Help requested for Degree plan

[monroe18]

Hi everyone, I've been reading these forums for a while, but just started posting. I currently have 61 credits; 59 from community colleges and 2 ACE credits from Sophia. I will have my BOG degree from Pierpont in August. I'm registered at TESU and had my transcripts for my 59 cc credits evaluated and I'll post those below. My problem now is determining the best Bachelor's degree to go for next. I don't really care what the degree is in, as I just need to have one to continue to move up in my career in analytics. The caveat here is that I really, really dislike writing assignments and essays. So I'm trying to figure out the path with the least amount of writing as I can get away with. I've considered the BS in Data Science and Analytics at TESU, but it seems pricey with the Statistics.com courses. Any help would be much appreciated!

• ENC-101 (3cr)
  
• ENC-102 (3cr)
  
• COM-108 (3cr)
  
• MAT-121 (4cr)
  
• PHI-180 (3cr)
  
• POS-110 (3cr)
  
• AOJ-102 (3cr)
  
• PSY-101 (3cr)
  
• BIO-113 (4cr)
  
• SOC-210 (3cr)
  
• MUS-100 (3cr)
  
• COS-101 (3cr)
  
• CAP-101 (3cr)
  
• CAP-113 (3cr)
  
• HIM-213 (3cr)
  
• APS-100 (3cr)
  
• APS-199 (3cr)
  
• BUS-101 (3cr)
  
• HEA-106 (3cr)
  

[davewill]

If you don't want to do a lot of writing, then you want to test out of as much as possible. You could go with either BALS or BSBA-CIS, and do it with mostly quizzes and exams. The BSBA is closer to your field. However, the data science degree would be spot on, and if the fees are not too much of an issue, I'd think hard about sticking with it.

[dfrecore]

Hard to tell what a degree plan would look like, since you don't have course names, nor what area TESU put them in (obviously I can tell some, but just not most).

I agree with davewill, the BSBA would be ok, but if you're serious about analytics, I would really consider the BS in Data Science & Analytics at TESU, or the BS in Data Management/Data Analytics from WGU, which will be cheaper.

[monroe18]

Hard to tell what a degree plan would look like, since you don't have course names, nor what area TESU put them in (obviously I can tell some, but just not most).

I agree with davewill, the BSBA would be ok, but if you're serious about analytics, I would really consider the BS in Data Science & Analytics at TESU, or the BS in Data Management/Data Analytics from WGU, which will be cheaper.

I wasn't sure the best way to list my courses! I've attached an Excel file, maybe that will be better. This doesn't include the 2 free Sophia course credits, I'm assuming those will go under one of my elective categories.

[dfrecore]

So, let me tell you a little bit about the degrees, and the pros and cons.

TESU's DS&A degree looks really good, it's probably exactly what you want.  Pros - coursework looks good, 26cr of Free Electives (which you need), no capstone!  Con - it's going to take 2 full years to get through the coursework through Statistics.com, price is about $9000 (you could get it down a bit by taking free/cheap courses to finish up your Gen Eds).

WGU's DM/DA looks to be much heavier on the DM side of things.  Pro's - can go through very quickly, can get a waiver for the GE's with AAS & Humanities course you've already taken (Music), ability to take an additional 7 courses for transfer.  Con's - can't see any at the moment.  Cost will be ~ $3500 if you can get done in 1 term (highly unlikely with 14 courses to get through), or $6500 in 2 terms (much more doable).

TESU's BSBA - business degree, whatever AOS you'd like.  Pros - can get through more quickly than the DS&A degree, you'll have a degree in business as a checkbox.  Cons - Business degree if you're not interested in Business, you lose about 16cr because there's nowhere to put them, capstone.  Cost is about $6500.

Last option is the TESU BALS.  Pro's - fairly quick, can choose courses that you'd like to take (so things related to Data Analytics if you want), you lose no credits.  Con's - is a generic BALS, capstone.  Cost $6300.

If I were you, I would get the WGU degree, both for speed, cost, and degree.  Much more useful in your line of work than the BSBA or BALS, and you'd probably actually enjoy the coursework.  Second choice is the TESU BSBA.

