Graduate School after Charter Oak/TESU

[Elizabethcl]

Generally do you find it difficult to get into a graduate program if you have your 4 year from TESU or Charter Oak?  Asking because you get so many of your credits done via credit by exam and I wasn't sure if graduate schools frown on this.

[alexf.1990]

Generally do you find it difficult to get into a graduate program if you have your 4 year from TESU or Charter Oak?  Asking because you get so many of your credits done via credit by exam and I wasn't sure if graduate schools frown on this.

It depends on the school and program. For less competitive schools, only your GPA and GMAT or GRE matters. Some of the more competitive schools factor in the difficulty of your undergrad school. If the school has any prereqs for the program, they might not let you use courses that you tested out of. The short answer is: it depends.

[davewill]

You'll probably have to take any prerequisites as graded courses from an RA school. Beyond that, as noted, it depends. If your goal is just to get into any grad program, then that can usually work out. If your intent is to get into a particular program, then you should research their admissions policies and talk to them about your plans.

[dfrecore]

Also, many people here have lots of graded credit, myself included. I needed a place to put all those credits, rather than a bunch of non-graded ones, after changing degrees, changing schools, etc. TESU was the place I found that could cobble all those credits into a degree for a great price. I have a GPA at 5 schools, and 78 graded credits between them.

That being said, as davewill said, work backwards from your ultimate goal. If you need a lot of graded credits, you'll need to work that into your plan. If you only need graded pre-reqs, then work those in.

Also, many on here opt for a Master's degree at a school like WGU, where you don't need anything but a decent GPA, no GMAT/GRE, and some work experience to get in.

[natshar]

I think it all depends on what major you want to do for grad school and the school you are applying for. Also, if you are starting from scratch or if you have prior graded credit.


If you really want to get our opinions and what you should do here are some questions you should answer to help us better understand your situation:

-What do you plan on studying for undergrad and where?
-What do you plan on studying for grad school?
-Where do you do plan on going for grad school or what types of schools? prestigious ones? online schools?
-Do you have any prior graded credit?

If you need graded credit but want to still go the big 3 route here are some ideas:

-Take courses at your local CC or other cheap CC (many offer online courses as short as 5 weeks)
-Take 16 credits at TESU to avoid the waiver fee, if you get financial aid this could be a cheaper option
-Take a certain number of courses at COSC or EC to avoid their fee, idk the number but similar to the point above just as EC or COSC not TESU
-ASU earned admissions are only $400 a course and come in as graded credit from Arizona State
-BYU IS are independent study graded courses are about $600 and self-paced

There are also other ways to your degree not though the big 3 that are still cheap/fast. For myself, I found a University that has a very generous policy on CLEP and DSST credit accepts ACE, NCCRS and only requires 30 credits in residence. With all my prior credits I can finish my degree in one year. I have found universities that accept has many as 60 credits by exam and then just transfer the rest. Depending on if you have prior credits or not and you get aid, this route could actually be cheaper or faster than the big 3.

If you are considering grad school, my advice would be to start backward and look at what the grad school(s) requires to gain admission. Then work to make sure your undergrad plan includes those requirements.

[amilitab4k9]

This doesn't answer your question exactly, but I got a GPA-less degree from TESU and used to to get a MBA from WGU. I'm now in a Master's program an University of Alabama. I'm not sure how UA would have viewed my TESU degree, but with the WGU MBA (which the trasncript shows was done in 1 term) I had no problem and they even waived my prerequisites.

[Ideas]

Many schools want a GPA that is based upon your last 30 to 48 graded credits or all of your credits. Without a GPA, some will only give conditional admission. That means you'd have to take a semester without being guaranteed admission into the degree program, but as long as you get a 3.0 or higher, usually you gain admission. Of course schools vary, but this gives you an idea of what you may find.

[DR-Robyn]

Hi. I am new here, but wanted to share my experience.
I got my TESU (TESC) degree in 2002. Got into a standard MS degree program at Purdue U., West Lafayette in 2003. After that, I got into (and finished) a fully funded PHD program at the University of Connecticut. Of course, your mileage will vary. Also, the TESU degree was part of a degree completion program offered by my employer back then. Since that was still in the earlier days of online/distance Ed that might also have been a factor. Good luck.

[jonesy20]

I received a BA in Psychology from TESU in 2004 and was accepted into Georgia Techs MBA program in 2004 with a 640 GMAT. Graduated in 2007. Went back to TESU and got another BA, in Computer Science in 2019 and was just accepted into Uinversity of Illinois Springfield for an MS in Computer Science, might try to transfer to UI Urbana Champaign after 3 classes.