COSC.......or........ ??? My PLAN

[rebel100]

Hello all, I'm a longtime learker in need of some advice.

I have approx. 123 hours of college credit and need to obtain a batchelors degree. 61 credits are general ed/electives, 9 of those are upper level Business/Government courses. They are from 4 different schools including CC and 4 year schools. All are B&M

ENG101 ENG COMP I C 03.0
JRN101 JOURNALISTIC WRITI_I B 03.0
POS1001 POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY C 03.0
POS2930 POLITICAL THEORY C 03.0
HIS111 U S HIST 1607-1877 B 03.0
CJ101 INTRO TO CRIM JUSTICE B 03.0
CJF1000 FIREARMS A 03.0
HPR202 FIRST AID-INJURIES A 01.0
ELEC BASIC CANOING B 00.5
ELEC CANOING A 00.5
POL241 AMER NAT'L GOVT B 03.0
ECO270 PERSONAL FIN & ECO B 03.0
MUS131 MUSIC APPRECIATION C 02.0
CRW2000 CREATIVE WRITING (ENG COMP 2) C 03.0
SPC1600 SPEECH COMMUNICATIon C 03.0
SPN1000 BASIC SPANISH C 03.0
HUM1020 INTRO HUMANITIES C 03.0
HUM2250 CONTEMP HUMANITIES C 03.0
ECO205 PRIN MACROECONOMIC C 03.0
BUS217 PRIN MANAGEMENT B 03.0
BUS306 PRIN OF MARKETING B 03.0
BCM307 ADVERTISING A 03.0
BUS311 BUSINESS LAW A 03.0
CSC105 INTRO COMPUTER & INFO TECH B 03.0
PSY101 INTRO PSYCHOLOGY A 03.0
EMS2010 BODY SYSTEMS FOR PARAMEDIC B 03.0

The balance of my credits are from a CC Paramedic Program:

EMS1159 EMERG MED TECH A 06.0
EMS1159L EMERG MED TECH LAB A 05.0

EMS2603 PARAMEDIC I C 10.0
EMS2603L PARAMEDIC I LAB A 05.0
EMER MEDICAL TECH CERTIFICATE
GRADUATION DATE 08/15/07
EMS2604 PARAMEDIC II B 10.0
EMS2604L PARAMEDIC II LAB A 05.0

EMS2605 PARAMEDIC III C 08.0
EMS2605L PARAMEDIC III LAB A 04.0
PARAMEDIC CERTIFICATE
GRADUATION DATE 08/05/08

Total 100/200 level Professional Courses (8) 53 hours

I have an AS degree in Emergency Medical Services and also have the following classes and certifications:

FEMA 11 courses completed 11 potential CREDITS

NON CREDIT COURSES AND CERTIFICATIONS:
CEV2322 EMERGENCY RESP TERRO S 00.0
CEV2321 Advanced Stroke Life Support S 00.0
CEV2323 Acute Coronary Syndromes S 00.0
CEV2341 HAZ-MAT MEDICAL S 00.0
BASIC LIFE SUPPORT (CPR) BLS
ADVANCED CARDIAC LIFE SUPPORT ACLS
PEDIATRIC ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT PALS
Florida Firefighter 1 160 contact hours

National Registry Paramedic NREMTP
Critical Care Paramedic UMBC CCEMTP


I need the BA/BS so that I can eventually move into management and teaching positions. It does not really matter what the degree is in and I am seeking the path of least resistance.....IE testing out, correspondance through LSU, online courses etc. Cost is also a factor as I am footing the bill on my own (I also have a 16 year old who is fast approaching college and I need to be done before she starts in earnest)

I am leaning towards BS/LS form COSC or COSC BS in American Studies


BS American Studies would look like this:

American Gov.(3 cr) DONE

History (6 cr)
US to 1877 DONE
US from 1877 need clep

Arts (6cr)
Intro to Humanities DONE
Contemporary Humanities DONE

Literature (6cr)
Analyzing and Interpreting Literature, need clep (6cr)

Behavioral Science (6cr)
Intro to Psych DONE
Intro to Criminal Justice DONE

Depth (6cr) Am Gov
Political Philosophy DONE
Political Theory DONE
one of these may transcribe at the 300 level but I don't know yet so not banking on it.

