Degree Completion Advice Pierpont/TESU

[MNomadic]

Actually if, as allvia pointed out, he already has what he needs for ASNSM CS at TESU then he could graduate there in December. He just has to submit all transcripts, fees, applications etc by October 1st. Not sure if they could process it all in time, though. I would say go ahead and apply at TESU today! And send all transcripts today as well. Then you can see where he stands on the different degrees to see which is faster/shorter and prioritize accordingly. I'm not sure about the other chem options, I plan to just do chem clep eventually.

I think he considered that option at first but having to pay a second residency waiver to complete whichever BS he chooses gave him pause. I'm not sure how much sense it would make to pay for the residency waiver twice given how close he is to earning a BS as well. 

I am thinking at least trying to clep Chemistry with the help of Modern States for free may be a good idea for him as well, now that you shared the Ed4Credit lab with us. It definitely seems like it may be the cheapest and fastest option for him.

Ok makes sense. It's best to knock out 2 or more degrees with only one set of fees(that rhymes by the way)

[cookderosa]

The way I see it, always - always- always bring the goalpost closer.
Once you dig in, you see all these opportunities, but instead of doing it all - focus on bringing the goalpost closer.
If you have extra time and money, a master's degree is preferable over a handful of associate degrees, but in any event, bring the goalpost closer.
Until you are 100% sure of his long-term goals, bring the goalpost closer.

[MNomadic]

The way I see it, always - always- always bring the goalpost closer.
Once you dig in, you see all these opportunities, but instead of doing it all - focus on bringing the goalpost closer.
If you have extra time and money, a master's degree is preferable over a handful of associate degrees, but in any event, bring the goalpost closer.
Until you are 100% sure of his long-term goals, bring the goalpost closer.

That's great advice!

[dfrecore]

I guess you might call me a degree plan expert, but in your case, with so much up in the air, I suggest that you just apply and then play with the different options to see where you stand on each one. It would be much easier/quicker to do this.

As for all the rest of your questions about second degrees vs. dual degrees, and dual capstones, they are all really good questions, and I would suggest talking directly to TESU about them. They aren't easy ones for most of us to figure out, and I think TESU changed their "rules" on dual degrees fairly recently.

When you find anything out, please report back and let us know what they say.

[allvia]

Also he may want to look into WGU as an option.  It is free to apply, and with all those CS courses he already has he may find a IT degree that aligns well with what he already knows and has earned credits in.  They have so many options https://www.wgu.edu/online-it-degrees.html#

[davewill]

Actually if, as allvia pointed out, he already has what he needs for ASNSM CS at TESU then he could graduate there in December. He just has to submit all transcripts, fees, applications etc by October 1st. Not sure if they could process it all in time, though. I would say go ahead and apply at TESU today! And send all transcripts today as well. Then you can see where he stands on the different degrees to see which is faster/shorter and prioritize accordingly. I'm not sure about the other chem options, I plan to just do chem clep eventually.

I think he considered that option at first but having to pay a second residency waiver to complete whichever BS he chooses gave him pause. I'm not sure how much sense it would make to pay for the residency waiver twice given how close he is to earning a BS as well. 

I am thinking at least trying to clep Chemistry with the help of Modern States for free may be a good idea for him as well, now that you shared the Ed4Credit lab with us. It definitely seems like it may be the cheapest and fastest option for him.

He shouldn't have to pay a second residency waiver for an ASNSM followed by a BS as long as he does it all within a year of paying the waiver. However get that in writing from TESU before relying on it.

[shadowgem]

The way I see it, always - always- always bring the goalpost closer.  
Once you dig in, you see all these opportunities, but instead of doing it all - focus on bringing the goalpost closer.
If you have extra time and money, a master's degree is preferable over a handful of associate degrees, but in any event, bring the goalpost closer.  
Until you are 100% sure of his long-term goals, bring the goalpost closer.  

We absolutely agree! 

There must be some confusion as he has no interest in "a handful of associate degrees" lol I think he already has met the requirements for the ASNSM in CS, but that would be pointless unless he opts to complete the BS Technical Studies degree instead of the BACS. The ASNSM in Biology in addition to either Bachelor's degree however, definitely could be useful in both his short and long term career goals. I think once he figures out just how many additional courses he needs for his Bachelors degree, he can better evaluate whether completing a few extra self paced courses/exams would be worth it to him or not. He just was more curious if this was even an option, in case he decides to complete only the BS Tech Studies, then adding the ASNSM CS he has already completed may be worthwhile in lieu of completing the BACS right now. 

His immediate goal was to identify which courses he would be missing from completing either the BS Tech Studies or the BACS while he waited for TESU to do their evaluation. That way he could better determine whether one would be faster or cheaper than the other to complete, or if it would be possible to just complete both simultaneously and be completely done. He didn't want to waste time while TESU is completing an official evaluation when he could be knocking out any missing courses instead. Once he knows for sure which degree he can knock out sooner, he can get started. That was why we were hoping someone here could help us confirm and identify the faster path. I think it would be the BS Technical Studies but I'm not positive about that at all. He was ready to start on something now, but he definitely doesn't want to waste any more time or money. So I guess the best thing to do is just wait for TESU to finish their evaluation for now.

His short term goal is to be a valid candidate for an opening within his current field, which requires a degree preferably in math/science/technology. Candidates with science and technology majors and backgrounds are ideal to make the cut and get past HR. This is why he originally applied for the BOG AAS but Nancy could not give him any idea as to what concentration that degree would have until the final evaluation was completed. They should have all of his transcripts, but so far it does not appear anything has been evaluated. 

