Help creating TESU BACS plan

[ArcherJ]

Hi all,
The tl;dr is I'm looking to take the next step after experiencing some hardships and would like help putting together a plan to get a BACS from TESU.

I started a bachelor's degree at a regular 4-year school, but experienced a significant personal setback at the end of sophomore year and spent the next few years in and out of community college, trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I ended up earning an associate's in communications, then the pandemic hit. For the past few years, I've been putting time in working on myself, getting my head straight so to speak. I've been volunteering and teaching myself to code after spending way too much time neglecting taking care of myself. Now, I'm looking to get a bachelor's in computer science. The one wrinkle in this plan is due to current living arrangements I'm not permitted to be a full-time student. But I became very interested in Thomas Edison State University's BACS program after learning that it has a part-time option.

Your Location: New Jersey
Your Age: 35
What kind of degree do you want?: bachelor's, computer science
Current Regional Accredited Credits:

Emerson College - MA - 79 credits: 59 from institution, 20 transferred from AP tests
History of Jazz, A-, 4.00
History of Media Arts I, C, 4.00
Intro Visual & Med Arts Produc, A, 4.00
Research Writing, C, 4.00
Minds & Machines, C, 4.00
Fund of Speech Comm, C+, 4.00
Social Psychology, C+, 4.00
History of Media Arts II, B-, 4.00
Princ of Marketing, C-, 4.00
Narrative Ethics, D, 4.00
Media Criticism & Theory, C+, 4.00
Writing the Feature Film, C, 4.00
Brain and Human Comm, C, 4.00
Intro Studio Television Produc, D, 4.00


Mercer County Community College - NJ - 50 credits earned + 33 transferred (from AP tests + Emerson) = 83 total (received: AA, Communications)
Intro to Criminal Justice System, B, 3.00
Beginning Spanish I, B-, 3.00
Web Site Design, B, 3.00
Introduction to Radio, B, 3.00
Principles of Advertising, A, 3.00
Writing for Radio/Television, B+, 3.00
Intro to Digital Audio Production, A-, 3.00
Anthropology, C, 3.00
Role of the Paralegal, C, 3.00
Topics in Mathematics, B+, 3.00
Computer Concepts/Programming, B, 3.00
Concepts of Health/Fitness, A, 2.00
Literature into Film, A-, 3.00
Introduction to Psychology, B-, 3.00
Cinema, B+, 3.00
Communication and Gender, A, 3.00
Biological Science Concepts, C+, 3.00
Media Issues and Ethics, A, 3.00


Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: None
Any certifications or military experience? No
Budget: ~$8k, would prefer to minimize cost
Commitments: At the moment, very little
Dedicated time to study: 4-6 hours/day
Timeline: Flexible, however I am specifically looking for a part-time program as I am not allowed to be a full-time student due to living in low-income housing
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: None

I'm interested in how much it would cost to get a BACS from TESU, in addition to how long it would take. Thank you in advance.

[jg_nuy]

Given that you have so many credits already, I would suggest applying to TESU and see what you have missing. It looks like you are all good on the general education side and electives.

These links here have the degree plan for TESU:

General Education: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...ts_Roadmap
BACS: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...ience_Plan

Here is the tuition info for NJ residents - you need to take 5 classes at TESU to avoid the residency waiver fee:
https://www.tesu.edu/tuition-financial-a...aduate.php

[Ares]

Keep in mind that for the BACS you will need 45 credits in Computer Science Related courses, if you go for the BALS with a concentration in Computer Science you will only need 18 Computer Science Credits. Since you only have one computer class the later will be quicker to complete and use more of your existing credits.

TESU does not list the major on the diploma for Bachelor degrees so you have some flexibility in how you list this degree on your resume.

[davewill]

Keep in mind that for the BACS you will need 45 credits in Computer Science Related courses, if you go for the BALS with a concentration in Computer Science you will only need 18 Computer Science Credits. Since you only have one computer class the later will be quicker to complete and use more of your existing credits.

TESU does not list the major on the diploma for Bachelor degrees so you have some flexibility in how you list this degree on your resume.

I can't go along with this. Tech companies are NOT going to look at a BALS in CS as any kind of equivalent to a BACS or BSCS. You would be creating a significant roadblock to employment, especially at larger companies. Nor can you fudge how you list it on your resume. When listing the degree, any description that didn't say "Liberal Studies" would be asking for trouble.

[Ares]

Keep in mind that for the BACS you will need 45 credits in Computer Science Related courses, if you go for the BALS with a concentration in Computer Science you will only need 18 Computer Science Credits. Since you only have one computer class the later will be quicker to complete and use more of your existing credits.

TESU does not list the major on the diploma for Bachelor degrees so you have some flexibility in how you list this degree on your resume.

I can't go along with this. Tech companies are NOT going to look at a BALS in CS as any kind of equivalent to a BACS or BSCS. You would be creating a significant roadblock to employment, especially at larger companies. Nor can you fudge how you list it on your resume. When listing the degree, any description that didn't say "Liberal Studies" would be asking for trouble.

I am an IT hiring manager and that depends on what job they are applying for. If they are looking to go into software development sure it could be a problem but general entry level IT, I would consider someone with a BALS with a Computer Science concentration. That is generally more tech courses than any AAS or AS technology related associates degree.

Looking at how bad HR departments and most hiring managers are, you could list it as BA with a concentration in Computer Science which is completely true. If they ask for a diploma it will only show a BA and if they ask for transcripts what you listed is still true. You then explain you had to take 18 credits of Computer Science courses for the concentration but it allowed you to transfer in all your existing community college credits. Very few people know what a Liberal Studies degree is anyway.

So it will depend more on what the OP is looking to get into.