CAPSTONE COURSE at COSC

15 UL credit requirement:
Capstone is UL 3 cr
Civil War DSST 3 cr
Rise and Fall USSR 3 cr
American Dream with essay 6cr

I have a call in to confirm if I need more than 15 UL credits (looks like I do). I am hoping that the other 15 UL credits can be outside of the concentration, if so I should have 9 Business UL credits already then I will clep/dsst the other 6 cr as follows:

DSST Substance abuse 3cr (oughta be an easy one for me)
DSST Business Law 2 3 cr

I am also enrolled in ALEKS......geez I HATE math ! But plugging away nonetheless. I think math is the only LL req. that I am missing.

Might substitute an LSU course for the Rise/Fall USSR and or the Bus Law 2....neither of those tests hold great appeal and might be quite a challenge for me to study for.

I am putting this out there for critisism and ideas so please tell me what you think....I'm also wide open to other schools, TESC sounds like it might be cost prohibative......unless I need to incorporate FEMA credits then maybe its a lot more attractive, though I can't see where I would need them. EC is a thought to for LS but seems confusing to wade through to me.

So tell me what you think !

And thanks so very much in advance for your time and efforts, it's really appreciated !

[burbuja0512]

COSC will accept all of your FEMA credits, but you'll need to pay to transcribe them through Fredrick Community College. I want to do this for some of my electives, but it really is more $ than taking a CLEP, however, it is less than taking a class, so you might want to weigh that out.

I also really wonder if COSC will take some of your paramedic classes. My advisor is REALLY helpful. She walked me through the process of choosing a topic for study and was ok with the fact that I wanted to use testing as much as possible.

If you can be flexible, let your advisor know this and you might end up with something different. Otherwise, I think your plan looks good. Just don't be shy about telling your advisor that you just want to hurry up and have the absolute maximum number of your EARNED credits count.

Concentrations (Majors) and CPS Forms at Charter Oak State College mentions the individualized or the liberal studies concentration. I would check with your counselor to see if you would be a good candidate for either of these and maybe an Individualized Study program could work around the credits you already have to be the quickest path to the piece of paper. (write a program that fits what you already have if your advisor suggests that is a good option)

I REALLY need the piece of paper for my job, and the subject is totally uninportant. If this is the case, do what you can to get done. You will be spending a ton of cash on your graduate degree and your child soon enough, don't be shy about looking for the quickest degree.. you've definitely put the time in the classroom!!

P.S. My 15 year old is starting to study for CLEPs. Even if your daughter wants to go to a traditional school, most will accept up to 30 credits through testing. That will help with the expenses too!



Edit - yes you will need the 30 UL credits, but there are lots of ways to get them.

[rebel100]

Spoke with COSC today. If the degree program you are working on you must acquire the number of UL credits specified for that program. The additional UL credits can come from other areas of study. You need 30 total UL credits to graduate.

[marianne202]

Have you looked at EC's BS in Health Sciences with a focus in management? They took all my EMS classes and applied them towards all the health science requirement. They have 9 core / concentration courses you would have to take with them or a local school, with their course approval. You can test out of two of these with their ECE exams. They did easily approve courses from my local university, so that process is quick and easy. I had some courses from B&M and the rest I tested out of using CLEP / DSST. I teach at the community college level and have taught EMS courses and now teach allied health classes and I'm able to do so with the BSHS in management. Granted, I was teaching before I obtained it, but it helped me secure a full-time position. I was also able to get into grad school for my MHA with my CLEP / DSST full transcript from EC.

I did look at COSC, but since they don't do majors with their programs it was a turn off for teaching, as you can't get enough subject hours to teach without a major attached to that degree. That isn't an issue if you plan on teaching just in EMS since you already have your certification, but your school may require more. Just consider that a BSHS would be more focused if that is where you want to teach and would enable you to move into other areas in the medical arena, something a BSLS or BS in government or other subject area won't allow.

