Getting a second TESC degree?

[bkbarden]

Hello all!

I am getting a degree in Social Sciences from TESC. I am over halfway done with my CLEP/DANTES tests and will hopefully enroll in my one TESC course in April or May.

I've been considering the possibility of a business degree for awhile... It was one of my original options, but then I went for S.S. Now I'm thinking I could get an Associates in Business without too much extra work. (I'm already taking all my free electives in business).

Does anyone know how TESC deals with a second degree? Will GenEds from one degree transfer to the next without a problem? I was told that I should take all my business courses last or they wouldn't apply them to a second degree.

So anyway... I guess I'm just looking for any information at all on this subject. Thanks!

[cookderosa]

Hello all!

I am getting a degree in Social Sciences from TESC. I am over halfway done with my CLEP/DANTES tests and will hopefully enroll in my one TESC course in April or May.

I've been considering the possibility of a business degree for awhile... It was one of my original options, but then I went for S.S. Now I'm thinking I could get an Associates in Business without too much extra work. (I'm already taking all my free electives in business).

Does anyone know how TESC deals with a second degree? Will GenEds from one degree transfer to the next without a problem? I was told that I should take all my business courses last or they wouldn't apply them to a second degree.

So anyway... I guess I'm just looking for any information at all on this subject. Thanks!

>>

The college catalog has all the nuts and bolts of how this works. Go into the index, I know it's listed but I don't have the page number. I earned an AA and BA from TESC and it's very simple. You have them add both degrees to your plan. As you meet requirements, they will fill both (if applicable) degrees simultaneously. Once you enroll, this will be more clear, but you access your eval online and keep track as you fill it. You must complete the associate before the bachelor, and one term must pass in between. The only additional fee is you'll pay an additional graduation fee ($250ish)

I hope this isn't confusing- but there are strict rules about double dipping credits. Let's say you graduate with your BA and then go back for an AA. They will make you earn NEW CREDIT for a portion of your AA. Now, if you do it like I suggested above, you absolutely 100% double dip all of your credits. So, no new credit needed.

What you will need to do, is be careful about graduation application dates. You have to file for graduation pretty far in advance, so you need to meet those requirements at that time- so there are 4 graduation dates per year- be sure you count backward in order to complete both degrees. It will look roughly like this:

term 1
term 2 file for AA
term 3 graduate AA, file for BA
term 4 graduate BA

Just really REALLY please work with a TESC advisor to double check that it will all line up properly. Good Luck to you!

[cookderosa]

I forgot to add, be sure to follow the math requirement for business rather than social science since it is higher. You'll need precal for the business degree, but it will also count for social science. (Social science only requires a 100 level math- any math will do)

[Sam]

Hi bkbarden!

Rules for 2nd degrees are on pg 129 of the catalog linked here:

http://www.tesc.edu/files/College_Catalog_0809web.pdf

You can download the college catalog and undergrad prospectus here:

Thomas Edison State College | Publications

My personal situation may or may not be relavant but I'll relate it in case the info is helpful to you or others. -- I was salivating b/c I'm 3 easy test out courses from a BA in Soc Sci...But a BA in Psych has more clout in my line of work. Soooo I asked an advisor if I could get the BA SS then do the BA in Psych later. He said that violates the policy on no subsequent degrees. (imo it's a dumb rule b/c it would be easy to get a BA then get a second BA from another school.)

BUT in your case, bkbarden, the degrees are in different disciplines and they are different types (see pg 129) so I think it would work. As to your question "Will Gen Eds from one degree transfer to the next without a problem?" I asked the advisor that exact question but I'm sorry to say he didn't answer. But if I had to guess it seems logical that your SS gen ed credits would apply to your business degree.

One suggestion: Since per tesc rules you can't speak to an advisor until you're enrolled, maybe you could ask the general information phone line. Some prospective test students have gotten helpful answers when calling them.

Best,

Sammy

[lwmcc]

It's actually pretty easy to get a second Bachelors at TESC, as long as it's in a different program (i.e., BA and BSBA) and you carefully plan out the entire path of both degree plans first, being careful to leave at least 30 'applicable to the second degree' credits undone until after you're done with all credits for the first degree. You can only have one Bachelor's in your active TESC profile at time, but if you call them they will do a 'behind the scenes' analysis for you of where your credits would fit for the second. Then you can plan accordingly.

