Second Bachelor Degree Help/Recommendations

[StudiousTraveller]

I've previously asked about degree options on here and thought I had things settled on UMPI but after further consideration, I don't think that will be the best fit for me because prefer to take tests over doing essays. With an essay I will just take way too long trying to make it "perfect" which means I won't be able to take advantage of the YourPace tuition structure to reduce costs. I just don't think I'll be able to get through the courses fast enough to save money with this format...at least not with history classes like I was originally thinking I'd do.

In addition to this I've been looking at lessons on many SDC classes and I am really interested in the Psychology courses - much more than I thought I would be. So with these things in mind, I'm looking now at what the best option might be for me to incorporate as much Psychology, History, and other humanity and social sciences courses. I've already done more than enough Science (as you'll see in my course list below) so now I'd like to learn something else.

Location: Nova Scotia, Canada

Age: 47

Kind of Degree I want: Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies or Psychology (I don't think I can get a BS again since I already have one, even if it would e Liberal Studies or Psychology...right?)

Current RA Credits: Graduated with a Bachelor of Science from University of New Brunswick (Canada) in 1998; I had this degree evaluated in 2004 for my teaching certification in Texas and it was deemed to be equivalent to a US degree. This evaluation was only good for 10 years so I will have to have my degree evaluated again to apply to schools in the US but for the purposes of this post I'm going to assume my credits are equivalent to RA credits.
All courses listed are a grade of C or more; 1000/2000 are lower level and 3000/4000 are upper level. Credits will be in brackets.

BIOL 1040: Biological Principles (6)
BIOL 1045: Biological Principles Lab (3)
BIOL 2012: Intro Genetics w/lab(4)
BIOL 2055: Intro Physiology w/lab (5)
BIOL 2065: Intro Biochemistry w/lab (4)
BIOL 2129: Intro Botany w/lab (4)
BIOL 2245: Intro Molecular Cell Biology w/lab (4)
BIOL 2482: Intro Bacteriology w/lab (4)
BIOL 2585: Intro Ecology w/lab (4)
BIOL 2619: Intro Zoology w/lab (4)
BIOL 3145: Independent Studies (3)
BIOL 3165: Marine Ecology w/lab (4)
BIOL 3173: Marine Biology Field Course w/lab (4)
BIOL 3181: Intro to Embryology w/lab (4)
BIOL 3215: Biology of Algae w/lab (4)
BIOL 3251: Intro Microbiology (3)
BIOL 3685: Crustacean Biology (3)
BIOL 3670: General Parasitology w/lab (9)
BIOL 3702: Vertebrate Zoology w/lab (4)
BIOL 3955: Biological Oceanography w/lab (4)
BIOL 4645: Biology and Conservation of Marine Mammals (3)
BIOL 4592: Aquaculture w/lab (4)
BIOL 4722: Ornithology (3)
BIOL 4731: Mammology w/lab (4)
BIOL 4775: Physiology of Marine Vertebrates (3)
CHEM 1040: General Chemistry (6)
CHEM 1045: General Chemistry lab (3)
CHEM 2401: Organic Chemistry I (3)
PHYS 1050: Enriched Intro to Physics (6)
PHYS 1055: Enriched Intro to Physics lab (3)
GEOL 1041: Earth Origins and Evolution (3)
GEOL 1042: Earth Processes and Resources (3)
MATH 1003: Intro to Calculus I (3)
MATH 1013: Intro to Calculus II (3)
STAT 2264: Statistics for Biology (3)
ENGL 1000: Intro to Literature  (6)
ANTH 3502: Medical Anthropology (3)
SPAN 1203: Intro to Spanish I (3)
SPAN 1204: Intro to Spanish II (3)
PSYC 1003: Intro to Psychology I (3)
PSYC 1004: Intro to Psychology II (3)


Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: 0

Certifications/ Military Experience: Texas Teaching License (it is expired now though)

Budget: Less than $10,000 CAD (~$7,800 USD) - the less the better because I likely want to do a Masters degree in the future. If I could get under $5,000 USD that would be great!

Committments: A few volunteer committments with hours that fluctuate throughout the year, but otherwise not many. I've retired early and my son is grown so it's just myself and my husband and he supports me doing this.

Dedicated Time to Study: My husband and I are getting back to travelling now so when we travel it will likely be for extended periods (like the 24 day trip we're currently on) but when I'm home I can study as much as I'd like. I am not opposed to blocking off a term to study (e.g. 2-3 months) but if I do that I would likely take the next term off.

