TESU BA MATH plan - feedback appreciated

[MeOldChina]

Hi, I've just joined the forum and I have found it to be very useful so far in helping me to design a first study plan for the TESU BA in Math. I would really appreciate any feedback on it, especially if I've made any obvious mistakes or if I'm missing any opportunities to reduce the cost. Should I try to include some Study.com courses for the residency waiver? I don't have any previous credit to transfer and I'm starting from scratch. I'm trying to keep it heavy in math and CS as these are the fields I am most interested in studying! Any help would be most appreciated!

Here is what I have come up with so far:

  
INTELLECTUAL & PRACTICAL SKILLS
Written Communication
English Composition I - ENG101, SL, 3 credits, LL
English Composition II - ENG102, SL, 3, LL
Oral Communication
Principles of Public Speaking, DSST, 3, LL 
Quantitative Literacy
College Algebra - MAT101, SL, 3, LL 
Information Literacy
Introduction to World Religions, DSST, 3, LL
 
CIVIC & GLOBAL LITERACY
Diversity - Introduction to Sociology - SOC101, SL, 3, LL
Ethics - Business Ethics and Society, DSST, 3, LL
Civic Engagement - American Government - POLS101, SL, 3, LL

KNOWLEDGE OF HUMAN CULTURES
Spanish Language (1), CLEP, 3, LL 
Spanish Language (2), CLEP, 3, LL
French Language (1), CLEP, 3, LL
French Language (2), CLEP, 3, LL

UNDERSTANDING PHYSICAL/NATURAL WORLD
General Physics I - PHY250– AND –General Physics I Lab - PHY250L, SL, 4, LL
Introduction to Programming in C++ - CS101, SL, 3, LL

GENERAL EDUCATION ELECTIVES
TES-100 Cornerstone: Lifelong Learning Strategies, TESU, 1, LL 
IT Fundamentals - IT 101, SL, 3, LL
Introduction to Psychology - PSY101, SL, 3, LL 
Precalculus - MAT201, SL, 3, LL
General Chemistry I - CHEM101– AND –General Chemistry I Lab - CHEM101L, SL, 5, LL
Introduction to Biology - BIO101, SL, 3, LL

MATHEMATICS
REQUIRED COURSES
General Calculus I - MAT250, SL, 3, LL
General Calculus II - MAT251, SL, 3, LL 
Calculus III (MAT-331), TESU, 3, UL
Linear Algebra (MAT-321), TESU, 3, UL
Introduction to Statistics - MAT202, SL, 3, LL

CAPSTONE
LIB-495 Liberal Arts Capstone, TESU, 3, UL

MATHEMATICS ELECTIVES
Calculus IV – MAT-322, TESU, 3, UL
College Geometry – MAT-361, TESU, 3, UL
Mathematical Logic – MAT401, TESU, 3, UL
Mathematical Modeling – MAT-351, TESU, 3, UL
Discrete Mathematics – MAT-270, TESU, 3, LL

ELECTIVES

Physics II with Lab (PHY-116), TESU, 3, LL 
Data Structures (COS-241), TESU, 3, LL
CS101: Introduction to Computer Science I, Saylor, 3,LL
Introduction to Programming (COS-111),TESU, 3, LL
C Programming (COS-116), TESU, 3, LL 
Assembly Language (COS-231),TESU, 3, LL
R Programming (COS-206), TESU, 3, LL
Computer Architecture (COS-330), TESU, 3, UL
Artificial Intelligence (COS-451), TESU, 3, UL

[dfrecore]

Holy cow, that's a lot of TESU courses! Are you sure this is the school you want to go to for this degree? I would consider going less expensive instead.

If you really want to go to TESU, there are much less expensive ways to get some of the TESU credits.

1) Use ALEKS math for College Algebra, Precalculus, and Statistics $20/mo
2) SL for Intro to C++ Programming
3) Online.Degree.com for Intro to Python Programming for free (when they finally put the courses out there)
4) Study.com for College Geometry, COMPSCI 302: Systems Analysis & Design (CIS-321), and COMPSCI 303: Database Management (CIS-311)
5) Calc III & Linear Algebra through Westcott (an online provider who will put your credits on a transcript from an RA school), cost is $544 and $569.
6) Statistics.com for R Programming $549
7) Rio Salado for Physics II w/Lab
8) More Saylor courses - Strategic IT (should come in as CIS-301), Software Engineering (should be CIS-351)
9) DSST - Cybersecurity (CIS-344)

Otherwise, you will spend a fortune at TESU, which is not what I would recommend for someone.

