[New][Help needed] Need some insight/help planning BACS/BSCS

[davewill]

Thanks for the input and I do agree it seems odd that they didn't require Calc I or higher. However, I don't mind taking the Calc I CLEP in the future if necessary. Which CS Classes are you referring to that I will be missing with the degree from Hodges?

The big ones are the math, especially Discrete Math or Linear Algebra. The most notable missing CS courses would be Data Structures and Computer Architecture. I'm also concerned about Database Management, and no specific Operating Systems course. They have Hardware and Operating Systems, but it and Intro to Database Management (and every other computer course) are listed as a CIT course which makes me think they are technology courses rather than the theory based ones a CS degree would require. Also for someone who wants to do embedded programming, C/C++, Computer Architecture and Assembly Language are essential.

Essentially this looks like an applied technology degree...which might work out fine for you. It just isn't computer science.

[TalentlessOlympian]

The big ones are the math, especially Discrete Math or Linear Algebra. The most notable missing CS courses would be Data Structures and Computer Architecture. I'm also concerned about Database Management, and no specific Operating Systems course. They have Hardware and Operating Systems, but it and Intro to Database Management (and every other computer course) are listed as a CIT course which makes me think they are technology courses rather than the theory based ones a CS degree would require. Also for someone who wants to do embedded programming, C/C++, Computer Architecture and Assembly Language are essential.

Essentially this looks like an applied technology degree...which might work out fine for you. It just isn't computer science.

So what program/outline would you recommend I take a look at? A TESU degree or the Charter Oak degree?

[dfrecore]

I don't think Charter Oak has a true CS degree, neither does EC. So TESU is the only option there.

At TESU, you can bring your D grades with you, so history is fine. There are also a lot more options to test out through TESU - besides CLEP & DSST, there is Straighterline, Saylor, study.com, etc.

I know nothing whatsoever about loans and such, can't help you there.

The thing about getting your degree is that no one here can tell you how long it will take you to get through a program. Some people bust through and go crazy fast and are done in a couple of months, and others can take a few years. It totally depends on the degree, the number of credits you bring in, your motivation, how much time you can put into it, etc.

Yes, InstantCert is probably the best way to study for CLEP/DSST exams. study.com also can be used but it's more expensive. Not every exam will be available on IC, but a lot of them are.

If you want to compare the 2 degrees, just look at them. They are completely different as davewill said. It's just a matter of what you want. Some people would be happy with the Hodges degree and then teach themselves programming on the side. Some people want the CS degree. You just have to see which one will fit your goals. Check jobs that sound good to you, and see what they require. If they all want a CS degree, then get that. If they require a degree in any number of different programs, then you could go with Hodges. Some companies don't require a degree at all, but want current knowledge or job experience or certifications. It just totally depends on what you want to do.

Hopefully that answers most of your questions. I always suggest spending a couple of weeks on this board to see how it all works, and to start with the Beginner's Guide to help: http://www.degreeforum.net/general-educa...llege.html

[davewill]

When I was looking, COSC didn't have a computer science degree. They now have a Computer Science Studies concentration for their General Studies degree that looks like it has all the right courses in it. In fact it looks tougher (and less flexible) than the TESU requirements. TESU has an actual BACS degree, which is why I went with them. Unfortunately, I didn't find all the courses elsewhere and ended up taking 18 units from them which cost me some money.

It takes 33 units for the Area of Study plus the Capstone. TrailRunr found three tests, DSST MIS, DSST cybersecurity, CSU CBE Global System Analysis and Design which work for TESU, which gets us 9 units. Six of the 33 are Calc 1 and 2 which can be found online for 6 more. COS101 is available as a CLEP and other places for another three for a total of 18 taken as alternative credit. We're now down to 15 units that would have to be taken at TESU or found elsewhere. It would cost about $7485 plus the $300 cornerstone at TESU 16 units total on a per credit basis. This is cheaper than the $9352 comprehensive plan, so no point in tying yourself to an artificial schedule. You would meet the 16 credit residency requirement so no $2000 waiver fee needed. The total cost would be $7485 + 300 + 75 (application fee) + 323 (graduation fee)=$8183. You should be able to use financial aid to help with this, but I know almost nothing about the details of that.

I think this could be finished in a year by someone who was highly motivated.

P.S. Sorry if you read an earlier version with other numbers.

[TalentlessOlympian]

When I was looking, COSC didn't have a computer science degree. They now have a Computer Science Studies concentration for their General Studies degree that looks like it has all the right courses in it. In fact it looks tougher (and less flexible) than the TESU requirements. TESU has an actual BACS degree, which is why I went with them. Unfortunately, I didn't find all the courses elsewhere and ended up taking 18 units from them which cost me some money.

