Degree plan Charter Oak with goal of Georgia Tech OMSCS

[natshar]

It might be just as quick to get a CS degree. The business degree would slow you down. TESU allows for 27 credits free electives so any business courses would fit there. You could probably get a CS degree just as quickly as a Business degree, I guess it would just depend if you have knowledge of computer science.

Nevermind I agree with BJ and I didn't realize you had basically the whole business degree done.

[bjcheung77]

Question#1: My rational for finishing COSC's business bachelors is because then it meets the first requirement, for a bachelors.
Many people pivot after a bachelors into a different Masters, and with a few accredited CS credits - so maybe i can get them from a 3rd party(Sophia/Study/Saylor) while I do my COSC Business Bachelors?

Answer#1: You're missing the same credits for the COSC and TESU degrees, all of them are exactly what I thought, General Education requirements.  You just need to finish all of them through Sophia.org, skip the foundation courses and the 1 credit ones and the College Readiness.  Just get the gen eds done and you're in a perfect spot for any degree (COSC, EC or TESU).

Question#2: Does this mean, even if my 3rd party credits are accepted by COSC, it may not be beneficial for GT Masters application?

Answer#2: The courses you are going to be taking are all ACE credits, they're just pass/fail, it has no bearing on your application GPA as they don't have GPA on these courses.  It's just used for alternative credit towards transfer into a Bachelors.  If you transfer any ACE credit to COSC, EC, TESU, they'll grant a pass/fail for them.

Question#3: Did it work out for you, the check box degree, do you wish you'd done it direct to what you wanted in the first place?

Answer#3: Of course it did, the degree helped me out tremendously.  I even had a bump in pay raise before I got the degree as I told my directors/vp's that I will be getting the degree and they acknowledged how I worked (my business acumen and work ethic) before I got it.

I wasn't planning on getting the BACS as Comp Sci is my second overall subject that I am interested in.  Biology is my fave subject, Comp Science, Math, Psychology and then Business.  I grabbed the business degree because of it's utility and at the time, it was the final one that was "test-out-able" for the capstone course, it was also the cheapest!

Your only resolution (if you accept it) is to get your general education courses done first, get all of them as it shows you'll need it for COSC, EC, TESU, because that's what you're missing for the COSC BSBA anyways.  Here are your courses that you need all from Sophia, especially because - they're amazing and FREE!

**Project Management (If you wanted to, I think you have enough Business in the Area of Study for COSC)
English Comp I
English Comp II
Public Speaking
College Algebra
Intro to Statistics
Intro to Information Technology
Intro to Ethics
Intro to Psychology
Intro to Sociology
Human Biology
Environmental Science

Once you're done these, you can update the thread as that would get you to 110 credits at COSC.  You can get another evaluation from them and we'll see what's missing.  So, if you need more details, reply to this post with further questions and if you like what you read and need help, post updates - I am available by PM if you wanted to, I get many every day.

BTW, I highly suggest getting some credits from SL/Study.com just in case at the very end of your studies, they provide discounts towards courses at COSC, EC, TESU and the cost of the courses would be offset with these type of fees at especially at COSC.  SL for LL/Study.com for UL... in your case, finish the Lower Level at StraighterLine and  Upper Level at Study.com

[StudentOLife]

Answer#1: You're missing the same credits for the COSC and TESU degrees, all of them are exactly what I thought, General Education requirements.  You just need to finish all of them through Sophia.org, skip the foundation courses and the 1 credit ones and the College Readiness.  Just get the gen eds done and you're in a perfect spot for any degree (COSC, EC or TESU).

#1 yes Sg is really practical and doesn't really see the value in gen ed. haha. 
As for being in the perfect spot to get any degree, I only got 50 credits from EC, 43.50 from TESU. But COSC told me i only got 43 left (able to double count some degree requirements). Do you reckon EC and TESU would have also allowed me to double count degree requirements? 

Answer#2: The courses you are going to be taking are all ACE credits, they're just pass/fail, it has no bearing on your application GPA as they don't have GPA on these courses.  It's just used for alternative credit towards transfer into a Bachelors.  If you transfer any ACE credit to COSC, EC, TESU, they'll grant a pass/fail for them.

