Need input on (possible) BA Computer Science at TESC - Plan included

[UptonSinclair]

I am getting close to finishing my BSLS at Excelsior, but I am curious how close I would be to a BA in Computer Science. I know that many of my credits are out of the norm, but any input on the general education placements would be greatly appreciated. Also, does anyone know if computer technology courses (networking, database, etc) count toward computer science electives? Requirements are in bold and courses are plain text.

[TABLE="class: grid, width: 655"]
[TR]
[TD]I. General Education[/TD]
[TD] Required[/TD]
[TD]Source[/TD]
[TD]LL[/TD]
[TD]UL[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]A. Intellectual and Practical Skills[/TD]
[TD]15
[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]English Comp I[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]WRTG 150 Rhetoric and Writing[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]BYU[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]English Comp II[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]ENG 102 Writing II[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]KCTCS[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Calculus I[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]MATH-112 Calculus I[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]BYU[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Calculus II[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]MATH-113 Calculus II[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]BYU[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Electives in Intellectual and Practical Skills[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Pre-Calculus[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Aleks[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]B. Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World
[/TD]
[TD]18[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Humanities[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Analyzing and Interpreting Literature[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]CLEP[/TD]
[TD]6[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Social Sciences[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]US History I[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]CLEP[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Natural Sciences[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Applied Physics[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]KCTCS[/TD]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences or Inter[/TD]
[TD]9[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]US History II[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]CLEP[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]American Government[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]CLEP[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]C. Personal and Social Responsibility[/TD]
[TD]9[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Diversity/Global Literacy[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Intro to Sociology[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]CLEP[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Responsible Ethical Leadership[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Ethics in America[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]DSST[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Other Ethics or Diversity[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Intro to World Religions[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]DSST[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]D. General Education Electives
[/TD]
[TD]18[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]DSST[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Civil War and the Reconstruction[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]DSST[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]American Government[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]CLEP[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Social Sciences and History General[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]CLEP[/TD]
[TD]6[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Statistics for Behaviorial Sciences[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Aleks[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]II. Area of Study: Computer Science[/TD]
[TD]33[/TD]
[TD]Source[/TD]
[TD]LL[/TD]
[TD]UL[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]A. Required Courses
[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Introduction to Computer Science[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Information Systems and Computer Applications[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]CLEP[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Data Structures[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Tesc?[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Discrete Math[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Tesc?[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]B. Capstone
[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]LIB-495 Liberal Arts Capstone
[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD]TESC
[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]C. Computer Science Electives
[/TD]
[TD]21[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]MA-119 Fundamentals of Web Programming[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Cerro Coso[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]MA-115 Hypertext Markup Language[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Cerro Coso[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]SI-551 Management Information Systems[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]DSST[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]CIT-111 Computer Hardware and Software[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]KCTCS[/TD]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]CIT-160 Intro to Networking Concepts[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]KCTCS[/TD]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]INT-654 Intro to Web Enabled Databases: Mysql[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]FHSU[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]INT-678 Web Security[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]FHSU[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]III. Free Electives[/TD]
[TD]27[/TD]
[TD]Source[/TD]
[TD]LL[/TD]
[TD]UL[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Business Ethics and Society[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]DSST[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Substance Abuse[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]DSST[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]ELT-1106 Intro to Digital Electronics[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]CCAF[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]ELT-1701 AC Circuits[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]CCAF[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]ELT-1702 DC Circuits[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]CCAF[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]ELT-1771 Wave Generation and Shaping[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]CCAF[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]ELT-2118 Intermediate Solid State Fundamentals[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]CCAF[/TD]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]ELT-6723 High Reliability Soldering[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]CCAF[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]EDT-1804 Fundamentals of Speech[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]CCAF[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]LMM-1102 Managerial Communications[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]CCAF[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

[AlbaTiVo]

In your area of study a maximum of 6 hours can be at the 100 level. You have 17 on your plan above.

[sanantone]

Those courses are 100-level at the original schools, but they might not be 100-level at TESC. It's hard to tell if he meets the UL requirements without searching the PLA database.

[UptonSinclair]

I can swap out some of the free electives and add classes in the area of study if necessary. Is the PLA database available to the general public?

[sanantone]

Thomas Edison State College: Course Offerings
Here it is.

[AlbaTiVo]

I am not sure if you are thinking of switching to this instead of your BSLS or if you mean to do this as a second degree. If it is intended as a second degree you will have to complete a minimum of 24 hours in the area of study anyway.

[UptonSinclair]

This would be my only degree. I am considering a switch to TESC so that I am better prepared for a Master's program in Computer Science. After looking at the cost of a second degree, it looks like switching to this degree will cost less than a second degree and I will be able to finish sooner.

