Missed NJDOE GPA for CE by .15! NEED ADVISE ASAP! PLEASE HELP!

[mel_y_mel]

Hello!
I am absolutely exasperated and I NEED HELP ASAP! 
So, here's my sad story... I was offered the art teaching position at the school where I presently/have worked as a teacher assistant for almost 9 years. I passed my Praxis Exam and was SOOOO EXITED until the NJDOE denied my application because my GPA was .15 below the required GPA of 7.5 to be granted a Certificate of Eligibility to get my teaching certification via Alternate Route. 

I discovered that the college I attended and earned my BFA from did not give me points towards my GPA for 3 grades (2 incomplete's that I made up and got a B in both, and a B that I earned for a class that I took at another college (that they promoted and endorsed) in a school exchange program. They only gave me the credits for the classes, not the quality points towards my GPA. I am presently trying to fight them on this, but so far, I have only been met with the email/phone equivalent of doors being slammed in my face...

The only other alternative that I have been presented with in order to obtain my CE and get the art teaching job that I've always wanted is to get another new BA or BFA, or a Masters Degree, or complete a NJ State approved Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program with a minimum of 13 semester hours. I need this done NOW, because by the grace of God, they are holding the job for me so I can sort this out (My Principal is an amazing human being, and she really wants me to have this job almost as much as I do!), but they can only hold off for a few months. Time is of the essence here! I can't get any answers from the NJDOE on what certificate programs are acceptable, and I don't know what to do.

MY QUESTION IS THIS: From which accredited online college/university can I get a whole new BA, MA, (or how to get a Post-Bacc Certificate very quickly) that will allow me to transfer as many as possible of the 125 credits from the BFA degree that I already have IN A JUST A FEW MONTHS??? This is bananas that I even have to go through this, but here I am! It's crazy!!! 

I just filled out an application for TESU. PLEASE! If anyone has any good advice on what I can do with this giant mess that has now taken over my life, I would be soooo grateful!!! Again, I have to get this sorted out/done ASAP! I am praying that someone here can put me in the direction I need to go. 

PLEASE! AND THANK YOU to anyone who cared enough to read this! I truly appreciate it!

[bjcheung77]

So, you're in NJ, you applied to TESU, looking for a new BA or MA, maybe even a Post-Bac Cert? In need of 13+ graded semester hours and have a GPA that needs to be bumped up a smidge... <fart> oh and you're most likely looking at cheap, easy, fast with a pinch of ROI/Value... Have you looked at other schools other than TESU? If you're in the education sector, WGU has great Masters programs in Education. My only advice right now is, calm down, relax, find out what really is needed and complete that - en route to another degree, be it the second Bachelors or a Masters. We need an end result... not so many options you're looking at completing...

[mel_y_mel]

So, you're in NJ, you applied to TESU, looking for a new BA or MA, maybe even a Post-Bac Cert?  In need of 13+ graded semester hours and have a GPA that needs to be bumped up a smidge... <fart> oh and you're most likely looking at cheap, easy, fast with a pinch of ROI/Value... Have you looked at other schools other than TESU?  If you're in the education sector, WGU has great Masters programs in Education.   My only advice right now is, calm down, relax, find out what really is needed and complete that - en route to another degree, be it the second Bachelors or a Masters.  We need an end result... not so many options you're looking at completing...

Thanks! Yes, yes, yes and yes! LOL! I wish I could calm down. Believe me! I just don't have a lot of time to figure this out...
I would have to be able to get the degree or certificate online, since I work full time... And get it done in a few months with a GPA of at least 3.0. I am certain that I can handle getting the GPA. I was just hoping there was an accredited online college that would take most of my credits so that I'd only have to take a couple of classes, or tests, etc.. Just not sure which school or degree program would be best to suit my needs...

[bjcheung77]

This is what I would propose, an UMPI BLS with an Education Minor. If you have great time management skills, you should be able to complete this in 2 terms (14 weeks) for $5400 total. An alternative, if you have more time and want to work slightly slower, but save some cash, is the Masters option at WGU, they provide several Masters degrees in Education for over $4 grand for 6 months of all you can take goodness...

Note: These are Competency Based Education degrees at UMPI, WGU, individuals who have no commitments and time will be able to complete the assignments/projects/reports/writings in a timely fashion, others with an "average" amount of time may have to complete these in an extra term or two.

