

I did apply and had the evaluation, but it was for the AAS in Administrative Studies. However, I've completed a few more courses since the evaluation was completed, and the evaluation seems to get messed up if I click on the "what if I changed my major to..." option. I apologize for not posting this with my original post, but here is my evaluation as it was given to me by TESC with the "what if I change my degree to..." option with the liberal studies degree selected:


Program Status: In Progress
Current.......... Anticipated(*).......
Required Earned Remaining Additional Remaining
Institutional Credits: 5.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Institutional GPA....: Met
Combined Credits: 120.00 82.98 37.02 0.00 37.02
Combined GPA....: 2.000 2.546 Met

(*) Anticipates completion of in-progress and registered courses
================================================================================
Statuses: W=Waived, C=Complete, I=In progress, N=Not started
P=Pending completion of unfinished activity
================================================================================
I) 1: BA General Education Distribution (42 SH)
Credits: 42.99
Complete all 5 subrequirements:
I) A: English Composition
> Complete one full year of English Composition with a grade

10/19/12 Mr. Steven C. Carter Page 2
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> of C or better.
Credits: 2
GPA Achieved/Needed: none / 2.000
N) Group 1
ENC-101 English Composition I________________________ 1 course needed

ENC-102 English Composition II_______________________ 1 course needed
I) Group 2
ENC-103 English Comp.: 1st Quarter. 04/30/11 CR 2 *TE
ENC-104 English Comp.: 2nd Quarter___________________ 1 course needed
ENC-105 English Comp.: 3rd Quarter___________________ 1 course needed

C) B: Humanities
> Complete 12 semester hours of Humanities, including at
> least two subject areas.
Credits: 13
PHI-199 Spec. Stud. in Selected Top 04/30/11 CR 3 *TE
HUM-101 Intro Hum I: Philos. Though 10/31/11 CR 2 *TE
PHI-285 Ethics in Business......... 04/30/11 CR 3 *TE
PHI-286 Contemporary Ethics........ 02/28/05 B 2 *TE
COM-300 Intro. to Business Commun.. 10/31/11 CR 3 *TE

C) C: Social Sciences
> Complete 12 semester hours in the Social Sciences,
> including at least two subject areas.
Credits: 13.99
ECO-100 Basic Economics............ 10/31/11 CR 4.00 *TE
PSY-101 Introduction to Psychology. 02/28/05 C 3.33 *TE
POS-110 American Government........ 12/07/04 A 3.33 *TE
HIS-102 Western Civilization II.... 12/07/04 C 3.33 *TE

C) D: Mathematics
> Complete a 3 semester hour college-level Mathematics
> course.
MAT-121 College Algebra............ 04/30/11 CR 3 *TE

C) E: Natural Sciences
> Complete 9 semester hours in the Natural Sciences,
> including at least two subject areas.
Credits: 11
NAS-199 Spec. Stud. in Selected Top 10/31/11 CR 4 *TE
NAS-101 Natural Sciences I......... 04/30/11 CR 4 *TE
STA-201 Principles of Statistics... 04/30/11 CR 3 *TE
================================================================================
N) 2: BA General Education Electives (18 SH)
> Complete 18 semester hours from any of the following
> General Education subjects: Humanities, Social Sciences,
> Natural Sciences or Mathematics.
___________________________________________________ 18 credits needed
================================================================================
I) 3: BA Liberal Studies (33 Sh)
Credits: 4
GPA Achieved/Needed: none / 2.000
Complete both subrequirements:
I) A: Lbrl Stds 18 upr lvl
> Complete 18 semester hours of 300 and 400 level Liberal
> Studies coursework. At least TWO or more different areas
> must be included to provide breadth of knowledge in the

10/19/12 Mr. Steven C. Carter Page 3
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Liberal Studies Area (e.g., AREA I: Humanities courses:
> 18 semester hours; AREA II: Social Sciences courses: 9
> semester hours; AREA III: Natural Sciences courses: 6
> semester hours). The two areas can span the 15 credit and
> 18 credit requirements. **It is highly recommended that
> course LIB-495 be completed to satisfy 3 semester hours of
> this requirement.**
MAN-311 Organizational Behavior.... 04/30/11 CR 4 *TE
___________________________________________________ 14 credits needed

N) B: Liberal Studies 15
> Complete 15 semester hours of Liberal Studies coursework. A