[sanantone]

As you are perusing the PLA database, keep in mind that CIS, COS, and CMP courses are usually acceptable for the computer science major. CAP courses are hit or miss, but I've gotten the impression that they are mostly unacceptable. I know the TEEX courses can be used for the BSBA CIS, but I'm not sure about computer science. If you can use those, that's 4 credits for free with 2 being UL. The other two credits will not be 100-level, which is a good thing since TESC limits those. JavaOnline.org offers advanced programming courses that are NCCRS-approved. I don't know if TESC will give those UL credit. The TECEP for Networking Technology is guaranteed 3 UL credits. Too bad you're considering this after TESC stopped giving UL credits for CC courses.

[UptonSinclair]

I don't mind taking more classes. I want to make sure I have a solid foundation in the "typical" Computer Science courses. I hope to use the degree to get into a Master's program at Memorial University in Newfoundland, Canada. I will spend lots of time in their academic catalog to make sure I have met all of their prerequisites. It looks like I am going to be doing Calc I, Calc II, and Discrete Math at University of North Dakota rather than BYU. The tuition is reasonable, they are self-paced, and the professor has a good reputation.

I plan to pick up a few of the computer courses through TESC since I am going to be paying the enrollment fee. I just need to make sure I am able to finish in one year so I don't have to pay it twice.

[benjenkinsv95]

I personally have no idea which credits will and will not be accepted. But I saw your comment " I want to make sure I have a solid foundation in the "typical" Computer Science courses" and I wanted to throw out some input.

I would not call this a solid foundation in the "typical" Computer Science courses. It does not look too rigorous(I will admit, I am biased towards web development because I find it too easy).

To me, a solid foundation in Computer Science would involve:

1)An Introductory Computer Science class revolving around C, C++, JAVA, or PYTHON. (Those are the typical signs of an actual Intro to Computer Science course)

2)Data Structures.

3)Discrete Math and Linear Algebra (I am personally going to learn this one on my own time, if you have to choose between Discrete Math and Linear Algebra, Linear Algebra is supposed to be easier to teach yourself and thoroughly understand. Also, Discrete Math will be more useful in a programming job outside of Game Development/Artificial Intelligence)

4)An algorithm's course (I couldn't find this at TESC, so I will probably go learn more about them online, from what I know of algorithm's currently, they are all about the speed of any program you can write and how that gets represented in Big O Notation, It will also teach you which methods are memory intensive, but fast, and vice versa!)
5)Switching Theory and Automata (For the regex usage)
6)Compiler Construction (Very typical, will give you an appreciation for what all the Compiler is actually doing)
7)Computer Architecture (Will give you an appreciation for how the circuits are working together, In a traditional school some classes get to build their own circuits, from what I have been told)
8)Programming Languages (My boss highly recommended this. Don't honestly know why. By the way, this is a class, not just go learn as many programming languages as you can)
9)C++ programming(I recommend this heavily below, if you don't get your Data Structures from a school teaching it in C++, feel free to ignore this.)
10)Systems Analysis and Design(Common for a Software Developer)
11)C Programming(Good language for writing Drivers and is pretty low level while still being useful, It will make your brain think more than Javascript/PHP/HTML/CSS/JAVA/C++ ever will)



Also, a quick note. "Information Systems and Computer Applications" and "Introduction to computing" ARE NOT INTRO TO COMPUTER SCIENCE COURSES. I have taken both and am pushing them off as General Education and Free Electives. These courses will not teach you how to program, and whenever you hit "Data Structures" at TESC, I could see you having some trouble.

Data Structures is taught inside C++ at TESC and it assumes you already have the knowledge of a C++ first year student. I am currently teaching myself C++ again(I've slept since the last time I really had to use it...) If you want to use "Information Systems and Computer Applications" as your Introductory Computer Science course I highly recommend knowing C++(If you already do, great!) if not, TESC offers a C++ Programming Course, and I would also recommend a Stanford C++ programming course if you have knowledge of Java or a previous language : Stanford School of Engineering - Stanford Engineering Everywhere or finding a different class to teach yourself C++ before you go into Data Structures...

All in all, those are typical computer science courses. They build your brain, but if you want to get the knowledge else where, just know what path you are pursuing and learn everything you can about it. While those above courses are typical, they are not must have courses and that list is biased by myself and my discussions with programmer analyst's, and software developers. It might not reflect what a typical Web Developer is looking for.

And that's my two cents. Hope it didn't come off as rude or anything, it's mostly just a warning on how the intro to computer science courses could hurt you going into Data Structures, and how they could be seen if you apply for a programming job in the future that isn't web development. I also know I listed too many courses to choose from... I would suggest this is because typical Computer Science degrees are Bachelors of Science and require more Computer Science credits than we are supposed to get at TESC....