Last note - I would consider taking the courses that you need for WGU, seeing where they fit in the BSBA and BALS (a lot will work in both of those), and deciding at that point.  This would include: Intro to IT, Programming in Python, Scripting & Programming course, Networking course/exam, MIS, Database Mgmt, & Project Mgmt.

Here are spreadsheets for all of those options.

[monroe18]

So, let me tell you a little bit about the degrees, and the pros and cons.

TESU's DS&A degree looks really good, it's probably exactly what you want.  Pros - coursework looks good, 26cr of Free Electives (which you need), no capstone!  Con - it's going to take 2 full years to get through the coursework through Statistics.com, price is about $9000 (you could get it down a bit by taking free/cheap courses to finish up your Gen Eds).

WGU's DM/DA looks to be much heavier on the DM side of things.  Pro's - can go through very quickly, can get a waiver for the GE's with AAS & Humanities course you've already taken (Music), ability to take an additional 7 courses for transfer.  Con's - can't see any at the moment.  Cost will be ~ $3500 if you can get done in 1 term (highly unlikely with 14 courses to get through), or $6500 in 2 terms (much more doable).

TESU's BSBA - business degree, whatever AOS you'd like.  Pros - can get through more quickly than the DS&A degree, you'll have a degree in business as a checkbox.  Cons - Business degree if you're not interested in Business, you lose about 16cr because there's nowhere to put them, capstone.  Cost is about $6500.

Last option is the TESU BALS.  Pro's - fairly quick, can choose courses that you'd like to take (so things related to Data Analytics if you want), you lose no credits.  Con's - is a generic BALS, capstone.  Cost $6300.

If I were you, I would get the WGU degree, both for speed, cost, and degree.  Much more useful in your line of work than the BSBA or BALS, and you'd probably actually enjoy the coursework.  Second choice is the TESU BSBA.

Last note - I would consider taking the courses that you need for WGU, seeing where they fit in the BSBA and BALS (a lot will work in both of those), and deciding at that point.  This would include: Intro to IT, Programming in Python, Scripting & Programming course, Networking course/exam, MIS, Database Mgmt, & Project Mgmt.

Here are spreadsheets for all of those options.

Thank you so much for taking the time to give this info. I have a few follow up questions. I'm a little hesitant to go through WGU. I tried to take classes through NAU a few years ago, and they seem to be set up in a similar fashion to WGU (each class is made up of multiple competencies). I was not successful with that format. Do you know if it's similar?

For the TESU DS&A, can I take Introduction to Statistics through Aleks to satisfy the AOS course? If so, are there any other courses that I could transfer in for the other AOS courses?

[bjcheung77]

Good advice! This is what I would do, take the BALS and use the 20 general education and 27 free electives to take courses you are interested in. Then for the AOS/concentration, you can choose from a few of their options. If you are looking into more Data Analytics or Comp Sci/Math, then you can take the NSM courses towards a BALS NSM or a double concentration in CS/NSM.

Last but not least, you need to find out what your endpoint/game is... for example if you wanted to get an MS Data Analytics from WGU for example. You can get a BALS NSM, an Udacity Nanodegree, and then apply to their program!

Link: https://www.wgu.edu/online-it-degrees/da...ogram.html
To be considered for this program, you must:

Possess a bachelor’s degree from a regionally or nationally accredited institution.
Demonstrate experience with data analysis through at least one of the following methods:
A bachelor’s degree in information systems, systems engineering, data management, data analysis, computer science, mathematics, software, statistics, accounting/finance.
A Udacity nanodegree in data analytics.
A résumé showing at least 3 years of significant and recent experience in data analysis.
Verification of a current Oracle SQL, Oracle BI, or SAS certification that has been earned in the past five years.

[dfrecore]

Thank you so much for taking the time to give this info. I have a few follow up questions. I'm a little hesitant to go through WGU. I tried to take classes through NAU a few years ago, and they seem to be set up in a similar fashion to WGU (each class is made up of multiple competencies). I was not successful with that format. Do you know if it's similar?

For the TESU DS&A, can I take Introduction to Statistics through Aleks to satisfy the AOS course? If so, are there any other courses that I could transfer in for the other AOS courses?

I don't know anything about WGU, since I haven't done it.

Yes, you can take ALEKS Stats, it will work in both TESU and WGU degrees.