#2 Out of curiosity, would you know how other(non-big3) schools might treat our/my COSC transcript if they are full of ACE credits?
For example, if i took "Study.com - Math 108: Discrete Mathematics" & "Sophia.org - Intro to Statistics", will it likely get accepted as a complete credit in other schools if transited via COSC? (Ie. ACE credit > COSC > Oregon State University)

BTW, I highly suggest getting some credits from SL/Study.com just in case at the very end of your studies, they provide discounts towards courses at COSC, EC, TESU and the cost of the courses would be offset with these type of fees at especially at COSC.  SL for LL/Study.com for UL... in your case, finish the Lower Level at StraighterLine and  Upper Level at Study.com

#3: Would you mind expanding on this one, "by end of my studies" do you mean "by the end of COSC BSBA", I should take some credits from Straightliner/study.com?


#Qn 4: Ideally, I'd love to be able to fill my BSBA (Gen ed?) requirements with a few of following ACE credits so I can save abit of time during my CS degree/Georgia Tech, is this too much of a strech?
 
Study.com - Comp Sci 109: Introduction to Programming
Study.com - Comp Sci 201: Data Structures & Algorithms
Study.com - Math 104: Calculus
Study.com - Math 108: Discrete Mathematics
Study.com - Comp Sci 305: Operating Systems
Study.com - Comp Sci 306: Computer Architecture
TECEP - Network Technology
Study.com - Comp Sci 303: Database Management
Study.com - Comp Sci 302: Systems Analysis & Design
Coopersmith - Linear Algebra
Straigherline - Introduction to Programming in C++
Study.com - Comp Sci 103: Computer Concepts & Applications

[natshar]

If you plan on doing a Business degree first and then a computer science degree at TESU. TESU requires that 24 new credits must be earned after you first degree is conferred. So I would hold off on any computer science courses for now because if you did them too soon you would have to re do them later.

If you have ACE credits they are still ACE even if they are on a COSC transcript if a school doesn't accept ACE they won't change their mind because your ACE is on a COSC transcript.

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Also TESU changes their catalogs in July and who knows if the computer science degree requirements could change or not. Another reason to wait and do the comp sci later if you are doing a business degree first.

[Merlin]

#2 Out of curiosity, would you know how other(non-big3) schools might treat our/my COSC transcript if they are full of ACE credits?
For example, if i took "Study.com - Math 108: Discrete Mathematics" & "Sophia.org - Intro to Statistics", will it likely get accepted as a complete credit in other schools if transited via COSC? (Ie. ACE credit > COSC > Oregon State University)

It depends on the target school. Some accept ACE credits and some do not. If the school doesn't accept ACE credits normally then they may have troubles with it... particularly if those classes are prerequisites for other courses. For a master's degree, as long as you have a valid bachelor's degree, the admissions team will probably only care about courses taken in the core subjects.

Since your end goal is to complete a master's degree in computer science (such as the OMSCS), I'd recommend that you pick up the core CS courses from a regionally accredited college if you want to have the best chance of being accepted. Ideally, those should be graded credits at a B or higher grade level, since they will want to be able to see that you have sufficient technical and math background to support a CS curriculum.

FYI, there are others on the forum that have completed bachelor's degrees using ACE credits and applied to grad school only to be accepted on the condition that they complete leveling courses (retaking the core undergrad courses) at a minimum GPA to qualify. Rather than having to do the work (and pay) twice, you may want to just bite the bullet and get those done at OSU or wherever you prefer. It can even be community college as long as its proper college credit.

For admission to an MSCS degree, a BACS/BSCS usually isn't required, but most colleges will probably require successful applicants to have completed undergrad courses in Algorithms, Data Structures, Calculus (2 or 3 semesters worth), Discrete Math, Linear Algebra, Probability/Statistics, and an object-oriented programming course along with at least one programming language. I wasn't able to find the specific list that GA Tech requires, but those are probably pretty close. Some schools may waive certain requirements if you can provide academic certificates, or a resume or portfolio, that shows you've developed those skills elsewhere, but I don't know how often that happens.