> maximum of 6 credits can be at the 100 level.
___________________________________________________ 15 credits needed
================================================================================
C) 4: BA Free Electives (27 SH)
> Complete 27 semester hours of Free Electives.
Credits: 27.99
BUS-161 Business Mathematics....... 08/01/05 B 3.33 *TE
MAR-310 Principles of Sales........ 08/01/05 C 3.33 *TE
MAR-301 Introduction to Marketing.. 08/01/05 C 3.33 *TE
MAN-301 Principles of Management... 04/30/11 CR 4.00 *TE
LAW-201 Business Law............... 04/30/11 CR 6.00 *TE
CMP-202 Foundation of Info. Tech... 10/31/11 CR 2.00 *TE
ACC-101 Prin. of Finl Acctg........ 10/31/11 CR 2.00 *TE
FIN-301 Principles of Finance...... 10/31/11 CR 2.00 *TE
FEL-199 Spec. Stud. in Selected Top 04/30/11 CR 2.00 *TE
================================================================================
OTHER COURSES: Registered Earned
Credits Credits
EDM-101............. 10/01/11 CR 1.00 1.00 *NE
Emer.Prog.Mgr.Orient.To Posit.
EDM-203............. 10/01/11 CR 1.00 1.00 *NE
Exercise Design
EDM-126............. 10/02/11 CR 1.00 1.00 *NE
State Disaster Management
EDM-207............. 10/01/11 CR 1.00 1.00 *NE
Leadership and Influence
EDM-209............. 10/01/11 CR 1.00 1.00 *NE
Effective Communications
DEV-001............. 04/30/11 CR 0.00 0.00 *RI *TE
Other Developmental Course
MAN-301............. 10/31/11 CR 3.00 3.00 *RI *TE
Principles of Management


I would just like to know what exams I could take to fulfill these requirements as quickly as possible....thank you!

[publius2k4]

Would TESC allow me to "split" credits up like that?

[cooperalex2004]

Would TESC allow me to "split" credits up like that?

Yes, you'll have a bunch of them split up. The computer will put the credits in the most logical place and either split them up or create an exception to the rule. You might have seven credits where you only need six or it might split it up, it depends on the case and what you have open.

[publius2k4]

Yes, you'll have a bunch of them split up. The computer will put the credits in the most logical place and either split them up or create an exception to the rule. You might have seven credits where you only need six or it might split it up, it depends on the case and what you have open.

That's very good information to know. Thank you very much for your help! I'm playing around with the idea of the PLA also. The link you sent me is showing me that I can get at least 10 credits from that alone.

Thanks a lot!

[cooperalex2004]

Well since you have the evaluation you can see what I was talking about, instead of creating split up courses they created exceptions and changed what is required later on down the eval.

Your list mentions you did the CLEP for College Composition, if that is the case then you'll have that requirement met too.

For what is left:
18 Any Level General Education
14 Upper Level General Education
15 Liberal Studies (max of six at 100 level)

You really need:
-3 credit upper level capstone (it is mandatory even though your eval disputes that)
-11 upper level general education credits
-18 Any Level Gen Ed
-15 Gen Ed with max of six at 100 level

If you can find what you've taken since the evaluation and subtract it based on my rough evaluation you should need less than that. Bringing credits in takes both time and effort, if you put the effort in and work with the school you'll have better luck getting courses to move around and might be surprised at how close you are to completing things.

Courses which are valid for General Education Areas from selected sources (note you have a ton of options to get credit):

CLEP

English Composition
ENC-101/102-CE College Composition (General) 50 6
ENC-101-CE College Composition Modular 50 3

Humanities
FRE-101/102-CE French Language-Level 1 50 6
FRE-101/102-201/202-CE French Language-Level 2 59 12
GRM-101/102-CE German Language-Level 1 50 6
GRM-101/102-201/202-CE German Language-Level 2 60 12
HUM-101/102-CE Humanities (General) 50 6
LIT-111/112-CE American Literature 50 6
LIT-208/209-CE English Literature (6) 50 6
LIT-291/292-CE Analyzing and Interpreting Literature 50 6
SPA-101/102-CE Spanish Language-Level 1 50 6
SPA-101/102201/202-CE Spanish Language-Level 2 63 12

Natural Science/Mathematics
BIO-111/112-CE Biology (no lab) 50 6
CHE-111/112-CE Chemistry (no lab) 50 6
MAT-102/103-CE College Mathematics (General) 50 6
MAT-121-CE College Algebra 50 3
MAT-129-CE Pre-Calculus 50 3
MAT-231-CE Calculus 50 3
NAS-101/102-CE Natural Sciences (General) 50 6

Social Sciences
ECO-111-CE Principles of Macroeconomics 50 3
ECO-112-CE Principles of Microeconomics 50 3
HIS-101-CE Western Civilization I: Ancient Near East to 1648 50 3
HIS-102-CE Western Civilization II: 1648 to the Present 50 3
HIS-113-CE History of the United States I: Early Colonization to 1877 50 3
HIS-114-CE History of the United States II: 1865 to the Present 50 3
POS-110-CE American Government 50 3
PSY-101-CE Introductory Psychology 50 3
PSY-211-CE Human Growth and Development 50 3
PSY-230-CE Introduction to Educational Psychology 50 3
SOC-101-CE Introductory Sociology 50 3
SOS-101/102-CE Social Sciences and History (General) 50 6