It takes 33 units for the Area of Study plus the Capstone. TrailRunr found three tests, DSST MIS, DSST cybersecurity, CSU CBE Global System Analysis and Design which work for TESU, which gets us 9 units. Six of the 33 are Calc 1 and 2 which can be found online for 6 more. COS101 is available as a CLEP and a other places for another three for a total of 18 taken as alternative credit. We're now down to 15 units that would have to be taken at TESU or found elsewhere. It would cost about $8982 plus the $300 cornerstone at TESU to take 15 units on a per credit basis, so it would cheaper than the $9352 comprehensive plan, so no point in tying yourself to an artificial schedule. You would meet the 16 credit residency requirement so no $2000 waiver fee needed. The total cost would be $7485 + 300 + 75 (application fee) + 323 (graduation fee)=$8183. You should be able to use financial aid to help with this, but I know almost nothing about that.

You can get the cost down if you take some of the courses at a community college. It might not even take you much longer if you do the TESU courses at the same time.

P.S. Scratch the community college, 18 of your units must be UL, so you can't take any of the rest of the courses at a community college, and we have to hope that at least one of tests is UL.

Hm, now you have me thinking I should just suck it up and go to TESU. What would be my options for CLEPs and DSSTs?
I'm not really looking to do 1.5hr courses everyday. That's why I was directed to hodges, but I do agree that the missing maths sort of make it look like less desirable degree.
However, would it make a difference if I go in with a software dev degree vs a standard computer science degree if I want to start off as an entry level programmer? I mean, I'm not all the fluent in the scope of jobs that would be made available to me after getting either degree besides an entry level programmer position.

Hell, I wouldn't even mind being a CS major with a minor in cybersecurity. I think both fields are great fun and always on a forefront in technology.
I need to take down your information you are presenting in a similar format given to me earlier. Its a bit jumbled up looking as it is.

I don't think Charter Oak has a true CS degree, neither does EC. So TESU is the only option there.

At TESU, you can bring your D grades with you, so history is fine. There are also a lot more options to test out through TESU - besides CLEP & DSST, there is Straighterline, Saylor, study.com, etc.

I know nothing whatsoever about loans and such, can't help you there.

The thing about getting your degree is that no one here can tell you how long it will take you to get through a program. Some people bust through and go crazy fast and are done in a couple of months, and others can take a few years. It totally depends on the degree, the number of credits you bring in, your motivation, how much time you can put into it, etc.

Yes, InstantCert is probably the best way to study for CLEP/DSST exams. study.com also can be used but it's more expensive. Not every exam will be available on IC, but a lot of them are.

If you want to compare the 2 degrees, just look at them. They are completely different as davewill said. It's just a matter of what you want. Some people would be happy with the Hodges degree and then teach themselves programming on the side. Some people want the CS degree. You just have to see which one will fit your goals. Check jobs that sound good to you, and see what they require. If they all want a CS degree, then get that. If they require a degree in any number of different programs, then you could go with Hodges. Some companies don't require a degree at all, but want current knowledge or job experience or certifications. It just totally depends on what you want to do.

Hopefully that answers most of your questions. I always suggest spending a couple of weeks on this board to see how it all works, and to start with the Beginner's Guide to help: http://www.degreeforum.net/general-educa...llege.html

First off, thanks again for a great resource. That link is really an eye opener for what I had asked twice. As for what I am looking for, I guess it seems to be a true CS degree. Now where does that leave me in this game of chasing credits via CLEP/DSST/Straightliner/Study.com?
I'm going to just say it now and finalize my pick since there's really no further debate as to which degree I am after; BACS from TESU.

With my current credits, what are my options and how can I streamline an answer to my own question like you guys do for me?
I feel like I am missing something. Or maybe I just don't research it all as fast?
I'm not a fan of asking the same question thrice. I'll try and whip up my own plan as I wait for a responses and post it in here as soon I have it built so you all can tell me how I am doing in planning.

Again, a huge thanks for all this information and helping me out. I can't believe a forum this friendly and information savvy is so openly available! It's truly remarkable!