Just some thoughts from someone who has been down this road! Good luck, if you have any questions feel free to PM me.

[rebel100]

Thanks for the reply Marrianne. I do need to learn more about what is required to teach at the college level. Here in Florida they only required an AS/AA to teach EMS until this year. Now they want Batchelors or better and NAEMS or FAEMS teaching cert. It would be great to be able to teach other classes.

I like the sound of the BSHS, but the money to complete 7 classes at nearly $1000 each just makes it undoable for me right now. Maybe find the path of least resistance then look for a related MBA program that I could chew on/pay for over time.

Have you seen the free MBA in Homeland Security through the Dept. of the Navy/DOD ? Just a dream right now for me, but it does make one think.
Center for Homeland Defense & Security: Master’s Program Overview

[marianne202]

You wouldn't have to take the classes at EC, you could find a cheaper option locally and transfer them in to EC. Just get them approved first. If you want an MBA EC has their new dual degree Bachelor's in Healthcare Management w/ MBA bridge. I think you will get more mileage out of your EMS credits by doing a degree in Healthcare or related areas. Keep in mind that you should qualify for some financial aid to help pay for tuition. You can also see about joining one of the affiliation programs talked about here to lower your costs at EC as well. If you are already teaching your school may have a tuition assistance program or faculty professional developement grant. Don't forget that for each course credit taken at EC they give you a $15 credit, so that gives you a little money back. The biggest thing about the BSHS is that as of a few weeks ago EC is waiving the enrollment fee of $895, so you can enroll for free! I basically paid my way through EC and did the BSHS in 15 months. That included exams and classes. I usually did just one class at a time, so it may work out to be a cheaper and faster alternative in the long run. I just wanted to make sure you knew about some of these other options. Fill out your FAFSA, you may be surprised to see how much you could qualify for. I was shocked! I didn't think I would qualify at all since we have dual income and my 17 yr old doesn't start college until next fall. With research you will find a program that will work to meet all your needs. Good luck!

** I almost forgot to add that there is a community service worker federal loan forgiveness program that will allow you to forgive your entire remaining educational loan debts (all combined) after 10 years of on-time payments. This could save you a ton of money. College instructors, teachers and I believe paramedics qualify for this program. You can do a search and find out more about it. The biggest restriction is you have to continue to work in a community service job.

[rebel100]

** I almost forgot to add that there is a community service worker federal loan forgiveness program that will allow you to forgive your entire remaining educational loan debts (all combined) after 10 years of on-time payments. This could save you a ton of money. College instructors, teachers and I believe paramedics qualify for this program. You can do a search and find out more about it. The biggest restriction is you have to continue to work in a community service job.

Folks on here just know ALOT of stuff. I appreciate your feedback a great deal ! TY

[rebel100]

You can test out of two of these with their ECE exams. They did easily approve courses from my local university, so that process is quick and easy.

Which courses did they allow you to test out of ? Any ideas on other colleges that offer the courses online ? I know St. Pete college here in Fl. has some of them...and that would be at in state rates You definantly have me thinking....

[marianne202]

Hey,

I tested out of Human Resource Management and Research Methods in Psychology. I know ECU here in NC offers a lot of the same classes because I had the entire program approved, because I could have paid only $160 c/h here, but they were not allowing any visiting students. I had to enroll in their program (that was 18 months ago) before I could take any classes. I knew I could be done at EC before their next enrollment period.

EC also offers a payment plan for their fees, so you can divide each course payment into I believe 3 payments. That is what I did in the beginning, then I just started saving it up on my own, so I could pay it all at once, then I would use my cash back credit card, pay for it then pay it off before any interest accrued. It made it a little less painful! LOL!

[burbuja0512]

Rebel - I just noticed that you've started ALEKS basic algebra. Are you doing this just to start off? Just wanted to make sure that you knew that COSC will accept only ALEKS College alg and higher for credit. Of course, I got a few hours into College Algebra and decided that I had learned enough to cram for the 6 credit College Mathematics CLEP, which does fulfill the COSC requirement.