Need Help with Inexpensive but also fastest Track

[JWells247]

Hello all, 
I know there have been many posts with the same topic but I am really having difficulty putting this together and trying to understand my options. I am currently in the process of trying to get a Bachelors degree ASAP. I was looking into the Liberal Arts program at TESU. They are now telling me that I need to take the SOS-110 course and Capstone to finish my associates but otherwise I have fulfilled in the requirements for the Associates credits using CLEP and DSST - But then I am left with needing to fulfill the 60 remaining credits for the Liberal Arts degree (which I can test out.) I am wondering if I should just go to COSC to save money. How much money is it in difference? At TESU I need to pay the Residency Waiver Fee - So I am looking at $2800.00 plus $1,527.00 for SOS-110 plus LIB-495 Arts Capstone $1,527 or $3,054 for both classes. Making that a total of $5,854.00 for the Associates   . How would it work for COSC? And then when I asked for clarification on doing a double major I was given this response by an academic advisor at TESU. Should I just keep taking CLEPS and DSST and then apply for graduation when I am ready? I am so confused.  Is it easy to get a double major when using CLEPS and DSST exams? Like double dipping. For example I want a Liberal Arts because it's easy but also want the BS in Business Management. 

Thank you very much in advance.  


You are able to graduate with two degrees, and both degrees can have two Area of Studies. That is if you apply for graduation when all degree requirements will be completed. This is because if you get one degree confirmed and another does not have all the requirements met, it would turn into another degree. For example, if you choose a Bachelor of Arts with two AOS Liberal Studies and International Studies and then a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, you have two degrees BSBA and a BA, and the BA has two AOS. If the International Studies is not complete and the other two are, then you complete two degrees and we will not issue a third.


Now if you are going to be doing the International Studies, I would not suggest doing the Liberal Studies. You can only have 9 overlapping credits in your Area of Studies. Therefore, to complete the Liberal Studies, you may need to take 21 additional credits. At that point, I would suggest completing a graduate degree. I would suggest with any BA degree, not to add a Liberal Studies, as it would not do too much for you. 

[akr680]

Hello all, 
I know there have been many posts with the same topic but I am really having difficulty putting this together and trying to understand my options. I am currently in the process of trying to get a Bachelors degree ASAP. I was looking into the Liberal Arts program at TESU. They are now telling me that I need to take the SOS-110 course and Capstone to finish my associates but otherwise I have fulfilled in the requirements for the Associates credits using CLEP and DSST - But then I am left with needing to fulfill the 60 remaining credits for the Liberal Arts degree (which I can test out.) I am wondering if I should just go to COSC to save money. How much money is it in difference? At TESU I need to pay the Residency Waiver Fee - So I am looking at $2800.00 plus $1,527.00 for SOS-110 plus LIB-495 Arts Capstone $1,527 or $3,054 for both classes. Making that a total of $5,854.00 for the Associates   . How would it work for COSC? And then when I asked for clarification on doing a double major I was given this response by an academic advisor at TESU. Should I just keep taking CLEPS and DSST and then apply for graduation when I am ready? I am so confused.  Is it easy to get a double major when using CLEPS and DSST exams? Like double dipping. For example I want a Liberal Arts because it's easy but also want the BS in Business Management. 

Thank you very much in advance.  


You are able to graduate with two degrees, and both degrees can have two Area of Studies. That is if you apply for graduation when all degree requirements will be completed. This is because if you get one degree confirmed and another does not have all the requirements met, it would turn into another degree. For example, if you choose a Bachelor of Arts with two AOS Liberal Studies and International Studies and then a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, you have two degrees BSBA and a BA, and the BA has two AOS. If the International Studies is not complete and the other two are, then you complete two degrees and we will not issue a third.


Now if you are going to be doing the International Studies, I would not suggest doing the Liberal Studies. You can only have 9 overlapping credits in your Area of Studies. Therefore, to complete the Liberal Studies, you may need to take 21 additional credits. At that point, I would suggest completing a graduate degree. I would suggest with any BA degree, not to add a Liberal Studies, as it would not do too much for you. 

