Degree course to pursue MA in Human Rights

[Doodlebabe]

Hey, I'm brand new here and only discovered the whole testing out method over the weekend. I'm a researcher by nature and have been pouring over as much info (including from these forums) as possible trying to figure this out. I've reached out to TESU twice (not very helpful) and Excelsior (still no response two days later) so at this point it's about cheap, fast, and able to get me to the career I want ;-)
A bit about me: I want to pursue a Masters in Human Rights or similar. All the programs I'm interested in are in Europe and the majority of them only require a BA in law, social sciences, or similar, as well as recommendations and experience, etc. The strictest educational requirements I've found is 90 credits in social sciences with a C grade or better. So I have some wiggle room here.
Was initially thinking TESU BA International Studies but that seems impossible solely through testing out. Not sure if a BA in LS will look appealing to European schools or not. English? History? Sociology? Anybody have experience in Masters for human rights/intl relations?

Would love some guidance on which degree would work best, as well as some help test planning. Have not submitted transcripts yet, will probably send them in two weeks or so (how long it'll take for me to receive them from my previous schools). Should I go ahead and send to the Big 3 or just TESU?

Credits I have from AP tests and 2 universities:
AP Western Civ - 6cr (Hist 102 and 103)
AP English Comp - 3cr (Writing 121)
Foundations of Christian Life - 4.5cr
Intro to Sociology - 3cr
Principles of Statistics - 3cr (lab was "general credit")
Comparative Cultures - 3cr (anthropology)
Intro to the Visual Arts - 4cr
General Biology (102) - 4cr
Women: Self and Society - 3cr
Literature of American Minorities - 3cr
Human Sexuality - 3cr
Infant and Child Development - 4cr
General Psych - 3cr
Intro to Animal Sciences - 4cr
General Chemistry (121) - 5cr

Total of 55.5 raw credits, 62.5 credits with "general credits" included (I transferred from a semester to quarterly school and that was their way of accepting the differing crediting systems)

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Oh, and I have a Cornerstone course from one of those schools. Any chance I could use that instead of taking Capstone with TESU? ;-P (long shot but worth asking! It's one of my "general" credits)

[sanantone]

It all depends on how the schools will look at things. Excelsior offers a major in social science. TESU stupidly got rid of its major in social science thinking that a liberal studies degree with a concentration in social science was a needed and equally valuable substitute. The graduate school could either look at your transcript and see that you completed the equivalent of a major in social science, or they could go to TESU's website and see that their stupid and nearly worthless BALS with a concentration in Social Science only requires 18 credits in social science.

Your other option would be to complete a degree in psychology at TESU, EC, COSC, or Patten.

[bjcheung77]

There is a difference between Capstone and Cornerstone, either way, the Big 3 require you to complete the Capstone at the school you want to graduate from, you can't transfer that final course. In the case of COSC, both Cornerstone and Capstone must be taken at the college.

First off, you need to decide on the degree of choice, review the Big 3 and see what degree you would like, a BALS, BSPS, or even a BSBA. Some schools just require a degree in any field, others have minor prerequisites for their Masters program.

Second, find the program you want and their prerequisites. I read your post and it seems most European degrees require 90 credits in a Social Science. You want to verify that with your top 5 choices. Here's a list of 25 schools for the Masters, they vary by length of program and location. https://www.masterstudies.com/Masters-De...an-Rights/

Finally, where are you from? Which city or state? Why must it be an European degree and not a US degree? I read there are a few FREE and low cost Masters in Europe, is that the reason? If so, you may want to re-evaluate, tuition maybe free, but living expenses may be more costly than a US online Masters.

[dfrecore]

90cr in SocSci is a lot considering that you need 60cr in Gen Ed's. But I guess you could just really load up on SocSci courses in the Gen Ed area.

Also, if you need 90 graded credits, you're going to have a hard time with the test-out method, as you don't get grades for tests. So you want to check to make sure that the schools are actually ok with 60 graded credits (your 55cr plus a capstone, which will get a grade).