[mel_y_mel]

This is what I would propose, an UMPI BLS with an Education Minor.  If you have great time management skills, you should be able to complete this in 2 terms (14 weeks) for $5400 total.  An alternative, if you have more time and want to work slightly slower, but save some cash, is the Masters option at WGU, they provide several Masters degrees in Education for over $4 grand for 6 months of all you can take goodness...

Note: These are Competency Based Education degrees at UMPI, WGU, individuals who have no commitments and time will be able to complete the assignments/projects/reports/writings in a timely fashion, others with an "average" amount of time may have to complete these in an extra term or two.

WOW! YOU ARE THE BEST! I just looked into it, and it may actually work for me! I'm willing to do school work from the minute I get home from work until the minute I go to bed, plus all weekend long to get the degree in a few months (Or even less, maybe!) I'm going to call them now to discuss it further... Hopefully, they will be generous with transfer credits and life experience credit... I can't thank you enough for taking the time out of your life to help me with this. There are still good people out there in the world! Honestly, thank you! I want this art teaching job more than I've ever wanted almost anything in my entire life. I'm going to get it done and get that job!
Thank you again so much!

[ss20ts]

WOW! YOU ARE THE BEST! I just looked into it, and it may actually work for me! I'm willing to do school work from the minute I get home from work until the minute I go to bed, plus all weekend long to get the degree in a few months (Or even less, maybe!) I'm going to call them now to discuss it further... Hopefully, they will be generous with transfer credits and life experience credit... I can't thank you enough for taking the time out of your life to help me with this. There are still good people out there in the world! Honestly, thank you! I want this art teaching job more than I've ever wanted almost anything in my entire life. I'm going to get it done and get that job!
Thank you again so much!

Hey there,

If you pm me a list of the courses, course numbers, and college that the classes were taken, I can send you a degree plan for UMPI. Many people complete their BLS in 2 terms at UMPI. You may need some classes from Sophia, Study.com, or InstantCert, but you can do them right now since you'd have to wait until October for the next term at UMPI. Do you already have a bachelor's degree?

[jsd]

THey won't just let you take a few courses to bump your GPA up a bit? You need to do a whole additional program?

Have you looked into your old school to see if they do any sort of academic forgiveness that will have the redone incompletes removed from your transcript?

---

Not sure the WGU suggestion is the way to go here. it can be a cheap and relatively quick program to complete, but it's pass/fail. your transcript won't show a GPA. there is a blurb on the transcript to how WGU considers a pass "equivalent" to a 3.0 or better in the course, but they do not award an official GPA and your courses will only show "PASS" for your grade.

[rachel83az]

I agree with jsd. It's probably best to avoid WGU under the circumstances that you've outlined. Stick to UMPI and complete a new Bachelor's degree quickly.

[bjcheung77]

Hey mel_y_mel, I got your PM and replied. I wanted to expand on that, you should go for the UMPI BLS Education Minor for the graded courses. You'll get 30+ credits graded this way, and it will exceed the 13 you're looking for (18 is already in the concentration/minor). The 18 credit concentration is your main goal, the secondary is just an "add-on" freebie!

Having said that, as my previous message above mentioned - if you go for the Masters, even if it's not GPA bearing, a Masters should still trump a Bachelors especially when you already have a BFA. I would do one and then work on the other afterwards, you may want an admin/upper management position later, the Masters will pay for itself after you get a raise or two.

[mel_y_mel]

Hey mel_y_mel, I got your PM and replied.  I wanted to expand on that, you should go for the UMPI BLS Education Minor for the graded courses.  You'll get 30+ credits graded this way, and it will exceed the 13 you're looking for (18 is already in the concentration/minor).  The 18 credit concentration is your main goal, the secondary is just an "add-on" freebie!  

Having said that, as my previous message above mentioned - if you go for the Masters, even if it's not GPA bearing, a Masters should still trump a Bachelors especially when you already have a BFA.  I would do one and then work on the other afterwards, you may want an admin/upper management position later, the Masters will pay for itself after you get a raise or two.

Thanks for getting back to me! I got your PM...
Unfortunately, I need a whole new bachelors or masters degree, not just 13 credits.
The 13 semester hour credit minimum only pertains to a complete Post-Baccalaureate Certificate. Otherwise, I have to get a 2nd bachelors degree, or a masters. In 3 months. Lol! If I can get max transfer credits and life experience from an accredited online college or university, I am still hopeful that I can get it done! I'm hoping I can do it at UMPI. I'm going to call tomorrow to talk to someone there for more info.