Calling All IT Pros...Need Info!

[marianne202]

Ok guys, I know you are here, so I'm hoping you can provide some help. My son will be taking his first exam in a few weeks and wants to get his AS degree before he graduates HS next May. He wants to get into game design, computer animation and graphics or something similar. He is currently awaiting his voucher to take his A+ exam through school. I'm wondering which of the big 3 offers the best related AS degree for him, any suggestions? All the IT areas are greek to me. I would like a degree he can test out of completely, if possible. The CC program he is looking at for game design will accept all CLEP/DSST exams and if his AS is complete, we are hoping he will only have to take the game design classes without any other Gen Ed requirements. Since this program is so competitive, we are hoping his extra credentials will move him up the list. This school is about 95 minutes away, so we are trying to limit his commute days. Please let me know which of the big 3 programs will give him the best base and allow him the most flexibility when it comes to all thing computer related. He likes the software side better than hardware, I do know that already. He has been rebuilding and repairing computers for 2 years already in his HS computer class, they are the school IT dept. He will be taking an international web-based business program next year which sets up a real life web business and completely runs and maintains it. He will be doing all the business planning, website design, set up and maintanence, as well as internet marketing. Some new program sponsored by a huge internet company and grant funded, but he was hand picked by his computer instructor to participate, as it is by invitation only. I'm hoping this along with his degree will give him a good base for when he gets out of HS. Please let me know what you would recommend. You guys are the experts here, so I'm asking for your help! Anything medical, I'm your gal, but start talking computers and I'm lost! Thanks in advance for your help!

[rickyjo]

I know TESC at least will give a credit for an A+ exam and most any other certs he can pick up. So there, he is 1.7% of the way already.

[zefrench]

Did someone say IT ? hehe

I have done quite a few posts on the Bachelor, but not on an AS. Look for my previous posts for additional informations.

Excelsior has: Associate in Science in Science in Computer Software. (page 21 of the Excelsior Technology pdf)


This does indeed cover the "software" aspect of IT and Computers very well, maybe even more then a game animator would need to know, but I doubt that would hurt. Or Perhapse he is goign into game programming / design ?

General Requirement I will not go over, to many thread to cover, other than for the requirement of Calculus 1/Discret Math, I would take ALEKS over Game Institute's Game Mathematics.

Here are my impressions, of course, please have them validated by an Excelsior Advisor first.

For the core requirements that are not a lot of Exams, but quite a few low cost distance course that you can progress at you own pace. (TESC's Guided Study is not low cost but let you progress at your own pace)

Core Requirements:

• Introduction to Computers [CLEP]
  
• Computer Architecture [TESC COS-330-GS, Computer Architecture Guided Study]
  
• High Level Structured Language [PennFoster CSC218 - Visual Basic .NET]
  
• Data Structures [PennFoster] or Data Communication [ICCP]
  
• System Analysis and Design [PennFoster]
  

15 Credit of IT elective left

• 3 Credits - DSST Introduction to Computing
  
• 3 Credits - DSST Management Information Systems
  
• 9 Credits - IT Vendor Certifications (max of 9 see https://www.excelsior.edu/Excelsior_Coll...ION_CREDIT )
  
• 3 Credit per Exam - ICCP (those exam are tought and typically require reading 2 to 3 textbookts)
  
• Excelsior's own courses
  
• TESC's own courses
  
• Maybe Microsoft Office Certification would count as they are through ACE http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/...redit.aspx
  

[marianne202]

Thanks for the info. Has anyone done the EC AS computer science degree or the EC BS information technology degree? I'm wondering where you are supposed to get the credits for the core classes, as EC doesn't seem to offer them as exams or classes, just wondering if it will be faster and cheaper to go through EC or just a local school? I was shocked when I looked at their exam and class list and didn't see any of the course classes listed. Are any waived based on various IT certifications? I thought those would only cover the elective portions. Thanks for helping with this matter.