A BALS is definitely not a degree in SocSci, so TESU may not be your best option. I would go to EC for this if that's what you want.

Also, make sure you know what a SocSci course is - your suggestion of possibly an English degree makes me say this - because English isn't a SocSci, it's a Humanities degree.

Here are some options with a lot of (but not all) test-out options:

TESU - Sociology, CJ, History, Psych
EC - History, Psych, SocSci
COSC - Soc, Psych, CJ, PoliSci

The ones most discussed here on the forum are TESU's Psych & History, and they are almost completely test-out-able. But EC's SocSci degree looks very flexible to me, and a lot of the courses can be had through CSU-Global (esp Human Services courses) or CSU-Pueblo IS.

I would look at all of these degrees, see what interests you, and delve deeper. Then see what you can come up with for courses with some help here on the forum.

[Doodlebabe]

Thank you so much everyone for your replies! I'll respond to each of you individually as I see some great questions and info has been brought up. Looking forward to getting this degree DONE!!

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It all depends on how the schools will look at things. Excelsior offers a major in social science. TESU stupidly got rid of its major in social science thinking that a liberal studies degree with a concentration in social science was a needed and equally valuable substitute. The graduate school could either look at your transcript and see that you completed the equivalent of a major in social science, or they could go to TESU's website and see that their stupid and nearly worthless BALS with a concentration in Social Science only requires 18 credits in social science.

Your other option would be to complete a degree in psychology at TESU, EC, COSC, or Patten.

Thanks for letting me know that! In all the hussle of taking in as much info as possible I didn't grasp that TESU's degree would look fairly weak comparatively. I did hear back from Excelsior today - they mostly answered my questions (carefully avoiding the financial questions though, ugh) and were very cautious in spilling the secrets on testing out hah! I'm hesitant with Excelsior now that I've learned they changed from letter grades to P/F for testing plus the finances but I'd rather have a major than a concentration for MA admissions purposes.

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There is a difference between Capstone and Cornerstone, either way, the Big 3 require you to complete the Capstone at the school you want to graduate from, you can't transfer that final course.  In the case of COSC, both Cornerstone and Capstone must be taken at the college.  

First off, you need to decide on the degree of choice, review the Big 3 and see what degree you would like, a BALS, BSPS, or even a BSBA.  Some schools just require a degree in any field, others have minor prerequisites for their Masters program.  

Second, find the program you want and their prerequisites.  I read your post and it seems most European degrees require 90 credits in a Social Science.  You want to verify that with your top 5 choices. Here's a list of 25 schools for the Masters, they vary by length of program and location. https://www.masterstudies.com/Masters-De...an-Rights/

Finally, where are you from? Which city or state? Why must it be an European degree and not a US degree? I read there are a few FREE and low cost Masters in Europe, is that the reason? If so, you may want to re-evaluate, tuition maybe free, but living expenses may be more costly than a US online Masters.

I'm in the Portland, Oregon area. I'm mainly focused on Europe because a lot of the human rights organizations I'm interested in working for have a larger presence there. Much easier to get hired and create a working network if my feet are already on the ground there, doing research alongside these organizations through school. My family also has absolutely no intention of staying in the US, we've always dreamed of the ex-pat life so having a degree from the EU feels like a more globally conscious decision as far as marketability goes.  (Though free tuition doesn't hurt when living expenses there are so high!)
I'll take a browse through that list you sent! I see some of the schools I'm considering on there so this is a great comparison list!

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90cr in SocSci is a lot considering that you need 60cr in Gen Ed's.  But I guess you could just really load up on SocSci courses in the Gen Ed area.

Also, if you need 90 graded credits, you're going to have a hard time with the test-out method, as you don't get grades for tests.  So you want to check to make sure that the schools are actually ok with 60 graded credits (your 55cr plus a capstone, which will get a grade).

A BALS is definitely not a degree in SocSci, so TESU may not be your best option.  I would go to EC for this if that's what you want.

Also, make sure you know what a SocSci course is - your suggestion of possibly an English degree makes me say this - because English isn't a SocSci, it's a Humanities degree.