Since your end goal is the OMSCS, you should drop a line to the school admissions department and ask what the specific requirements or recommended courses are.

[StudentOLife]

If you plan on doing a Business degree first and then a computer science degree at TESU. TESU requires that 24 new credits must be earned after you first degree is conferred. So I would hold off on any computer science courses for now because if you did them too soon you would have to re do them later.

If you have ACE credits they are still ACE even if they are on a COSC transcript if a school doesn't accept ACE they won't change their mind because your ACE is on a COSC transcript.

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Also TESU changes their catalogs in July and who knows if the computer science degree requirements could change or not. Another reason to wait and do the comp sci later if you are doing a business degree first.

I see, did not even considered that.. The 24 new credit for second degree rule is properly annoying. Would i be able to test out of those 24 credits? Perhaps I'll soak up all those courses from the 3rd party, then get re-evaluated in both institutes for both TESU BACS & COSC BSBA..

I asked admissions Charter oak about Sophia.org, study.com, coopersmith, straightliner coopersmith she seem adamant. It seems like I can only reach an academic advisor, after I enrol in COSC.
I'd really want to align courses with academic advisors before I take the classes if possible. Would academic advisors usually plan our your 3rd party courses with you, or is that a pipe dream? haha.

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#2 Out of curiosity, would you know how other(non-big3) schools might treat our/my COSC transcript if they are full of ACE credits?
For example, if i took "Study.com - Math 108: Discrete Mathematics" & "Sophia.org - Intro to Statistics", will it likely get accepted as a complete credit in other schools if transited via COSC? (Ie. ACE credit > COSC > Oregon State University)

It depends on the target school. Some accept ACE credits and some do not. If the school doesn't accept ACE credits normally then they may have troubles with it... particularly if those classes are prerequisites for other courses. For a master's degree, as long as you have a valid bachelor's degree, the admissions team will probably only care about courses taken in the core subjects.

Since your end goal is to complete a master's degree in computer science (such as the OMSCS), I'd recommend that you pick up the core CS courses from a regionally accredited college if you want to have the best chance of being accepted. Ideally, those should be graded credits at a B or higher grade level, since they will want to be able to see that you have sufficient technical and math background to support a CS curriculum.

FYI, there are others on the forum that have completed bachelor's degrees using ACE credits and applied to grad school only to be accepted on the condition that they complete leveling courses (retaking the core undergrad courses) at a minimum GPA to qualify. Rather than having to do the work (and pay) twice, you may want to just bite the bullet and get those done at OSU or wherever you prefer. It can even be community college as long as its proper college credit.

For admission to an MSCS degree, a BACS/BSCS usually isn't required, but most colleges will probably require successful applicants to have completed undergrad courses in Algorithms, Data Structures, Calculus (2 or 3 semesters worth), Discrete Math, Linear Algebra, Probability/Statistics, and an object-oriented programming course along with at least one programming language. I wasn't able to find the specific list that GA Tech requires, but those are probably pretty close. Some schools may waive certain requirements if you can provide academic certificates, or a resume or portfolio, that shows you've developed those skills elsewhere, but I don't know how often that happens.

Since your end goal is the OMSCS, you should drop a line to the school admissions department and ask what the specific requirements or recommended courses are.

I see, I'm definitely tempted to just complete my COSC bachelors, take a few CS classes from accredited colleges for grades then try my luck in the OMSCS @ GT.  Might call this the option 3 plan.

[bjcheung77]

#1 yes Sg is really practical and doesn't really see the value in gen ed. haha. 
As for being in the perfect spot to get any degree, I only got 50 credits from EC, 43.50 from TESU. But COSC told me i only got 43 left (able to double count some degree requirements). Do you reckon EC and TESU would have also allowed me to double count degree requirements?

Answer #1 - No school does a double dip, the reason TESU didn't take those business courses is because they're considered Lower Level to them, I didn't see your EC, but I assume the same.

#2 Out of curiosity, would you know how other(non-big3) schools might treat our/my COSC transcript if they are full of ACE credits?