EDIT: The TESU BACS Credit Requirements

BA in Computer Science Credit Distribution

Subject Category Credits
I. General Education Requirements 60
A. Intellectual and Practical Skills 15
Written Communication(6)
Oral Communication(3)
Quantitative Literacy(3)
Information Literacy(3)
B. Civic and Global Learning 9
Diversity(3)
Ethics(3)
Civic Engagement(3)
C. Knowledge of Human Cultures 12
D. Understanding the Physical and Natural World 4-7
E. General Education Electives 17-20
II. Area of Study: Computer Science 33
A. Required Courses 15
Introduction to Computer Science(3)
Data Structures(3)
Calculus I(3)
Calculus II(3)
Select one of the following courses:
Discrete Math(3)
Linear Algebra (Calculus-based)(3)
B. Capstone 3
LIB-495 Liberal Arts Capstone(3)
C. Computer Science Electives*
Artificial Intelligence
Assembly Language
Comparative Programming Languages
Compiler Construction
Computer Architecture
Computer Arithmetic Algorithms
Computer Information Systems
Computer Organization
Computer Statistical Techniques
Computer Simulation
Operations Research
Problem Analysis and Solution
Programming Languages
Software Engineering
Switching Theory and Automata
UNIX
15
D. Requirements
Courses transferred to Thomas Edison State University are equated to the following levels: 100, 200, 300 or 400. A minimum of 18 credits equating to 300 or 400 are required.

III. Electives 27
Total 120

Oh boy, so here comes the next hammer on the nail:
Study.com - It seems like you can't get college credit for the courses you take unless you pay the $200/m. Is that really how that goes?

[dfrecore]

Honestly, I'm all for helping people, but you really do need to spend a couple of weeks on here reading, reading, and reading to figure out how it all works. It just takes time to do the research and understand it all. It took me a couple of months to really get it all down in my head. Now, I am very savvy with degree planning (mostly TESU), but I did not get that way overnight.

[TrailRunr]

I agree you need to spend the next two weeks reading this forum. It will sink in, but not right away. But I'll address one topic right now.

Here are a few words on the speed of getting a TESU degree and getting the CS part completed faster.

Straighterline is the express lane method to rack up GE credits faster than any exam that requires studying. The idea is that you care a lot more about racking up credits fast rather than retaining the material you learned. The exams at SL are usually open book. Because of that, you should buy or otherwise acquire the e-textbook editions that allow you to control-F what you need during the exam. Most, but not all, SL courses have six exams. Five of the exams are not proctored. The sixth exam, the proctored final, may not be worth much. So it's possible to pass the class with a final score of 0% if you already have the required 69.5% needed to pass. If you randomly guess, you should get 30% on the final anyway with a no-stress final where you always choose answer C. But you must take the final to finish the class. You can retake the first exam as many times as needed with a cooldown of 24 hours per attempt. You should have a score close to 100% for the first exam if you're finding you're short on points. You can finish some SL courses in one day. The monthly subscription is $99, but there is a discount code that gets rid of this for the first month. On top of the monthly fee, you have to pay a fee for each course. I heard someone finish 12 SL courses in a month. The idea is to not pay the $99 for no more than the minimum time needed.

But there are a number of exams that may require zero studying to pass depending on your background. Don't be afraid of CLEP and DSST. For example, IT pros find that the computer related exams are easy to pass without studying at all. If you have many years in big corporate IT, you can take the MIS DSST cold. The sys analysis CSU-G CBE will require 1 day of cramming of the suggested textbook. An older edition of the textbook will work fine. Many find the A&I Lit CLEP to be ridiculously easy even with no background in literature. Most people can pass A&I Lit cold, especially with a very quick review of the notes in the IC section and the exam feedback forum. For CS, three exams will save you 9 expensive UL credits worth of classes.

As far as calculus, I would take the SL version. It is 4 credits each if you get ACE credit via the Alternative Credit Project Ecosystem rather than Straighterline. SL is actually OK-ish prep for calc 3, but who cares since that's not a degree requirement for you. Because of your previous background in calc 1, you can just skip to the exams if you remember your limits, chain rule, etc. If the material seems new or confusing, you should do the optional exercises to prep for the exams. SL calc isn't a pass in one day course unless you know the material already.

Finally, not all SL classes are good for speed. Classes outside of the 6 exam format are often poor candidates for speed.

[davewill]

I decided that I might as well take a crack at a TESU BACS spreadsheet. However, I'm not very good at it. Here is dfrecore's spreadsheet modified for the TESU BACS. The area of study is pretty good, but the rest is kind of a hot mess.

[ajs1976]

OP,

Take the TESU BACS degree requirements and paste them into a spreadsheet. Clean it up and start mapping where you think your current courses will fall into the requirements. Pay attention to UL requirements. When you start to identify courses you have to take try to determine if they are ones you need to take at TESU or if they can be taken somewhere else. If they are lower level, look at community colleges.

[davewill]

Just tripped over a link to another online computer science program. Not suggesting it for getting the degree there since they require 30 resident credits, but at $207 per credit, it could be a good place to take some of the UL CS courses cheaper.

https://www.fhsu.edu/virtualcollege/degr...r-science/