Here are some options with a lot of (but not all) test-out options:

TESU - Sociology, CJ, History, Psych
EC - History, Psych, SocSci
COSC - Soc, Psych, CJ, PoliSci

The ones most discussed here on the forum are TESU's Psych & History, and they are almost completely test-out-able.  But EC's SocSci degree looks very flexible to me, and a lot of the courses can be had through CSU-Global (esp Human Services courses) or CSU-Pueblo IS.

I would look at all of these degrees, see what interests you, and delve deeper.  Then see what you can come up with for courses with some help here on the forum.

The one school I found that required 90 SoSci mentioned nothing about graded credits, just that I needed them. Nor a specific GPA, just that a C average based on their scale (which is different from the US and I had a hard time finding info on how they determine it). The large majority of European schools, ones I'm considering and not, only seem to care that I have a BA in a related field, with a heavier emphasis being on my recommendation letters - which can come from teachers, employers, volunteer coordinators, etc so lots of flexibility - any experience I may already have working in the field - check - and my letter of intent. But having an actual SoSci degree, as opposed to the concentration TESU seems to offer, definitely is a more lucrative choice. English is a consideration mainly because I know soooooo many (possibly too many?) people who majored in English and went into law from there. Same goes for History too, and I'm sitting here going, "I love to write and to read! Cake!" Obviously not my first choice in getting attention from my desired MA programs, but testing out is preferable to taking courses so I wanted to throw the idea out here to see everyone's thoughts. 
Question on EC's SoSci degree: are there options to get the courses elsewhere? I'll be taking a more in depth look at the degree and courses needed, but I just glanced at CSU Global and oof!! That cost!

[icampy]

What do you do with that? Work with the ACLU or SPLC or something? Or is it just for fun?

[Doodlebabe]

What do you do with that? Work with the ACLU or SPLC or something? Or is it just for fun?

I want to work in anti-human trafficking. So field agents and officers (the ones who arrest the bad guys), rehabilitation (the ones who help the survivors), labor overseer (the ones making sure companies are staying ethical) are some tracks. It really varies everywhere from law - both fighting in the courts as well as making the laws and overseeing that countries/companies are holding up to ethical standards - to driving survivors to and from counseling appts. 
For me personally, I would like to work with the International Justice Mission, OUR Rescue, A21, Polaris, organizations like that - on the front lines, the ones tracking the traffickers, making arrests, facilitating rehabilitation, prevention education, that sort of thing. Mind you, I don't have to work for the big guys, I'm cool working for smaller NGOs and the likes too. Those are just some of the better known organizations.

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I did a little more digging to get some specific information on what would be required of me 1) to start a career in the field immediately upon graduation and 2) to pursue an MA if I chose. 

To graduate and go directly to work, the majority of the employers I'm interested in ask for a BA in social sciences or humanities. Law, international relations, sociology, psychology, history, and gender studies are the most frequently mentioned when a specific major is asked for. However most just want a degree in any social sciences or humanities program. 

For the MA programs, I looked at schools I absolutely want to go to as well as some I have never even considered before, overseas and US. The consensus? A BA. When a specific major is asked for it's almost always "social sciences, humanities, or a related field." Only a couple asked for a specific GPA or amount of courses within the major. A few broke down what they meant by SoSci and Hum, stating Psych, Soc, Intl Relations, Gender Studies, Law, Eng, Hist, PoliSci, etc but then would go on to say something along the lines of "or anything that could be considered beneficial and applicable to human rights."

That sounds like a lot of freedom to me as far as how I want to go about getting my degree. So now it's just a matter of deciding which school/degree best fits the "SoSci or Humanities" label that I can test out of (preferably all but Corner/Capstone). Cost and speed are my priorities now that I know I don't need to have a super specific degree. 

Any recommendations based on this info and the credits I already have? I'm thinking COSC is a big fat nope due to being General Studies (which is fine by me). Would love to stick with TESU, just for price sake, but if EC would be the better candidate still I'm all ears. I know there are a few test out course plans floating around here. Could someone post that on this thread, filled out to your best idea of what tests I should do or left blank, either one. A template is better than nothing :-) 

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction all! Already feeling more confident in FINALLY getting my BA and moving on with my life.

