Formulating my plan

[Flelm]

Cost, from my understanding. It's actually pretty well regarded around here for an MBA.

[JobaJoba]

Cost, from my understanding. It's actually pretty well regarded around here for an MBA.

It's only $2,850 per 6 months: WGU Fact Sheet | Online University Information

That would be around $1,000 less than the spreadsheet proposal, with a slightly better reputation (I live on the west coast). That assumes I can finish all the credits needed in 6 months, which may not be possible if the pacing is different (some say it's very well self paced). So I guess that's the million dollar question. Is that reasonable?

[dfrecore]

It's only $2,850 per 6 months: WGU Fact Sheet | Online University Information

That would be around $1,000 less than the spreadsheet proposal, with a slightly better reputation (I live on the west coast). That assumes I can finish all the credits needed in 6 months, which may not be possible if the pacing is different (some say it's very well self paced). So I guess that's the million dollar question. Is that reasonable?

One of the things about WGU is that you'd better get it done in 6 months, or it's another $2,850. So it can get expensive quickly. I personally couldn't do that, but plenty of others here have. It's especially popular for the MBA program.

Regarding the BSBA only:

There are some cost comparison threads on here that show the costs for COSC, EC and TESU - you could look at those to see what all the costs are. For TESU, the main costs are the $2,000 residency waiver, the cornerstone if you have to take it ($300) plus the capstone ($114).

COSC has a cornerstone ($1100) plus the capstone ($1100), plus some additional fees.

It turns out to be less expensive to take the BSBA at TESU if you take the TECEP for the capstone, and a little more expensive if you get any other degree where you can't test out of the capstone. But only a few hundred dollars either way, so not enough of a difference for most people.

I would say that one of the more difficult aspects of COSC is the 30cr of UL requirements, and they are stricter in what they accept as UL. So, you end up with harder-to-find and possibly harder-to-pass exams than TESU, which only requires 12cr of UL requirements in the AOS. This is somewhat offset by COSC having more flexibility in their BSBA degree than TESU.

I would say for someone just starting and without a lot of "weird" credits under their belt, TESU may be the better choice. For anyone bringing in credits that might not fit into a TESU degree, COSC might be the better choice.

[TrailRunr]

I think WGU is underrated because we have other good options like TESU. WGU is a great option if you are going for their IT degrees and need some of their IT certifications, which is included with your cheap tuition. If you are going into IT, the IT degrees from WGU are WAAAAYYYY better than the BSBA:CIS, which is a joke as far as preparation in IT. I know many of the WGU IT certs are pretty crappy, but those certs do work for checkboxes when going for helpdesk or some government IT positions. What I wouldn't do is to get the TESU BSBA:CIS and go out-of-pocket for IT certs similar to those from WGU when you can get them for free from WGU. Just go to WGU instead and forget TESU.

WGU is not so great if you need more than one or two terms to graduate.

For business administration, WGU has a real capstone where "you gain valuable experience" while you can test out the capstone with a TECEP at TESU. I'd rather test out than spend weeks on a capsim.

Find out how your credits transfer into WGU. You will probably not get 90 through. For the courses you are missing and can satisfy via SL or community college, go ahead and do those first. You cannot transfer anymore credits in once you enroll there. Your speed (or lack thereof) when taking SL courses is a good indication of how fast or slow you will be at WGU. Online community college courses are nothing like the courses at WGU or SL since they almost always have fixed start times and fixed deadlines.

[JobaJoba]

One of the things about WGU is that you'd better get it done in 6 months, or it's another $2,850. So it can get expensive quickly. I personally couldn't do that, but plenty of others here have. It's especially popular for the MBA program.

Regarding the BSBA only:

There are some cost comparison threads on here that show the costs for COSC, EC and TESU - you could look at those to see what all the costs are. For TESU, the main costs are the $2,000 residency waiver, the cornerstone if you have to take it ($300) plus the capstone ($114).

COSC has a cornerstone ($1100) plus the capstone ($1100), plus some additional fees.

It turns out to be less expensive to take the BSBA at TESU if you take the TECEP for the capstone, and a little more expensive if you get any other degree where you can't test out of the capstone. But only a few hundred dollars either way, so not enough of a difference for most people.

I would say that one of the more difficult aspects of COSC is the 30cr of UL requirements, and they are stricter in what they accept as UL. So, you end up with harder-to-find and possibly harder-to-pass exams than TESU, which only requires 12cr of UL requirements in the AOS. This is somewhat offset by COSC having more flexibility in their BSBA degree than TESU.

I would say for someone just starting and without a lot of "weird" credits under their belt, TESU may be the better choice. For anyone bringing in credits that might not fit into a TESU degree, COSC might be the better choice.

Awesome, thanks for this. So basically it comes down to if I can finish 10 WGU credits (semester format) a month or not.

I wonder if I can hedge my bets and take those Shmoop classes (and the Institute free one) before going to WGU to lighten that load for only $85 bucks. Does WGU typically take those credits?

If they do that would come out a few hundred cheaper than your proposed plan. And I hate to say it but WGU sounds a lot less gimmicky to say than Thomas Edison State (no offense of course, they are both accredited and I'm heavily considering both options). WGU has a pretty good reputation here.

[JobaJoba]

I think WGU is underrated because we have other good options like TESU. WGU is a great option if you are going for their IT degrees and need some of their IT certifications, which is included with your cheap tuition. If you are going into IT, the IT degrees from WGU are WAAAAYYYY better than the BSBA:CIS, which is a joke as far as preparation in IT. I know many of the WGU IT certs are pretty crappy, but those certs do work for checkboxes when going for helpdesk or some government IT positions. What I wouldn't do is to get the TESU BSBA:CIS and go out-of-pocket for IT certs similar to those from WGU when you can get them for free from WGU. Just go to WGU instead and forget TESU.

