Degree planning help for a friend

[delightfulwilderness]

My friend has been working a ton of hours at a dead end job and after seeing how quickly and cheaply I completed my degree at TESU, is now is interested in a career change.

He wants to get a CS or IT degree. He's dabbled with some programming but is still a beginner coder, so I'm not sure UMPI's competency based program or WGU would be good fits. 

I had him sign up for Sophia when they were running the sale. He's completed Environmental Science and is working on Human Biology now. I think he'll finish that and Algebra this month. 

He has these RA classes:

From CC:
Intro to Computers, 3 credits, D
Intro to Criminal Justice, 3 credits, C
Intro to Criminology, 3 credits, B
Intro to Policing, 3 credits, A
Principles of Criminal Investigation, 3 credits, B
Intro to Substance Abuse, 3 credits, D
American National Politics, 3 credits, C
Intro to Psychology, 3 credits, C
Intro to Sociology, 3 credits, C


LL from university:
World Regional Geography, 3 credits, C
Fundamentals of Speech, 3 credits, B
Western Civilization II, 3 credits, B
Film Appreciation, 3 credits, C

He has 2 Ds. Will the big 3 and UMPI take them as transfer credit? With the Ds he has 39 RA credits. 

Cost and flexibility are greater factors than time. 

Any advice is much appreciated.

Thank you!

[NoStudentNoCry]

UMPI does not have CS or IT programs.

[delightfulwilderness]

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UMPI does not have CS or IT programs.

I found a BSCS on their website. Is it not available to online students?

https://www.umpi.edu/academics/computer-science/

[NoStudentNoCry]

You are looking at traditional on-campus degree plan. CS degree is not available in CBE (YouPace) format. Here is a current list of CBE programs at UMPI: https://online.umpi.edu/programs/programs.aspx

[delightfulwilderness]

You are looking at traditional on-campus degree plan. CS degree is not available in CBE (YouPace) format. Here is a current list of CBE programs at UMPI: https://online.umpi.edu/programs/programs.aspx

My apologies. Thank you!

[NoStudentNoCry]

You are looking at traditional on-campus degree plan. CS degree is not available in CBE (YouPace) format. Here is a current list of CBE programs at UMPI: https://online.umpi.edu/programs/programs.aspx

My apologies. Thank you!

No worries. I'd suggest to throw Purdue Global into the mix instead. They offer IT bachelors in CBE format: https://www.purdueglobal.edu/degree-prog...echnology/

[rachel83az]

For non-CBE, TESU is pretty much the ONLY choice when it comes to getting a Comp Sci degree. I don't think that there is an affordable non-CBE IT degree anywhere.

Per https://iq3prod1.smartcatalogiq.com/Cata...on-Grading TESU should take the D grades, though they might not accept Intro to Computers in the Comp Sci AOS.

I would strongly recommend that your friend apply to TESU ASAP and enroll by paying for the Medical Terminology TECEP (but they do NOT have to take the exam). That way we can see exactly where they put the credits he already has. For instance, "American National Politics" SHOULD fill the American Government requirement but it might not. TESU can be picky there. Some of those courses might wind up as electives, too.

In the meantime, while waiting for the evaluation, do NOT complete the Database course at Sophia. Useful, but ridiculously long and tedious.

Also, the Sophia Algebra course does not have anywhere near enough math to be able to complete the required Calculus course. Once he's done with the Sophia Algebra course, have him sign up with ASU: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Ar...al_Learner He will want to take the self-paced Algebra and Precalculus courses. Do NOT pay for the upgrade. These are not for credit. These are only so he has the foundation to be able to take Calculus. He can work on the math courses a little at a time while he does Sophia/Study.com courses. It is currently recommended that Calculus itself is taken through StraighterLine.

Finally, the last point of contention is whether he wants to do a 16-credit-term to save money. I know you said he's working long hours at a dead-end job, but he may still be able to do a 16 credit term by doing the following:

Capstone
Cornerstone (finish most of the course in the first week)
CIS-107 ePack (single exam; probably don't need to study at all)
Software Engineering (UL course that replaces the difficult-to-pass Network Technology TECEP; can be completed in around 20 hours or so)
ART-100 (should be super simple after Sophia's Art History courses)
PLA-100 (completed in 5-10 hours)

It will be slightly more work than just taking the capstone & cornerstone by themselves. On the other hand, it saves a LOT of study for the Network Technology TECEP - which he might need to take more than once. It also saves money by meeting residency requirements and not needing to pay the residency waiver fee.

First week of the term would focus on completing the Cornerstone & PLA-100. Second week, focus on Software Engineering and take the ePack exam. Third week and beyond, work on the capstone, ART-100, and what's left of the cornerstone. He might need to pay for an extension on the Capstone but this would still be cheaper than paying the residency waiver fee.

Also, he might want to seriously consider getting the free Pierpont BOG degree in the meantime. He has almost enough credits for that right now. He might be able to leverage having an Associate's degree into getting a raise or even into a new job at a different company. https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Pi...ivalencies

Take Communication at Work or Visual Communications to quickly meet the English/Communication requirement; he already has 3 credits with Speech. He'll have Math/Science requirements met soon, if he doesn't already. He might already have the Social Science requirements met (I think he does). If not met by his Intro to Computers course, Computer Literacy is Sophia's Intro to IT. With those courses, he'll be at 51 or 54 credits.

Intro to Web Development isn't accepted by TESU but it should be accepted by Pierpont. It only takes a couple of hours to complete. Taking Charge of Your Economic Future is another good one for quick credit. It has 2 Touchstones but, IIRC, you don't need to wait for them to be graded in order to get credit for the course. The Touchstones are two very, VERY basic spreadsheets and take maybe 15 minutes to complete. Finish off the required 60 credits by taking Greek Philosophers (which will be needed for Ethics and Ethics is a TESU requirement). If he didn't need Intro to IT, take Ethics to reach 60 credits.

[delightfulwilderness]

Thank you so much for all of this! I had no idea about Pierpont. I'll get a free associates, too! 

I'll pass all of this on to my friend and I'll have him apply to TESU.

[rachel83az]

The Pierpont degree is only for students who don't already have a degree. Since you have a TESU Bachelor's, you're ineligible. But please share the info with any friends or relatives who might be in need of an Associate's degree. It's an amazing opportunity for people who never got a chance to complete any degree that they might have been wanting to obtain.

[dfrecore]

I would not recommend a CBE degree in IT for someone who is not experienced in IT - because the whole premised is based upon going through quickly due to the knowledge gained + IT certs from years of experience.

Your best bet is TESU's CS degree. I would start on the math immediately, as that's going to be a factor in slowing things down.