[davewill]

Even if you were to use the comprehensive tuition plan, you've got 48 TESU credits in there, more than one comprehensive year can hold, plus those are not easy courses. If you want to do this in one comprehensive tuition year at TESU, use dfrecore's suggestions to whittle the TESU credits down to 30 or less (36 is the max TESU allots).

I was going to note that if you're going to take that many CS courses, you might want CS as a second AOS.

https://blog.tesu.edu/the-secret-to-earn...ond-degree

---

On the Study.com thing, with all those TESU courses, you wouldn't have to pay the residency waiver. The Study.com affiliation WOULD save you a boatload on the comprehensive tuition, but you'd have to do it before the end of this month, which would be difficult.

[MeOldChina]

Thanks dfrecore and davewill for your replies, they are very helpful. I don't think I can do the whole degree in less than a year, mostly due to the amount of learning I will need to do for some of the the CS courses, but I'd still like to keep the costs down and avoid being enrolled for more than one year. 

Regarding ALEKS, is there any way to find out which of their courses are currently accepted for ACE credit? There is still a notice on their website implying that their courses are not currently accepted, although I have read on this forum that some of them in fact are. Could anyone help with this, particularly the ones dfrecore mentioned (College Algebra, Precalc and Stats)?

[dfrecore]

ALEKS got an ACE extension - so you have until 8/31 to take College Algebra, Precalculus, and Statistics.

With TESU, there are no enrollment fees, meaning no fee for being enrolled for any length of time. So there's no downside to enrolling now.

If you are starting from scratch in your math courses, then no, you should not enroll in the TESU Comprehensive plan. You would want to wait until you had a lot more of your math completed before doing that, because you can't really start the UL math courses until the LL ones are completed.

I would start on ALEKS, then move onto SL for Calc I & II. You should also look at a CC for courses if you need more than self-study can provide for you.

[MeOldChina]

Thanks drefecore! I'll take your advice. That really helps push the cost down! I'll post updates (and questions, no doubt) from time to time, and I'll be happy to share my experience if any other newbies decide to pursue the BA Math.

[OE800_85]

Hey I think the advice above is spot on but I wanted to add that I successfully completed my BA in Math at TESU and am extremely happy that I did. Here are some observations I'd like to share:

Learning Resources:
0. Khan Academy. Khan Academy. Khan Academy. Khan Academy...did I mention use khan academy? They won't give you credit but for everything leading up to calc 2 they've really got you covered, it also helps with filling the gaps in Algebra knowledge you likely have from our wonderful public education institutions. It's too bad they haven't expanded their content for things going past AP Calc BC, but maybe in the future.
1. 3Blue1Brown...I recommend you don't watch these videos until you get to Linear Algebra, he's really rigorous in his approach, but the intuition series with animations on Vectors, Matrices, and even Calculus were mind blowing for me.
2. PatrickJMT. If you just need to watch a guy go through a specific type of problem, he's your man. A good supplement to mr khan who's got a different "voice"

Cheap sources of credit:
1. I'm quite sure you can get Calc 1 and 2 credit easily without a course, as I recall straighterline had these covered.
2. ALEKS: I was able to get the max credit out of them but unfortunately it seems harder and harder for ACE credit to be recognized at all, maybe I'm wrong about this.
3. The CLEP tests for math are a joke. If you are competent in Calc I and II, no study is required for their college algebra test.

Courses at TESC:
Personally I found the TESC courses not super demanding but you gotta make sure the deadlines don't creep up on you, it's hard to discipline yourself to get it done in pieces, be sure to lay out your own schedule with consequences when you don't meet the deadlines you set for yourself.
That being said, I would order the difficulty of the math courses I took as follows:

College Geometry (can't believe this is senior level credit, high school content)
History of Math (not really a math course, time consuming, but engaging)
Intro to Stats (This is really high school material, you should be fine)
Discrete Math (arguably the most fun course, especially if you're into CS)
Mathematical Logic (kinda like discrete math, lots of ties to CS, but more abstract)
Calc III (Take it when Calc 2 is fresh in your head, these courses really build on one another)
Linear Algebra (this course was a pain, the text feels like it's written in another language and it's a real killer, mainly because of how hard to conceptualize the topics and understand what you're actually doing, but alas every mathematician must get through it)
Mathematical Modeling (I was the most excited about this course but beware, it's the real deal. Closest thing to a graduate course in mathematics doing what real mathematicians do. I failed and ended up switching this class out)

Also, start with 1 course at a time. You're much better off focusing on one branch at a time and getting through it at a faster pace than several at once. Don't enroll until you've gotten all the testing credits out of the way. If you have any questions feel free to PM me and I'll give you my e-mail address, I'm not on here often.