WGU is not so great if you need more than one or two terms to graduate.

For business administration, WGU has a real capstone where "you gain valuable experience" while you can test out the capstone with a TECEP at TESU. I'd rather test out than spend weeks on a capsim.

Find out how your credits transfer into WGU. You will probably not get 90 through. For the courses you are missing and can satisfy via SL or community college, go ahead and do those first. You cannot transfer anymore credits in once you enroll there. Your speed (or lack thereof) when taking SL courses is a good indication of how fast or slow you will be at WGU. Online community college courses are nothing like the courses at WGU or SL since they almost always have fixed start times and fixed deadlines.

Interesting. I didn't consider the fact that I may not get 90 there. Hmmm. I don't really plan on going into IT considering my credits already but I will keep that in mind!

[dfrecore]

Awesome, thanks for this. So basically it comes down to if I can finish 10 WGU credits (semester format) a month or not.

I wonder if I can hedge my bets and take those Shmoop classes (and the Institute free one) before going to WGU to lighten that load for only $85 bucks. Does WGU typically take those credits?

If they do that would come out a few hundred cheaper than your proposed plan. And I hate to say it but WGU sounds a lot less gimmicky to say than Thomas Edison State (no offense of course, they are both accredited and I'm heavily considering both options). WGU has a pretty good reputation here.

I live on the west coast as well, and I've never heard good or bad things about either WGU or TESU. I don't think people care. Most hiring managers will know the more local colleges nearby, and any "famous" schools (Stanford, Princeton, USC), plus the state school system (UC schools, CSU schools here in CA) and then after that, they know nothing. TESU is a public, state university - just like Jackson State University (Miss) or Athens State University (Alabama) or Montclair State University (NJ). Hiring managers in these states will be completely familiar with these schools, but no one else has ever heard of them. If anyone ever asked, someone who graduated from one of these schools would just say "it's a public university." There are almost 2,500 4-year colleges in the US, no one will have heard of most of them.

WGU may sound less gimmicky to you, but I think if you actually said the words, it sounds MORE gimmicky. Western Governors University or Thomas Edison State University? I think the word "state" in a school name makes it sound more credible.

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WGU does accept some alternative credit if you want to bring that in, but they don't accept everything that TESU will, so you want to make sure first. They for sure take CLEP, DSST, and are a partner school of Straighterline. They do have a list on their website, but it's not easy to find.

Also, WGU will only accept credit BEFORE you enroll. Once you enroll, you can no longer bring in any additional credits. So you want to apply, verify what they will bring in, take those courses that you want, transfer them in, and THEN enroll.

[JobaJoba]

I live on the west coast as well, and I've never heard good or bad things about either WGU or TESU. I don't think people care. Most hiring managers will know the more local colleges nearby, and any "famous" schools (Stanford, Princeton, USC), plus the state school system (UC schools, CSU schools here in CA) and then after that, they know nothing. TESU is a public, state university - just like Jackson State University (Miss) or Athens State University (Alabama) or Montclair State University (NJ). Hiring managers in these states will be completely familiar with these schools, but no one else has ever heard of them. If anyone ever asked, someone who graduated from one of these schools would just say "it's a public university." There are almost 2,500 4-year colleges in the US, no one will have heard of most of them.

WGU may sound less gimmicky to you, but I think if you actually said the words, it sounds MORE gimmicky. Western Governors University or Thomas Edison State University? I think the word "state" in a school name makes it sound more credible.

------------------------

WGU does accept some alternative credit if you want to bring that in, but they don't accept everything that TESU will, so you want to make sure first. They for sure take CLEP, DSST, and are a partner school of Straighterline. They do have a list on their website, but it's not easy to find.

Also, WGU will only accept credit BEFORE you enroll. Once you enroll, you can no longer bring in any additional credits. So you want to apply, verify what they will bring in, take those courses that you want, transfer them in, and THEN enroll.

Fair enough. I brought TESU up to be parents and they were a little skeptical (my stepmom also went to WGU for her masters so that bias should be noted) of the name and such. I'm on hold with WGU at the moment asking if they take Study.com or Shmoop credits.

[mednat]

I enjoyed WGU for my MBA. With that said, I haven't taken their undergraduate classes. My guess is, it'll be ALOT more work than testing out using the sources suggested. I could be completely wrong, but I rarely see people speeding through an undergrad degrees at WGU on the forums. They are less generous with transfer credits as well. ACE credits TESU considers upper level, will probably be lower level at WGU.

If you're going for a tech degree and want certs/experience, absolutely try WGU if the certifications they offer line up with your career goals. I think they're an awesome fit for that. I'm very happy with the order I did things and wouldn't change it (TESU then WGU for MBA).

Patten would be the next logical school in your line of questioning. I'm currently in a program there, and I have to say I can't recommend them (as many others have stated). I've gotten my credits cheap, but the program is pretty unorganized and even though I consider myself a good test taker their tests seem really random.

[TrailRunr]

I've seen many reports on the WGU subreddit and the slack room of folks taking 20-70 CUs per 6-month term. On the other hand, I've heard that WGU student mentors say that half of their students fail to complete the minimum 12 CUs per 6-month term. There is some self-selection bias on the subreddit and the chat room. There's way more WGU talk elsewhere than here.