His long term goal is to work in the computer science field (which is entirely different from how he makes his living today), and whether that will be in a research or development capacity is what he is still determining. That will take some time still though as we live in a very rural area (population under 1k) and career opportunities are sparse. He would need to travel 2+ hours just to complete the required internship in his current Software Development program. This is another motivating factor in applying for this new position since it is a forced relocation to an area that has an abundance of jobs in both his current field and where he hopes to be in the future. He views this opportunity as a step towards his future goals.

He was just hoping to "bring the goal post closer" while he waited the month or so for TESU to process his application and transcripts.  Since that isn't possible just yet I guess he's just going to have to spend all that time meanwhile doting on me instead 

[allvia]

If he has not applied yet to TESU then you should apply for the BS Technical Studies - it has the more complex evaluation (as it is more a specialty/individualized AOS).  You can ask them after that to add the eval for the BSCS which could be evaluated as fast as one day after the initial BSTS is completed.

[shadowgem]

I guess you might call me a degree plan expert, but in your case, with so much up in the air, I suggest that you just apply and then play with the different options to see where you stand on each one.  It would be much easier/quicker to do this.

As for all the rest of your questions about second degrees vs. dual degrees, and dual capstones, they are all really good questions, and I would suggest talking directly to TESU about them.  They aren't easy ones for most of us to figure out, and I think TESU changed their "rules" on dual degrees fairly recently.

When you find anything out, please report back and let us know what they say.

He has already applied so for now we are just waiting to see how things come in. I just wish it was a faster process lol If he really only does need the science/lab courses for the BS Tech Studies, then he could do those right now and start the Sept capstone and be eligible for graduation by March which would be how things would end up in a perfect world. Unfortunately I doubt they will finish his evaluation by the time the September capstone begins. And if he is missing much more that could not be tested out of then it seems like just going ahead and finishing the BACS would make the most sense. 

His Plan A was BACS. Take Calculus and the extra biology towards the ASNSM Bio at study.com. Start Data Arch and Op Sys courses at TESU n Sept/Oct (if there are in fact no other options to test test out of those courses) and then start the Capstone in December/Jan and be eligible for graduation in June. Then use the BOG AAS degree which confers in Dec to qualify for the position he would like to apply to in the meantime. We just arent 100% sure how exactly TESU is going to translate his courses, or if there are any other courses he needs to finish for the BACS aside from those four. However the road block there appears to be that he can not enroll in any courses at TESU until after that degree confers. I don't think he could manage two course plus the capstone at the same time as well as working 60+ hours a week which means he may not be able to graduate before Sept next year if he goes this route.

That led us to doing more research and we came across the BS Tech Studies which looked like he may actually be able to complete much sooner. He appears to only be missing the two science courses and labs which could easily be tested out of and then the capstone. So Plan B was take Phys I and the extra biology courses towards the ASNSM Bio at study.com. Take the SL Phys I Lab; Clep the Chemistry and take the ED4Credit Lab then begin the capstone in either Oct/Nov and be eligible for graduation in March of next year. And once he hits the milestone of completing the BS Tech Studies capstone decide whether he wants to finish the BACS or just get the ASNSM in CS instead for now. Again the BOG AAS is problematic in terms of enrolling in courses at TESU in time. However he could just abandon the BOG AAS and hope the extra three months does not cost him the job opportunity, but does allow him to be done with undergraduate studies by March of next year which is much sooner than June/Sept of next year. This is very attractive since he's burnt out at this point. However if he is missing much more than I could identify this may not be practical anyways.

He just wants to find the fastest (first) and cheapest (second) path to getting this stage in his life behind him, so he can move forward. If there is a way for him to earn at least an Associates level degree in a science/math/tech field in order to apply for this position before next year, that would be wonderful. That is where the BOG AAS really could help him out. 

We will definitely report back with any clarification on the dual degrees/area of studies/capstones as this was something that certainly is challenging to understand just reading through the TESU policies listed on their website and blog.

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Actually if, as allvia pointed out, he already has what he needs for ASNSM CS at TESU then he could graduate there in December. He just has to submit all transcripts, fees, applications etc by October 1st. Not sure if they could process it all in time, though. I would say go ahead and apply at TESU today! And send all transcripts today as well. Then you can see where he stands on the different degrees to see which is faster/shorter and prioritize accordingly. I'm not sure about the other chem options, I plan to just do chem clep eventually.

I think he considered that option at first but having to pay a second residency waiver to complete whichever BS he chooses gave him pause. I'm not sure how much sense it would make to pay for the residency waiver twice given how close he is to earning a BS as well. 

I am thinking at least trying to clep Chemistry with the help of Modern States for free may be a good idea for him as well, now that you shared the Ed4Credit lab with us. It definitely seems like it may be the cheapest and fastest option for him.

He shouldn't have to pay a second residency waiver for an ASNSM followed by a BS as long as he does it all within a year of paying the waiver. However get that in writing from TESU before relying on it.

That would be fantastic if indeed possible! Thank you very much for the suggestion. I will be sure to have him inquire (in writing) with TESU about that policy. That is the one thing the BOG AAS has over TESU atm since it would allow him to apply to the job this year if he confers a degree in Dec. But paying the residency waiver two times would just be insanely expensive for just an associates degree vs a basically free degree through Pierpont that would achieve the same end goal hopefully.

[davewill]

Did Nancy tell you that you couldn't enroll and take courses at TESU while waiting for the BOS AAS degree to confer? I'd double check that before assuming you can't.

Also, I'm pretty sure he could get the ASNSM in Dec and work on the BACS for March graduation all for one residency waiver.