For example, if i took Study.com - Math 108: Discrete Mathematics" & "Sophia.org - Intro to Statistics", will it likely get accepted as a complete credit in other schools if transited via COSC? (Ie. ACE credit > COSC > Oregon State University)

Answer #2 - You're trying to "wash" those credits to "launder" them into another university, it doesn't work that way, any university you go to, they'll take the credits from the source (ACE credit recommendation)

#3: Would you mind expanding on this one, "by end of my studies" do you mean "by the end of COSC BSBA", I should take some credits from Straightliner/study.com?

Answer #3 - As I mentioned, when you're done with the Sophia.org FREE courses, you'll still be missing some credits, you'll be at like 110 or so, you need to finish these degree requirements from Study.com or StraighterLine.

#4: Ideally, I'd love to be able to fill my BSBA (Gen ed?) requirements with a few of following ACE credits so I can save abit of time during my CS degree/Georgia Tech, is this too much of a strech?

Answer #4 - No, as these aren't going to be placed into your Gen Eds, it's part of the AOS for TESU, so it can only go into those respective requirements.

#5  I see, did not even considered that.. The 24 new credit for second degree rule is properly annoying. Would i be able to test out of those 24 credits? Perhaps I'll soak up all those courses from the 3rd party, then get re-evaluated in both institutes for both TESU BACS & COSC BSBA..

I asked admissions Charter oak about Sophia.org, study.com, coopersmith, straightliner coopersmith she seem adamant. It seems like I can only reach an academic advisor, after I enrol in COSC.
I'd really want to align courses with academic advisors before I take the classes if possible. Would academic advisors usually plan our your 3rd party courses with you, or is that a pipe dream? haha.

Answer #5 - Yes, you can test out of them.  They do help you plan the courses AFTER you enroll with the school, they need to make sure you're going to be studying at the school, otherwise it's a waste of their time and yours (they don't get paid or the school!).

#6  I see, I'm definitely tempted to just complete my COSC bachelors, take a few CS classes from accredited colleges for grades then try my luck in the OMSCS @ GT.  Might call this the option 3 plan. 

Answer #6 - You can call this option #3 and there are so many different paths to getting into GT OMSCS or another online degree from a ranked university in the UK/USA (via MOOC providers like coursera, edx, futurelearn, udacity and upgrad).

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Now for me, this is how I am doing it as my plan is also to go to either the GT OMSCS or a very similarly ranked school.  This might be the way for you as well.  Especially when you want a degree to get you out the door running (it's the first requirement!).

1) TESU BSBA > 2) TESU BACS > 3a) Bridging courses to bump up the prerequisite GPA, if any are required - usually the last 60 credits in a degree program is looked at for GPA purposes, this can be done at a cheaper community college or university.  

OR 3b) Bridging courses to hit all requirements needed for entrance into the degree at the school I want, this is usually called conditional acceptance, meaning you take the costly courses at GT for prerequisite purposes and get the GPA needed for unconditional acceptance.

[StudentOLife]

Nice and thanks so much everyone, words can't express my gratitude. I'll be heading out to grab some credits and report back! Until then stay safe, at home and wash your hands!

[jonesy20]

I applied for Georgia Tech's OMSCS program about a year and a half ago. I have an MBA from Georgia Tech (in person 2 yr full-time) which included a few IT courses and figured I'd be a sure-in. I also have a number of CS/IT courses from my TESU BA in Psychology. I didn't get in.

Decided to go back to TESU last year and get a second BA in CS. Finished last summer. Was accepted into Univ of Illinois Springfield's MS/CS program and took 2 courses and was then accepted into Univ of Illinois Urbana Champagne's MCS program.

If you don't have a CS undergrad you really need to have all the pre-reqs covered.

[bluebooger]

> Was accepted into Univ of Illinois Springfield's MS/CS program and took 2 courses and was then accepted into Univ of Illinois Urbana Champagne's MCS program.

so you were accepted into one MS program, took two courses, and then was accepted into the 2nd MS program and so you dropped out of the first one ?

why not continue with the first one ?
just because the 2nd one has a better reputation ?

did the two courses from the first transfer to the 2nd ?