Crafting a custom concentration in COSC

[ProfessorViking]

So my two main interests carrier wise are Hypnosis, and Personal Training.

So I sent in my application. to COSC, because I thought that would offer me the most flexable "degree" option.
When I talked to an advisior, she steered me away from that idea, and I ended up looking at a simple Psych Concentration.
I plugged away at acouple CLEP tests for awhile, got distracted, months passed, and now I am ready to put my nose to the grindstone.

However, upon reflection, it really is a waste to have a "general studies" degree with a concentration in psychology. If I was planning on doing that, I would have went with EC or TESC.

So now I am revisiting the idea.

What is involved in crafting your own specific "concentration"? I hear an essay is involved. How long is that essay? What else is involved.

Now, I am thinking I should get a spreadsheet and look for all the requirements for a psychology degree, look at all the requirements for a "health and wellness" degree, and pick equally from both and try to craft some sort of "Mind and body" degree, which looks at the connections between the two (How mental health leads to physical health and vice verca)


Please offer any insights into crafting a custom concentration. And if its not worth the effort, should I think about switching to one of the other two to have a proper major?

[bluebooger]

I think a general studies in Psychology is fine,
and COSC seems to be the most flexibe
Psychology - Charter Oak State College Catalog

if you want to take online courses, BYU offers some that seem interesting and related
Sport Psychology : - PSYCH 338 - BYU Independent Study - Online Courses

Behavioral Neurobiology : - PSYCH 381 - BYU Independent Study - Online Courses

Motivation : - PSYCH 365 - BYU Independent Study - Online Courses

[ProfessorViking]

Thank you for those resources. If it would be quicker and easier to get a psych concentration than an psych major, then I might as well stick with COSC regardless. But I would still like more information regarding the custom concentration.

It is what attracted me to COSC to begin with, but there seems to be very little information regarding the process.

PS:
for the record, I am planning on doing as much as possible through CLEP and DSST.

[sanantone]

Unless you score high enough on the Psychology GRE Subject Test to fill up your psychology electives, TESC's BA in Psychology will be cheaper. TESC also offers an undergraduate certificate in Fitness and Wellness Services. You could earn both of those at the same time.
Thomas Edison State College: Fitness & Wellness Services

TESC also lets you design your own degree as a BSBA, BSAST, BA, or BS in a Learner Designed Area of Study; but, you should be fine at COSC. EC's psychology degree is not test friendly.

[ZsaZsa]

What you can do is a combination concentration (sounds like something from Sesame street!) I have a three part concentration, English/History/ and Psychology. I was having trouble coming up with enough upper level tests for the first two, and my advisor at COSC suggested adding Psych since there are so many Uexel tests that you can use. The cornerstone you have to do helps you settle on and define your concentration, and yes there is a paper you have to write, but its done a little at a time during the project. The capstone project is a paper in which you present some facet of your concentration that you have researched, and is also done gradually during the class.

[ProfessorViking]

Unless you score high enough on the Psychology GRE Subject Test to fill up your psychology electives, TESC's BA in Psychology will be cheaper.[/url]

Is that because COSC doesn't let you take CLEP/ DSST tests for some of the requirements?

TESC also lets you design your own degree as a BSBA, BSAST, BA, or BS in a Learner Designed Area of Study;

Does this mean I could actually get a diploma that said "neuro-chemical health" or something of that nature?

What you can do is a combination concentration (sounds like something from Sesame street!) I have a three part concentration, English/History/ and Psychology. I was having trouble coming up with enough upper level tests for the first two, and my advisor at COSC suggested adding Psych since there are so many Uexel tests that you can use.

Does doing a combination concentration require more total credits completed? if so, how much did you have to add for each concentration?

The cornerstone you have to do helps you settle on and define your concentration, and yes there is a paper you have to write, but its done a little at a time during the project. The capstone project is a paper in which you present some facet of your concentration that you have researched, and is also done gradually during the class.

Could someone direct me to more information on the capstone process? When I started down this road, my plan was just to take a whole bunch of CLEP/DSST tests and graduate primarily off of that (minus an essay or so)