Please find attached

[natshar]

Hello all, 
I know there have been many posts with the same topic but I am really having difficulty putting this together and trying to understand my options. I am currently in the process of trying to get a Bachelors degree ASAP. I was looking into the Liberal Arts program at TESU. They are now telling me that I need to take the SOS-110 course and Capstone to finish my associates but otherwise I have fulfilled in the requirements for the Associates credits using CLEP and DSST - But then I am left with needing to fulfill the 60 remaining credits for the Liberal Arts degree (which I can test out.) I am wondering if I should just go to COSC to save money. How much money is it in difference? At TESU I need to pay the Residency Waiver Fee - So I am looking at $2800.00 plus $1,527.00 for SOS-110 plus LIB-495 Arts Capstone $1,527 or $3,054 for both classes. Making that a total of $5,854.00 for the Associates   . How would it work for COSC? And then when I asked for clarification on doing a double major I was given this response by an academic advisor at TESU. Should I just keep taking CLEPS and DSST and then apply for graduation when I am ready? I am so confused.  Is it easy to get a double major when using CLEPS and DSST exams? Like double dipping. For example I want a Liberal Arts because it's easy but also want the BS in Business Management. 

Thank you very much in advance.  


You are able to graduate with two degrees, and both degrees can have two Area of Studies. That is if you apply for graduation when all degree requirements will be completed. This is because if you get one degree confirmed and another does not have all the requirements met, it would turn into another degree. For example, if you choose a Bachelor of Arts with two AOS Liberal Studies and International Studies and then a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, you have two degrees BSBA and a BA, and the BA has two AOS. If the International Studies is not complete and the other two are, then you complete two degrees and we will not issue a third.


Now if you are going to be doing the International Studies, I would not suggest doing the Liberal Studies. You can only have 9 overlapping credits in your Area of Studies. Therefore, to complete the Liberal Studies, you may need to take 21 additional credits. At that point, I would suggest completing a graduate degree. I would suggest with any BA degree, not to add a Liberal Studies, as it would not do too much for you. 

COSC will be at least 2k cheaper. But you still have to take a capstone and cornerstone there as well.


If you do a BA and BSBA that is two separate degrees which means two separate capstones which means the cost will be at lt least $1000 more. A BA liberal studies and BSBA are almost equally as easy. The BSBA might be a little more difficult and less flexible but it can be done with only two classes at TESU just like BA. If I were you I would just get one and probably the BSBA.

Once you get one bachelors degree you are no longer able to get most financial aid and also once you get the BSBA it would make the BA liberal arts useless. 

Additionally, there is not much point in getting a general associate if you are going for bachelors. Again the bachelors makes the associate degree useless.

Also the international studies degree at TESU is not able to be earned by alternative credit at this time. You could still earn it somehow but it would cost a lot more time and money.

If you are looking for the cheapest and fastest business degree, then WGU may be your best option (if you are a US resident) especially if you already have CLEP/DSST done. However, if you don't want to go the WGU route, then COSC would probably be your cheapest and fastest option for a BSBA.

[allvia]

What credits do you already have (from where, and what course/exam), and what bachelor degree are looking to complete?

[davewill]

The associate's degree at TESU is too expensive unless you get a bachelor's either at the same time or within a year of paying the residency waiver, in which case the one waiver fee counts for both. Also, if you take a couple of courses at Study.com, you get discounted tuition which would bring the cornerstone and capstone courses down to $1137 each. That makes the total for both AA and BA:

https://www.tesu.edu/studycom/costs-tuition

Application: $50
Cornerstone: 1137
Capstone: 1137
Res. Waiver: 2800
Grad Fee: 298

Total: $5422

Plus whatever your various alternative credits cost you.


COSC will be cheaper by a good bit, but you'll have to see how well your existing credits fit to know how fast it will be.

[Yanji]

Instead of paying $5800 for SOS-110 + LIB-495 + res waiver, wouldn't it be cheaper to pay $4900 for flat-rate out-of-state tuition for a semester, which covers both of those courses, plus 10 more credits to meet the residency requirement? 16 credits is barely above standard full-time enrollment. You could take 3 e-pack courses (no homework) and PLA-100. That also covers 10 credits you'd need to pay for otherwise.

[mysonx3]

Instead of paying $5800 for SOS-110 + LIB-495 + res waiver, wouldn't it be cheaper to pay $4900 for flat-rate out-of-state tuition for a semester, which covers both of those courses, plus 10 more credits to meet the residency requirement? 16 credits is barely above standard full-time enrollment. You could take 3 e-pack courses (no homework) and PLA-100. That also covers 10 credits you'd need to pay for otherwise.

16 credits might sound like barely more than full time, but that's deceptive because of the disconnect between TESU's credit system (which is semester-based) and their term length (which is quarter-length). If we convert the semester hours to quarter hours to make them consistent with the term length, we get 24 quarter hours - substantially more than full-time, though still feasible.

I still think this is a good strategy at TESU, but it shouldn't be taken lightly. 16 credits in a term is a lot.

