Change of options - Seeking Advice

[frankenbenz]

This is going to be long winded so please stop now unless you have a genuine interest in helping me out. I don't want to waste your time.


I've posted before, I was going to be attending Illinois State University, but I had a change in opportunities and will no longer be doing that. ISU accepted:

Intro Info Systems - Elective - 3 hrs
Analytic Proc and Prod - Elective - 3 hrs
Map Reading Analysis - Elective - 3 hrs
Infor Sec Intel Ops - Elective - 1 hrs
Briefing Skills - Elective - 2 hrs
Symbology - Elective - 3 hrs
Intel Prep Battlefield - Elective - 3 hrs
Auto Intel Systems - Elective - 4 hrs
Intelligence Analyst - Elective - 5 hrs

ENG 101 - 3
PHI 112 - 3
LAN 111 (SPAN) - 4
ACC 131 - 4
Bus Math - Elective - 3
ECO 102 - 3
CHE 112 - 1
CHE 110 - 3
COM 110 - 3
MAT 108 - 3

So that is I suppose where I sit at with college. I want to I guess pursue a BS in a mathematics field. I want to also do CLEP and other tests to do what I can to get this done. Is the stigma of an
"internet degree" from an "internet college" going to legitimately hurt my job prospects and career upward movement? What kind of timeline should I expect to need for this, starting as a sophomore? Where do I start? How can I develop a program for a degree? How do I know what ones I need to take?

Also, I am in the military, have GI benefits as well as some FTA still. I need to figure out how to use the TA still (haven't done it before). I am asking for guidance and opinions from members here, that have gone the online degree route to completion. I have read a lot of whats on the site and so if you reference something I may know what you are talking about. I have even gone through part of a flip card cycle to see what those were like.

It all seems to have hit me pretty fast, and I was really thinking I could do the 4 year university thing, but I just know I can't. It isn't for me in anyway, but I still want higher education, even beyond a BS


thank you

[IrishJohn]

Before I can answer I would need to know what your career goals are. What do you want to do with a math degree? Teach? If so, at what level? High school? Community college or university? It really depends on this.

[KayV]

My very first thought was that TESC or Excelsior might accept more credits than ISU did from your military training, so you might be closer than you think. TESC has a BSAST in military technology leadership that would work well with the credits you have. They also have a BA in Natural Science and Mathematics that would be easier to test out of than a straight-up math degree; most of your military training would be used as free electives, although some of those courses might be counted as computer science.

Since TESC offers a big cost reduction if you takes at least 7 of their TECEP tests (like CLEP/DSST), you could start with taking their TECEPs in English Composition II, Technical Writing, Environmental Ethics, Statistics, Applied Liberal Arts Mathematics, College Algebra, Science of Nutrition. These exams would work for both the BSAST and BA in Natural Science/ Math options.

As for the street cred of a degree from a place called "Thomas Edison State College," most of the people on this board have found that while it isn't Harvard, it works perfectly well in terms of jobs and respect in the wider community.

[frankenbenz]

Thank you for the replies.

I do not want to teach math, i considered it and I actually instruct military personnel right now for this job I am doing.. I really want to continue doing this but eventually get an engineering degree following this BA. If I do a math related degree it really can help in my career field through the army due to the analytic nature of it.

My end state is POSSIBLY a Mech Eng degree or a just master/PHD level mathematics. The bachelor degree is what I really need to open up options and doors though first.



That is some good information on TESC also. How do I prepare for the TECEP ones?

[KayV]

Here's more information on TECEPs.
Thomas Edison State College: Credit By Exam

[sanantone]

Thank you for the replies.

I do not want to teach math, i considered it and I actually instruct military personnel right now for this job I am doing.. I really want to continue doing this but eventually get an engineering degree following this BA. If I do a math related degree it really can help in my career field through the army due to the analytic nature of it.

My end state is POSSIBLY a Mech Eng degree or a just master/PHD level mathematics. The bachelor degree is what I really need to open up options and doors though first.



That is some good information on TESC also. How do I prepare for the TECEP ones?

You're going to need science courses for an engineering degree, so you might as well look at the BA in Natural Science/Mathematics since it's much more test friendly. Another way to cheaply meet TESC's residency requirements under the Per Credit Tuition Plan is to complete portfolio assessments. You can either complete free versions of TESC's non-credit intro PLA courses for free or complete Kaplan's ACE-approved PLA course for free. You can just complete Kaplan's course for the 3 free credits and still read through what TESC expects in portfolios in their free courses. TESC charges $350 for the first 12 credits and $200 for every 6 credits, or part thereof, thereafter.
Sanantone's General Education Options - Degree Forum Wiki
Sanantone's BA in Natural Sciences and Mathematics - Degree Forum Wiki

[UptonSinclair]

If you plan to pursue an engineering degree, I would suggest you work backwards in planning your current degree. Decide which university you plan to attend and find out what they accept in the way of non-traditional credits. At the local university where I live, there are only about 10 exams they accept for credit. This will give you a great start in knowing which exams to take and which courses to take. You have little to lose by taking CLEP and DSST exams since they are free for military, but it can be frustrating to find out an exam you spent weeks studying for doesn't apply.

For Engineering, you are pretty stuck with traditional universities, so it is a good idea to see what they expect before getting too far into a big three degree. I am sitting on 181 credits at the moment and less than 20 would apply toward an engineering degree at the local university.

[frankenbenz]

Some insightful posts. I still have some research to finish I see. Hypothetically, if I wanted to teach Mathematics at either high school or community college level, they typically accept the "Big 3", though, right?

Engineering isn't a must for what I plan on doing, as I'm not much for sitting in a cubicle. I wanted it to help me understand concepts of engineering and forces applied to an object for a project a friend and I will be working on in about 5-10 years. We will be going into business together on something and he is finishing engineering now, I'm more of the business/overseer type but I wanted to have an understanding of that stuff in case issues or testing questions arose.


That is the reasoning behind considering engineering, otherwise I don't see a need for me to do that. It really sounds like it may not be worth the time away from my career and online schooling to do that though. Considering what I would need it for

[UptonSinclair]

Since you plan to be the business type, have you considered a Business degree? There are many options for testing out of the BSBA at Thomas Edison. You will probably be able to apply some of your military credits as well.

[LaterBloomer]

Education is never wasted, but why do you feel that you need a degree? If you want to understand the engineering aspects, I suspect that you can educate yourself and never attend a class, take a test, or attain a degree. Do you want to learn things about developing a business plan so that you can approach investors? Again, you might be able to learn all that you need to know without getting a degree.

If it is to teach while you and your buddy's business blooms, you will get lots of responses here. You might also want to search this forum as I think folks have addressed teaching and Big 3 degrees before.

Good luck with your plans.