TESU AS and BA question

[Ken101]

I will be graduating this year with a BA in CS from TESU. I can also get an ASNSM in CS & Math at the same time. 

My evaluation shows that I have met all the requirements and will not need to take any additional classes for the ASNSM degrees. 

So no extra time or money involved. Among my concerns however is that:
1)     Associates degrees are generally given by community colleges, not 4-year senior colleges.
2)     Associates are lower level degrees and not normally given at the same time as a Bachelors.

I am a college-aged student at the beginning of my career and am concerned that getting all 3 degrees instead of just the BA instead of enhancing my credentials could have the opposite effect.  So should I get all 3 or just the BA?

[shadowgem]

How far away from graduation are you? If you are not quite finished with your BACS, you could maybe apply for the ASNSM Math/CS first since those are complete and then the BACS in the next graduation cycle. I think you need to ensure graduation takes place in the same year in order to not have to pay the residency waiver fee again. 

On the other hand, if you are all done and ready to graduate now, I can't personally see where earning more degrees at the same time would do any harm, especially if it does not require any extra effort or money on your part. You earned them, I would claim them if it were me. Many here have done the same, even intentionally. 

You may not choose to always list both of those ASNSM degrees on your CV especially since the ASNSM in CS would probably just waste space along side of the BACS, but in some cases the ASNSM in Math could be beneficial to include. Also, there are plenty of 4 year colleges that offer both Associate and Bachelor level programs so I wouldn't worry too much about that, although you are right, that it is more common to see the Associates level degree earned first.

[Ken101]

I appreciate your reply. So you believe it is better to get all 3 instead of the BA alone. How would you list these 3 degrees on a resume? Don't you think that it would lead to a lot of questions about TESU

[davewill]

I see no downside to getting them.

[Ken101]

Thanks davewill. Maybe I'm overthinking this and should just get them. Would you get the 3 degrees and use them on your CV or leave the Associates off. Could they actually be of benefit? Or is it merely no harm.  I have heard that many large employers are now using Clearinghouse to verify degrees so that they would see them regardless of whether you list them on your CV or not.

[Supermind]

I have read on this forum that if you applied for a BA & AS at the same time, you basically get the AS for free. You only pay 332 $ graduation fee for the BA. How does it work if you applied for the two degrees separately? Do you end up paying the graduation fee twice?

[shadowgem]

What exactly would bother you about being asked tons of questions about TESU? Thomas Edison State University is a regionally accredited state university that you have earned potentially three degrees from. Like MANY RA schools, TESU offers online degree programs and you earned the credits necessary to complete three of those programs. 

I am sure you worked hard to earn those degrees and this is an accomplishment you should be proud of imo. Most likely you earned the LL credits that are applied to your Associate level degrees as the foundation to prepare you for the course of study in the UL course credits that will lead to your Bachelor level degree. In my experience, earning the degrees and documenting you were able to finish something you started is what most employers will be concerned with, no matter what order you did them in or what your graduation date for each of those programs ends up being.

As for how you could list them on your CV the following could probably work fine:

Thomas Edison State University, Trenton, NJ. Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science, *GPA/Date optional 
Relevant Courses: highlight any courses you completed that may be relevant to the job you are applying to. For example if they are looking for someone with X programming language and you completed courses in those specific languages or X certifications and those certifications were part of your degree program you could optionally list them here in order to highlight them.

As to the associates, I'm not 100% sure if these would be considered a double major by TESU or two separate degrees. If they are, you could easily list them something like this after your BACS:

Thomas Edison State University, Trenton, NJ. Double Major:
Associate in Science in Natural Science and Mathematics, Computer Science, *GPA/Date optional 
Associate in Science in Natural Science and Mathematics, Mathematics, *GPA/Date optional

or if not considered a double major you could list them both separately and after your BACS like this:
Thomas Edison State University, Trenton, NJ
Associate in Science in Natural Science and Mathematics, Computer Science, *GPA/Date optional 
Associate in Science in Natural Science and Mathematics, Mathematics, *GPA/Date optional

The most advanced degree should always be listed first on your resume. Whether or not you choose to include all three programs on your CV is up to you. You are not required to list any degree on your resume, so what works for you is what I would say works best.

*As a new grad its not uncommon to list either but neither is required and once you are a few years past graduation its typically less common to see applicants list graduation dates on their resume.

[davewill]

Thanks davewill. Maybe I'm overthinking this and should just get them. Would you get the 3 degrees and use them on your CV or leave the Associates off. Could they actually be of benefit? Or is it merely no harm.  I have heard that many large employers are now using Clearinghouse to verify degrees so that they would see them regardless of whether you list them on your CV or not.

If they truly take no extra effort, I say go ahead and get them and list them. I don't believe that they would count against you in any way. However, I also don't think they are worth any extra effort, money or time. When I got my BACS, I was one course away from being able to get the ASNSM in CS at the same time, but it wasn't worth taking the extra course, for me, so I didn't bother.

[alab21]

Thanks davewill. Maybe I'm overthinking this and should just get them. Would you get the 3 degrees and use them on your CV or leave the Associates off. Could they actually be of benefit? Or is it merely no harm.  I have heard that many large employers are now using Clearinghouse to verify degrees so that they would see them regardless of whether you list them on your CV or not.

I don’t know that the associates in CS is worth anything since you’re earning the BACS, but I could see an employer looking for a programmer with strong/advanced math skills, and the AS in math might give you an edge.


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[Ideas]

The ASNSM in Math seems good to have, but I would weigh that against the time and money. I think it makes sense to skip is the time and money can be used toward a grad cert, Masters, or certification(s).