[davewill]

Instead of paying $5800 for SOS-110 + LIB-495 + res waiver, wouldn't it be cheaper to pay $4900 for flat-rate out-of-state tuition for a semester, which covers both of those courses, plus 10 more credits to meet the residency requirement? 16 credits is barely above standard full-time enrollment. You could take 3 e-pack courses (no homework) and PLA-100. That also covers 10 credits you'd need to pay for otherwise.

16 credits might sound like barely more than full time, but that's deceptive because of the disconnect between TESU's credit system (which is semester-based) and their term length (which is quarter-length). If we convert the semester hours to quarter hours to make them consistent with the term length, we get 24 quarter hours - substantially more than full-time, though still feasible.

I still think this is a good strategy at TESU, but it shouldn't be taken lightly. 16 credits in a term is a lot.

Even if you CAN handle 16 (or 13) credits in one 12 week term, I think that expecting the capstone to be one of those courses is a bit much. If you don't take the capstone, then the $2800 waiver plus the $1137 cornerstone are only $3937, which is virtually the same as the resident flat rate (which you should get if you do the study.com discount). Might as well save the headache of trying to do so many courses at once.

One approach that might be OK would be to do the 16 credits, including the capstone, but be ready to file for an 8 week extension ($231) on the capstone if you need it. That way, you can be sure of having enough time to do a proper job on it. You might also want to consider using e-Packs which are self-paced, although we don't have a bunch of experience here with them.

[JWells247]

What credits do you already have (from where, and what course/exam), and what bachelor degree are looking to complete?

Hi there, I have 55 credits.  I had to fulfill Ethics, Civic Engagement, and Literature so I took tests for them. Only thing left to complete was the Capstone and SOS-110 for Associates Degree. I was looking to complete a Liberal Arts Degree since it seems easier but honestly if I can get a Business Management degree I would. 


Course/Section and Title Grade Credits 
ENC-102 English Composition II A 3.00  
ART-100 A World of Art A 3.00  
ART-202 Art From Renais. to Mod. World D 3.00  
 ECO-111 Macroeconomics D 3.00  
ITA-102 Beginning Italian II C 3.00  
PHI-101 Introduction to Philosophy C- 3.00  
BIO-111 General Biology I D 3.00  
BIO-126 Biology I Lab D 1.50  
CIS-102 Intro to Computer Info Systems B 2.00  
CIS-199 Special Topics Comp Info Sytms C 1.00  
COM-209 Public Speaking B- 3.00  
MAT-121 College Algebra D 3.00  
SPA-303 Hispanic Civilization C 3.00  
BIO-112 General Biology II C+ 3.00  
BIO-127 Biology II Lab D 1.50 
GRM-102 Beginning German II D 3.00  
SPA-335 Adv. Comp. & Styl. I B- 3.00  
ENC-101 English Composition I B- 3.00 
FEL-199 Special Topics Free Electives A-1.00 
 ITA-101 Beginning Italian I D- 3.00  
REL-111 Theology I C-3.00 

Total Earned Credits 55.00 

CLEP:
Analyzing and Interpreting Literature 
Spanish 
American Government

DSST - Ethics in Technology

---

Hello all, 
I know there have been many posts with the same topic but I am really having difficulty putting this together and trying to understand my options. I am currently in the process of trying to get a Bachelors degree ASAP. I was looking into the Liberal Arts program at TESU. They are now telling me that I need to take the SOS-110 course and Capstone to finish my associates but otherwise I have fulfilled in the requirements for the Associates credits using CLEP and DSST - But then I am left with needing to fulfill the 60 remaining credits for the Liberal Arts degree (which I can test out.) I am wondering if I should just go to COSC to save money. How much money is it in difference? At TESU I need to pay the Residency Waiver Fee - So I am looking at $2800.00 plus $1,527.00 for SOS-110 plus LIB-495 Arts Capstone $1,527 or $3,054 for both classes. Making that a total of $5,854.00 for the Associates   . How would it work for COSC? And then when I asked for clarification on doing a double major I was given this response by an academic advisor at TESU. Should I just keep taking CLEPS and DSST and then apply for graduation when I am ready? I am so confused.  Is it easy to get a double major when using CLEPS and DSST exams? Like double dipping. For example I want a Liberal Arts because it's easy but also want the BS in Business Management. 

Thank you very much in advance.  


You are able to graduate with two degrees, and both degrees can have two Area of Studies. That is if you apply for graduation when all degree requirements will be completed. This is because if you get one degree confirmed and another does not have all the requirements met, it would turn into another degree. For example, if you choose a Bachelor of Arts with two AOS Liberal Studies and International Studies and then a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, you have two degrees BSBA and a BA, and the BA has two AOS. If the International Studies is not complete and the other two are, then you complete two degrees and we will not issue a third.