Timeline: No rush at all. I would prefer to save money over completing it quickly. If it takes me several years to take classes on and off due to our travel schedule that is no problem and would be my preference.

Tuition Assistance/Reimbursement: None (other than possible education tax credits but I'm not counting on them)

Like I said, I really prefer tests over written assignments (one of the reasons I chose Biology for my first degree!) so I don't think a CBE program is the best fit for me.
I've been scrutinizing the degrees such as the BA of Liberal Arts at Excelsior and then taking lots of Psychology classes as the electives mainly because i think it would be cheaper than TESU and would offer course flexibility.
Another option I've looked at is the BS in Psychology from TESU but that looks like it will be more expensive and I'm not sure if I could even do it since that would give me two Bachelors of Science. Am I correct in this assumption?

Is there anything else I should consider in terms of -
- this being a second Bachelor degree for me
- not a US Citizen or resident

I do NOT want to do a Masters degree at this time IF I am able to do a Bachelor degree. I may want to do that some years from now, but for now I'd just like a 2nd Bachelors that I can take my time completing with bursts of time working on classes (e.g. two months of SDC classes and then a month or two off until I get to the cornerstone/capstone courses). This degree is purely for my own personal growth so I don't need a degree that would be "better for my resume/employers" as I have no intention of returning to the workforce.

Thanks so much for any tips, recommendations, or things I need to consider to accomplish this. I really appreciate it.

[allvia]

TESU only offers a BA in Psychology - https://www.tesu.edu/heavin/ba/psychology
- here is the wiki page for it https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan

[Cofffeee]

If you are interested in Psychology and planning to do Masters, maybe you want to look at Masters in Psychology from Walden. You can do Masters in Psych without Bachelor in Psych with them. The rates are very reasonable

[StudiousTraveller]

TESU only offers a BA in Psychology - https://www.tesu.edu/heavin/ba/psychology
- here is the wiki page for it https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan

Yes indeed you are correct! I've looked at these two schools so much I'm getting them muddled up now.

The BA in Psychology would probably be my preferred degree but as far as I can tell it'll be more expensive than a degree from Excelsior. Excelsior then has a BS in Psychology but I'm not sure if I could do that as a second degree since I have a BS already (even though that was in Biology).

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If you are interested in Psychology and planning to do Masters, maybe you want to look at Masters in Psychology from Walden. You can do Masters in Psych without Bachelor in Psych with them. The rates are very reasonable

This is the Masters I'm considering...but in the future. I don't think I have large enough blocks of time to dedicate to this right now.

[dfrecore]

EC is not a fan of 2nd degrees, so you may have a hard time getting that one.

TESU has a BA in Psych, and it's pretty easy to get via alt-credit. Since it's a 2nd bachelor's, you don't need any GE or Free electives - it will all be in the major. You've also already taken Stats and Psych I & II, so you can mark those as completed. And you can use ANTH 3502: Medical Anthropology (3) as an UL SocSci elective as well.

That leaves 33cr to take:
RESEARCH IN EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
- PSY 105: Research Methods in Psychology (SDC)
- PSYx365: Research Methods in Psychology (UL-UExcel)
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY I
- PSY 104: Social Psychology (SDC)
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY II (UL)
- PSYx325: Social Psychology (UExcel)
HISTORY & SYSTEMS OF PSYCHOLOGY
- PSY 312: History & Systems of Psychology (UL-SDC)
PHYSIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY
- PSY 311: Physiological Psychology (SDC)
- PSY-303: Physiological Psychology (UL-Coopersmith)
DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
- PSY 103: Human Growth & Development (SDC)
- PSYx210: Lifespan Developmental Psychology (UExcel)
ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY
- Abnormal Psychology (UL-TECEP)
- PSYx310: Abnormal Psychology (UL-UExcel)
- PSY-302: Abnormal Psychology (UL-Coopersmith)
ETHICS IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
- SOCSCI 108: Ethics in the Social Sciences (SDC)
ELECTIVES - PSYCHOLOGY (need 2)
- PSY 310: Psychology of Personality (UL-SDC)
- BUS 323: Organizational Theory (UL-SDC)
- PSYx315: Psychology of Adulthood & Aging (UL-UExcel)
- PSY-152: Psychology of Personality (UL-Coopersmith)
- PSY-310: Foundations of Stress Management (UL-Coopersmith)
CAPSTONE

There may be more, but these are the ones I'm fairly certain of (TECEP, UExcel, SDC for sure, Coopersmith 90%)

[bjcheung77]

In brief, you have pretty much answered your own question with the following details: incorporate as much Psychology, History, and other humanity and social sciences courses, Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies or Psychology, ~$7,800 USD, blocking off a term to study (e.g. 2-3 months), Excelsior BSLA or TESU BALS/BA Psych.

