Degree Plan Advice - Can I finish in a year? Without starving to death?

[sanantone]

For a New Jersey Resident, WGU is only a little cheaper than TESU. If you're set on completing a degree that requires several courses that do not have alternative options, then it makes a lot of sense to choose the Comprehensive Tuition Plan. The course load can be lightened by taking TECEPs and e-Packs. Taking 24 or more credits still makes it worth the $6300. This is particular attractive if you qualify for a full Pell Grant and state grants only offered to NJ residents.

You can save a few hundred dollars at WGU, but there is no guarantee you'll finish faster. Also, state grants won't be an option. Plus, at WGU, you have to complete all your transfer credits before you enroll. I'm not sure WGU is going to help you determine what will count toward your degree before you're an enrolled student.

[dfrecore]

Actually, you *can* transfer it into the DA degree. (For the Stats.com certificate they'll transfer in up to 3 classes. For TESU, you can transfer in any intro stats, too, or even take the pricey TESU class instead of Stats.com.)

If I was going to get the DA degree, I would take the Statistics.com course, because it's considered (by them) to be Stats I & II. I would think it would be a more comprehensive course, and help with later courses. It doesn't do much good to take a foundational stats course that doesn't lay the foundation that you need later on.

So to clarify, my suggestion is to take a cheap stats course first, when you still haven't decided on which degree you're getting. THEN, if you decide on the DA degree, you should then take the Stats.com course to make sure your foundation for the degree is solid. Plus, it's already paid for if you choose their plan with TESU - all of the courses are covered, and factored into the cost, which is discounted from taking them all separately.

But obviously, the OP can do whatever they want to do. It's just my suggestion, and I'm certainly not an expert.

[SolarKat]

If I was going to get the DA degree, I would take the Statistics.com course, because it's considered (by them) to be Stats I & II. I would think it would be a more comprehensive course, and help with later courses. It doesn't do much good to take a foundational stats course that doesn't lay the foundation that you need later on.

So to clarify, my suggestion is to take a cheap stats course first, when you still haven't decided on which degree you're getting. THEN, if you decide on the DA degree, you should then take the Stats.com course to make sure your foundation for the degree is solid.

I'm actually in the degree program. The classes at Statistics.com, Statistics 1 & Statistics 2, are not separate credit-bearing classes. *Combined* they form Introduction to Statistics 1 & 2, which is a 3-credit class the equivalent of Saylor, Study.com, etc (see the ACE credit registry for the explanation). It doesn't get you any farther ahead credit-wise to take both, whether at TESU or elsewhere. (In fact you must take both to get any credit at all.) The reason for the division: their Stats 1 is essentially Descriptive Stats, and Stats 2 is Inferential Stats (similar to how Udacity has separated the 2). Some non-degree folks only need one or the other.

This means that the intro class at Statistics.com is basically identical in material to any other intro class out there. The big difference is that Statistics.com teaches it as an applied course, with lots of exposure to statistical software and project-based learning. That's the main reason for a data student to take it with them, they'll need the advanced software skills. However, they are welcomed to transfer in *any* intro stats class for the TESU degree...they'll just need to be sure to do independent study with the software, because proficiency becomes important farther into the degree.