DSST, AKA DANTES
Humanities Exam Titles Passing Score Credits
ART-166-DE Art of the Western World 48 3
COM-209-DE Principles of Public Speaking** 47 3
ENG-201-DE Technical Writing 46 3
PHI-287-DE Ethics in America 400 3
REL-405-DE Introduction to World Religions 400 3

Natural Sciences/Mathematics Exam Titles Passing Score Credits
AST-101-DE Astronomy 48 3
COS-101-DE Introduction to Computing 400 3
ENS-201-DE Environment and Humanity: Race to Save the Planet 46 3
GEO-151-DE Physical Geology 46 3
MAT-115-DE Fundamentals of College Algebra 400 3
NAS-131-DE Principles of Physical Science I 47 3
STA-201-DE Principles of Statistics 400 3

Social Sciences Exam Titles Passing Score Credits
ANT-101-DE General Anthropology 47 3
ECO-332-DE Money and Banking* 48 3
GOG-120-DE Human/Cultural Geography 48 3
HIS-222-DE Western Europe since 1945 45 3
HIS-252-DE The Civil War and Reconstruction 47 3
HIS-309-DE An Introduction to the Modern Middle East 47 3
HIS-351-DE A History of the Vietnam War 44 3
HIS-386-DE Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union 45 3
PSY-211-DE Lifespan Developmental Psychology 46 3
PSY-361-DE Organizational Behavior* 48 3
SOS-305-DE Substance Abuse 400 3

Straighterline.com (note they have a new proctoring requirement that many on this board are upset about):

StraighterLine course title
Thomas Edison State College course equivalent listed second

MAT101 (College Algebra)
MAT-121 College Algebra 3 70%

MAT150 (Business Statistics)
STA-201 Statistics 3 70%

MAT201 (Precalculus)
MAT-129 Precalculus for Technology 3 70%

ENG101 (English Composition I)
ENC-101 English Composition I 3 70%

ENG102 (English Composition II)
ENC-102 English Composition II 3 70%

ECON101 (Macroeconomics)
ECO-111 Macroeconomics 3 70%

ECON102 (Microeconomics)
ECO-112 Microeconomics 3 70%

MAT250 (General Calculus I)
MAT-231 General Calculus I 3 70%

BUS105 (Business Communication)
COM-300 Business Communications 3 70%

BIO101 (Introductory Biology for Nonmajors)
BIO-101 Introductory Biology 3 70%

BIO101L (Introductory Biology for Nonmajors with Lab)
BIO-113 Introductory Biology w/Lab 4 70%

CHEM101 (General Chemistry I)
CHE-111 General Chemistry I 3 70%

CHEM101L (General Chemistry I with Lab)
CHE-121 General Chemistry I w/Lab 4 70%

MAT251 (General Calculus II)
MAT-232 - General Calculus II 3 70%

PSY101 (Introduction to Psychology)
PSY-101 - Introduction to Psychology 3 70%

BIO201 (Anatomy & Physiology I)
BIO-211 - Anatomy & Physiology I 3 70%

BIO201L (Anatomy & Physiology I with Lab)
BIO-211 - Anatomy & Physiology I (Anatomy/Physiology I and Anatomy Physiology I w/lab have the same equivalency - students should not take both) 3 70%

BIO202 (Anatomy & Physiology II)
BIO-212 - Anatomy & Physiology II 3 70%

BIO202L (Anatomy & Physiology II With Lab)
BIO-212 - Anatomy & Physiology II (Anatomy/Physiology II and Anatomy Physiology II w/lab have the same equivalency - students should not take both) 3 70%

CIV101 (Western Civilization I)
HIS-101 Western Civilization I 3 70%

CIV102 (Western Civilization II)
HIS-102 3 70%

SOC101 (Introduction to Sociology)
SOC-101 Introduction to Sociology 3 70%

PHY250 (General Physics I)
PHY-113 General Physics I 3 70%

PHY250L (General Physics I with Lab)
PHY-115 4 70%

USHIST101 (US History I)
HIS-113 Amercian History I 3 70%

USHIST102 (US History II)
HIS-114 3 70%

[publius2k4]

(it is mandatory even though your eval disputes that)

Yeah this evaluation was completed earlier this year before the capstone was required. What I have the hardest time with is figuring out which tests fit into which area to meet requirements.

This is perfect! Thank you so much! This is seriously going to help me finish quickly! Thank you for your help!

[cooperalex2004]

That's very good information to know. Thank you very much for your help! I'm playing around with the idea of the PLA also. The link you sent me is showing me that I can get at least 10 credits from that alone.

Thanks a lot!

You can PLA almost any class expect for things like English Comp and Gym. Note that it still runs $199 / credit for that and you have to complete a narrative with the help of a TESC mentor during a 12-week course to do a PLA. In your case, with the wide variety of material you can choose from for a Liberal Studies degree you can do things cheaper and most likely quicker using CLEP, DSST, and maybe something like Straighterline.com, ALEKS.com, or other such sites. You've got a ton of options, don't give up now.