My suggestion is to get the Excelsior BSLA or TESU BALS with a Social Science concentration + Psychology certificate. Excelsior will be roughly $4000+fees, TESU if you complete 16 credits in 1 term would be $4,639+fees, and whatever other alternative credit courses you will need from ACE/NCCRS sources (Coopersmith, Davar, Sophia.org, Study.com)

Either of those can be done at your pace, you can try to and see if an Excelsior/TESU plan can be made in a spreadsheet decide which plan would be better for you. Put in the courses, cost, provider, time, etc and decide with the information at hand - compare and contrast to see which one fits your needs...

[ss20ts]

Excelsior will require an additional 30 UL credits and they do not want to issue second bachelor's degrees. Those 30 UL courses must be completed after your first degree is conferred too. They will steer you towards a master's there. I'd look at TESU and their BA in Psych.

[rachel83az]

Seconding, thirding, the idea to stay away from Excelsior when you already have a prior Bachelor's degree. Either Psych or History from TESU would be a good choice. I wouldn't do a BALS because that's a bit pointless when you have a BS already.

[StudiousTraveller]

EC is not a fan of 2nd degrees, so you may have a hard time getting that one.

TESU has a BA in Psych, and it's pretty easy to get via alt-credit.  Since it's a 2nd bachelor's, you don't need any GE or Free electives - it will all be in the major.  You've also already taken Stats and Psych I & II, so you can mark those as completed.  And you can use ANTH 3502: Medical Anthropology (3) as an UL SocSci elective as well.

That leaves 33cr to take:
RESEARCH IN EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
- PSY 105: Research Methods in Psychology (SDC)
- PSYx365: Research Methods in Psychology (UL-UExcel)
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY I
- PSY 104: Social Psychology (SDC)
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY II (UL)
- PSYx325: Social Psychology (UExcel)
HISTORY & SYSTEMS OF PSYCHOLOGY
- PSY 312: History & Systems of Psychology (UL-SDC)
PHYSIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY
- PSY 311: Physiological Psychology (SDC)
- PSY-303: Physiological Psychology (UL-Coopersmith)
DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
- PSY 103: Human Growth & Development (SDC)
- PSYx210: Lifespan Developmental Psychology (UExcel)
ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY
- Abnormal Psychology (UL-TECEP)
- PSYx310: Abnormal Psychology (UL-UExcel)
- PSY-302: Abnormal Psychology (UL-Coopersmith)
ETHICS IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
- SOCSCI 108: Ethics in the Social Sciences (SDC)
ELECTIVES - PSYCHOLOGY (need 2)
- PSY 310: Psychology of Personality (UL-SDC)
- BUS 323: Organizational Theory (UL-SDC)
- PSYx315: Psychology of Adulthood & Aging (UL-UExcel)
- PSY-152: Psychology of Personality (UL-Coopersmith)
- PSY-310: Foundations of Stress Management (UL-Coopersmith)
CAPSTONE

There may be more, but these are the ones I'm fairly certain of (TECEP, UExcel, SDC for sure, Coopersmith 90%)

I was afraid EC wasn't going to want to give a 2nd Bachelor degree because they seemed like the least expensive. :-(

Just needing to concentrate on the Psyc classes certainly helps though and looks like a fair few of them can be done on SDC which is where I will start. Thank you for listing these options out. I'll look into each of them to see which might be the best for me to do.

---

Excelsior will require an additional 30 UL credits and they do not want to issue second bachelor's degrees. Those 30 UL courses must be completed after your first degree is conferred too. They will steer you towards a master's there. I'd look at TESU and their BA in Psych.

This is what I was afraid of and finding and paying for 30 more UL credits will likely push the price up. Looking like TESU is probably the way to go.

[Vle045]

Yep, you can count me in with those who contacted EC about a second bachelor’s. They wouldn’t even consider it. Kept steering me toward a Master’s. I don’t remember their cost, but if I recall correctly, they were not on my list for an MBA because of the cost