[bjcheung77]

Here's another set of programs that might interest you, I grabbed them from the same site, instead it's in Peace/Conflict Studies.
Link: https://www.masterstudies.com/Masters-De...t-Studies/

You've got a great head on your shoulders and I applaud you for wanting to help those less fortunate in a third world country. Here's just a thought, since you wanted "Cost/Speed", my suggestion is to get a "cheap/easy/fast" BALS or BA Psych/Sociology, even a BSPS/BSBA at one of the Big 3, and then finish it off with an MBA or MPA, all within 18 months (basically, spend 8 months on the Bachelors and 8 months on the Masters, 2 months extra time just in case - if you're a speed demon, then 6 months for the Bachelors and 4-5 months for Masters).

So, let's say you choose TESU and get your BSBA in 8 months for $6 grand, and choose Hodges MPA for $3500/6 months, you get both degrees for under $10K and in 14 months. I would use this time wisely to "get the parchments" and move on to "getting experience". I would use the next two to three years overseas in your country of choice, (if you know Spanish, go to Latin America), if you want to learn a South East Asian language, head there for the experience - teach English/volunteer at the NGO, get an entry level position there and work your way upwards to a position YOU want to be in later. See my Masters/PHD plan: http://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/showthre...?tid=27492

The reason is, instead of going for a lengthy Bachelors and Masters program overseas for a hefty price tag, you save money & time, plus you get that extra "experience" added by working in the field you desire in a different country - right after the Masters! Below is a list of links to jobs at the "upper echelon level" of two of the organizations you mentioned. The majority of them require a MBA/MPA or Masters in International Development, the main thing they also would like is the "experience". In my opinion & view, I'd skip the Masters in anything but MBA/MPA.

Polaris Project, for all three examples, I don't see a degree requirement. Woo hoo, but there's an experience requirement.
https://polarisproject.org/data-quality-associate
https://polarisproject.org/research-and-...specialist
https://polarisproject.org/project-manager

IJM: Program Manager: Masters International Developement: https://careers-ijm.icims.com/jobs/2127/...t-asia/job
Program Manager: MBA or Masters in anything: https://careers-ijm.icims.com/jobs/2067/...rships/job
Program Manager - No degree mentioned: https://careers-ijm.icims.com/jobs/2060/...n-unit/job
Director - Requires JD, MBA or Master’s in International Development: https://careers-ijm.icims.com/jobs/1906/...ership/job
Director - Requires a Bachelors in "anything". https://careers-ijm.icims.com/jobs/1969/...fornia/job
VP Global Partnership - Requires MBA, MPA or similar: https://careers-ijm.icims.com/jobs/1941/...rships/job
VP Tech Solutions - Requires MBA, MSIT or similar: https://careers-ijm.icims.com/jobs/2008/...utions/job

TLDR - Too Long Didn't Read - I recommend getting the Bachelors & Masters as cheap/easy/fast ASAP and use the $/time for getting overseas experience. Most jobs require a Bachelors degree and the upper management positions require a Masters and X years of experience. You can use the extra $/time you saved to work two or three years. If you are overseas, you can use some time to do a Nations University Masters in Divinity for FREE if you're outside the US.

[Doodlebabe]

Here's just a thought, since you wanted "Cost/Speed", my suggestion is to...If you are overseas, you can use some time to do a Nations University Masters in Divinity for FREE if you're outside the US.

Omg WOW! Thank you so much for the care you took in your response. I deeply appreciate it, this is beyond helpful! I didn't even know what an MPA was (or that it existed) until now. That sounds right up my alley, job and cost wise. And the ability to not waste time, to get experience immediately, yes yes yes!
And now to look into this Masters of Divinity program because again, never heard of it and why the heck not?
Come on transcripts! Arrive already so I can get cracking!
Still open to any other words of wisdom, guidance, or advice if anyone feels so inclined

[eriehiker]

https://micromasters.mit.edu/dedp/