Now if you are going to be doing the International Studies, I would not suggest doing the Liberal Studies. You can only have 9 overlapping credits in your Area of Studies. Therefore, to complete the Liberal Studies, you may need to take 21 additional credits. At that point, I would suggest completing a graduate degree. I would suggest with any BA degree, not to add a Liberal Studies, as it would not do too much for you. 

COSC will be at least 2k cheaper. But you still have to take a capstone and cornerstone there as well.


If you do a BA and BSBA that is two separate degrees which means two separate capstones which means the cost will be at lt least $1000 more. A BA liberal studies and BSBA are almost equally as easy. The BSBA might be a little more difficult and less flexible but it can be done with only two classes at TESU just like BA. If I were you I would just get one and probably the BSBA.

Once you get one bachelors degree you are no longer able to get most financial aid and also once you get the BSBA it would make the BA liberal arts useless. 

Additionally, there is not much point in getting a general associate if you are going for bachelors. Again the bachelors makes the associate degree useless.

Also the international studies degree at TESU is not able to be earned by alternative credit at this time. You could still earn it somehow but it would cost a lot more time and money.

If you are looking for the cheapest and fastest business degree, then WGU may be your best option (if you are a US resident) especially if you already have CLEP/DSST done. However, if you don't want to go the WGU route, then COSC would probably be your cheapest and fastest option for a BSBA.

Hi, 
I did not give much thought to WGU. I did not know that they accept many credits from CLEP/DSST. Is it much cheaper than COSC? Also I keep in mind that I initially wanted to graduate from a school that had University in the name because I want to use it to teach abroad. But I digress in the face of cost and time. 
Thank you

---

Hello all, 
I know there have been many posts with the same topic but I am really having difficulty putting this together and trying to understand my options. I am currently in the process of trying to get a Bachelors degree ASAP. I was looking into the Liberal Arts program at TESU. They are now telling me that I need to take the SOS-110 course and Capstone to finish my associates but otherwise I have fulfilled in the requirements for the Associates credits using CLEP and DSST - But then I am left with needing to fulfill the 60 remaining credits for the Liberal Arts degree (which I can test out.) I am wondering if I should just go to COSC to save money. How much money is it in difference? At TESU I need to pay the Residency Waiver Fee - So I am looking at $2800.00 plus $1,527.00 for SOS-110 plus LIB-495 Arts Capstone $1,527 or $3,054 for both classes. Making that a total of $5,854.00 for the Associates   . How would it work for COSC? And then when I asked for clarification on doing a double major I was given this response by an academic advisor at TESU. Should I just keep taking CLEPS and DSST and then apply for graduation when I am ready? I am so confused.  Is it easy to get a double major when using CLEPS and DSST exams? Like double dipping. For example I want a Liberal Arts because it's easy but also want the BS in Business Management. 

Thank you very much in advance.  


You are able to graduate with two degrees, and both degrees can have two Area of Studies. That is if you apply for graduation when all degree requirements will be completed. This is because if you get one degree confirmed and another does not have all the requirements met, it would turn into another degree. For example, if you choose a Bachelor of Arts with two AOS Liberal Studies and International Studies and then a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, you have two degrees BSBA and a BA, and the BA has two AOS. If the International Studies is not complete and the other two are, then you complete two degrees and we will not issue a third.


Now if you are going to be doing the International Studies, I would not suggest doing the Liberal Studies. You can only have 9 overlapping credits in your Area of Studies. Therefore, to complete the Liberal Studies, you may need to take 21 additional credits. At that point, I would suggest completing a graduate degree. I would suggest with any BA degree, not to add a Liberal Studies, as it would not do too much for you. 

Please find attached

This is really useful. Thank you.

[bjcheung77]

Haha, you're wanting two degrees for cheap. Do you get tuition assistance from work or some tuition reimbursement from Business/IT industry certification exams? Now, it all depends what you're looking for, if you review my signature link to the Beginners Guide post #28/#31, you can see an example spreadsheet I have made for my cousin last year.

I noticed that you are interested in the Big 3/WGU and wanted to do the same two degrees I did... I ended up with a ASBA/BSBA, ASNSM and certificate - all for the cost of the BSBA (associates and certificates were included). I only needed the capstone for the second degree (Bachelors of Liberal Arts with a Natural Science & Math concentration) but didn't go for it then.

My Advice: I recommend looking at your degree choices/options you want, budget/check how much you're willing to spend, if you're interested in a specific school/program, apply to that - forget thinking too much, just go get the first 90 credits done as it's the same for most degrees and work on your AOS/Major after you have decided.