Which school and degree is right for me?

[chipD]

I've also taken numerous courses that don't have exams but that I have certificates of completion from if those matter.   
Hello everyone,

I've read thru several threads and discussions here (great information, BTW!) and now I'm to the point to ask the question 'which school and which degree?'.  It seems like TESU or WGU might be a good fit, but I'd like to ask the experts here.

I've worked in IT my entire career (I'm a bit long in the tooth), mostly data and databases as well as cybersecurity (related to databases) and have several certifications.  I've looked at TESU's cybersecurity or data analytics and WGU's cybersecurity or data management - but I am open to any and all options.  My main criteria is I'd like to get my Bachelor degree as quickly as possible. 

I live in Missouri, so TESU is out of state.  I believe WGU has a Missouri school, so it may have in-state tuition.


I've attached a Excel file with all my (unofficial) course list and credits.  I've also taken numerous courses that don't have exams that I have certificates of completion from if those matter.     

Thank you for any and all help.
Thoughts?  questions?

          

[jsd]

I believe WGU has a Missouri school, so it may have in-state tuition.

WGU has the same tuition regardless of what state you live in.

[dfrecore]

I can't tell which ones of these are schools that are Regionally Accredited, and which are just places you took courses/certs that aren't available to get credit (not sure what SMARTS is, nor School of Computer Technology). Otherwise I could help more.

First, you need to figure out the degrees better. The ones you listed are pretty different from each other, so you need to nail that down better.

Second, TESU won't take certs, so if they're current (less than 5 years old), then WGU is a better option for you if you want to bring those over. If they are older than 5 years old, then WGU won't take them at all, but you may end up getting them again if you go through WGU.

Third, both TESU degrees you listed are not able to be tested out of. You can do the Gen Ed's, but not the Area of Study. So that will make them more expensive than other degrees. The Data Analytics degree is a decent price, as you do the AOS courses through Statistics.com, but they are offered in a certain order, and it will take over a year to get through the requirements.

WGU is probably a better option for IT than TESU, as you can bring in all of the Gen Ed's as well as many Major courses, and then take the remainder for a flat ~ $3000 tuition per 6 month term. If you set it up right, you can bring in the right credits to be able to finish in just 1 term. We can help you with that.

[chipD]

Schools:
I think they're all regionally accredited; however, I'm not certain.  Kaplan University and Phoenix University say they're regionally accredited by the higher learning Commission.  SMARTS was the Sailor/Marine American Council on Education Registry Transcript which is now known as Joint Service Transcripts (JST) and is recognized by the American Council of Education (ACE).  Rockhurst University is accredited by North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.  The School of Computer Technology was bought or consumed (not sure of proper term) by the International Academy of Technology & Design (IADT) of Pittsburgh, which was absorbed by the Pittsburgh Career Institute - which says it's accredited by ACICS.

certifications - some of my certifications are older than 5 years.  the CISSP is within 5 years.

degree - I'm not set on either of these degrees.  I just chose those ones as they're closely related to my career and I thought a lot of my knowledge would help with PLA or CLEPs (or other tests).  I'm not set on any of these degrees.  My biggest desire is to get any Bachelor degree  as quickly as possible.  I'm hoping to test out of as many credits as possible and do everything online if possible.

again - thank you for the help with this.  It can get somewhat confusing trying to figure all this out.

[bjcheung77]

Your best bet is with WGU as they will take the Nationally Accredited credits. TESU will not take your computer courses through any ACICS school (they've also lost USDOE national accreditor status). https://www.ice.gov/sevis/acics-loss-acc...ecognition

However, because it's still recognized by CHEA as Nationally Accredited, it'll transfer to WGU hopefully. I would use Straighterline/Study.com or the cheap providers to get any credits needed BEFORE you enroll at WGU.

[chipD]

Thanks BJCheung.

How would I know which courses to take thru Straighterline, study.com, or other sources to get the most credits applied towards one of the degrees? 

Also, should I consider other degrees rather than IT-related; would any other ones be any quicker or simpler?  Again, I just thought about IT because I have so much knowledge in this area that it might help reduce the timeline and cost.

---

I'm also open to other schools if they'd be a better fit.

[Berzerker]

How would I know which courses to take thru Straighterline...

This page might help...

https://www.straighterline.com/colleges/...uivalency/