When I enrolled at TESC, I had them do an eval for both a BA/Psych and a BSBA/Gen Mgmt to make sure that where they assigned credits for each matched up w/ the SS I did for myself. Then I mapped out exactly which courses/tests to take during the timeframe of completing the first degree and which ones to leave until after the first degree was done. The trick is to make sure that none of the credits being applied to the major of one are needed to apply to the second.

For instance, what I transferred in were mostly Business credits, so those are now sitting in Free Electives for the BA/Psych, and a few extras are sitting in Other Courses (along with the lonely FEMA credits that I turned out not to need at all for either degree). Once I've finished with the BA/Psych, the Business credits will move up into the Business Major for the BSBA, the 'surplus' Gen Eds from the BA/Psych will move down into Free Electives, and I'll then working on the last 30 credits that I left specifically for the BSBA.

The way to have only 30 credits left for the second degree is to analyze which ones you can move around for the second without affecting the ones for the first. For example, the BA/Psych includes Intro to Stats within the major, but the BSBA also requires it. So, I had TESC move Intro Stats into GenEds and add an extra Psych Elective into the major for the BA/Psych. That way Intro Stats is free to apply to the BSBA. I also had DSST OrgBehavior, which can be classified as either Psych or Bus Mgmt, classified as Psych for the BA/Psych, and then will take TECEP Industrial Psych as a Bus Mgmt elective for the BSBA. Outside of the Psych major, I took Macro/Micro as SocSci electives for the BA/Psych, which will also count as required GenEds for the BSBA. For BA/Psych math, as mentioned above I had them count the Stats course in GenEds, and have left Precal, a requirement for the BSBA, to be finished as part of the 30 additional credits for the BSBA.

This 'slicing/dicing/julienne frying' of where to slot credits and which order to complete them in is different for everyone dependent on existing transfer credits and the tests/courses you've chosen, of course, but as long as you work it out for both degrees in advance and you're planning a second degree in a totally different program, getting 2 Bachelors from TESC within a single year enrolled is very doable, IMO.

[bkbarden]

Thank you very much! This information is extremely helpful... especially because I was intending to get my BA before my AA.

Another question... do you know how long it is between graduation periods?

I will probably call TESC tomorrow and see what I can learn.

Again, thank you both.

[bkbarden]

It's actually pretty easy to get a second Bachelors at TESC, as long as it's in a different program (i.e., BA and BSBA) and you carefully plan out the entire path of both degree plans first, being careful to leave at least 30 'applicable to the second degree' credits undone until after you're done with all credits for the first degree.

Ok... so here's my dilemma. I have already earned 69 credits through CLEP/DANTES towards my BA. Most of those are GenEds, with only a few degree specific courses. However, I don't have 30 "applicable to the second degree" credits unless I would count business courses as free electives for my BA. Do you think that would work?

If that doesn't work, is it possible to only transfer in the necessary CLEP/DANTES credits for the AA and then transfer in the rest at a later date?

I will ask TESC these questions as well... but it's helpful to hear from you all also.

[Sam]

Thanks for the details Lia. Good to know.

[cookderosa]

Ok... so here's my dilemma. I have already earned 69 credits through CLEP/DANTES towards my BA. Most of those are GenEds, with only a few degree specific courses. However, I don't have 30 "applicable to the second degree" credits unless I would count business courses as free electives for my BA. Do you think that would work?

If that doesn't work, is it possible to only transfer in the necessary CLEP/DANTES credits for the AA and then transfer in the rest at a later date?

I will ask TESC these questions as well... but it's helpful to hear from you all also.

>>

Re-read my first post. YOU don't need 30.

[bkbarden]

>>

Re-read my first post. YOU don't need 30.

Ohhhh... I get it now. I didn't the first read-through. That's a relief. Thank you. So basically, I can take classes for both degrees, as long as I finish the AA first?

Do you know how long the time between graduations is?