Have you thought about what career path you're considering using this degree for? For me it was teaching.

Best of luck, we need as many math people out there we can get.

[dfrecore]

Not sure when you got your degree OE800_85, but Khan Academy now has Multivariable Calculus, Differential Equations, and Linear Algebra.

They also have courses for the AP exams - Physics 1 & 2, Chem & Bio - so you could use those to study for the CLEP exams if you wanted to instead of taking the courses.

I forgot to mention, you only put the Spanish & French CLEP exams as 6cr each, but if you score high enough, you can get 9cr each. AND, if you want a quick and easy way to get additional credits for those languages, you can take the ACTFL OPIc exams (about $100 and 20 min each) and get 12cr that don't overlap with the CLEP. That would take a bunch of the courses you might need for the Gen Ed Electives out, leaving you with more time to do the math stuff.

[MeOldChina]

Not sure when you got your degree OE800_85, but Khan Academy now has Multivariable Calculus, Differential Equations, and Linear Algebra.

They also have courses for the AP exams - Physics 1 & 2, Chem & Bio - so you could use those to study for the CLEP exams if you wanted to instead of taking the courses.

I forgot to mention, you only put the Spanish & French CLEP exams as 6cr each, but if you score high enough, you can get 9cr each.  AND, if you want a quick and easy way to get additional credits for those languages, you can take the ACTFL OPIc exams (about $100 and 20 min each) and get 12cr that don't overlap with the CLEP.  That would take a bunch of the courses you might need for the Gen Ed Electives out, leaving you with more time to do the math stuff.

That's great, thanks! My Spanish is much stronger than my French, so I'm updating my degree plan after reading what you wrote. For the other stuff I've already been using Khan and PatrickJMT. Their approaches are a little different, but they're good teachers. I'm trying to substitute the non-math, non-physics and non-CS stuff for free/cheap options and the beginner's guide was useful for that.

---

Hey I think the advice above is spot on but I wanted to add that I successfully completed my BA in Math at TESU and am extremely happy that I did.  Here are some observations I'd like to share:

Learning Resources:
0.  Khan Academy.  Khan Academy. Khan Academy. Khan Academy...did I mention use khan academy?  They won't give you credit but for everything leading up to calc 2 they've really got you covered, it also helps with filling the gaps in Algebra knowledge you likely have from our wonderful public education institutions.  It's too bad they haven't expanded their content for things going past AP Calc BC, but maybe in the future.
1.  3Blue1Brown...I recommend you don't watch these videos until you get to Linear Algebra, he's really rigorous in his approach, but the intuition series with animations on Vectors, Matrices, and even Calculus were mind blowing for me.
2.  PatrickJMT.  If you just need to watch a guy go through a specific type of problem, he's your man.  A good supplement to mr khan who's got a different "voice"

Cheap sources of credit:
1.  I'm quite sure you can get Calc 1 and 2 credit easily without a course, as I recall straighterline had these covered.
2.  ALEKS:  I was able to get the max credit out of them but unfortunately it seems harder and harder for ACE credit to be recognized at all, maybe I'm wrong about this.
3.  The CLEP tests for math are a joke.  If you are competent in Calc I and II, no study is required for their college algebra test.

Courses at TESC:
Personally I found the TESC courses not super demanding but you gotta make sure the deadlines don't creep up on you, it's hard to discipline yourself to get it done in pieces, be sure to lay out your own schedule with consequences when you don't meet the deadlines you set for yourself.  
That being said, I would order the difficulty of the math courses I took as follows:

College Geometry (can't believe this is senior level credit, high school content)
History of Math (not really a math course, time consuming, but engaging)
Intro to Stats (This is really high school material, you should be fine)
Discrete Math (arguably the most fun course, especially if you're into CS)
Mathematical Logic (kinda like discrete math, lots of ties to CS, but more abstract)
Calc III (Take it when Calc 2 is fresh in your head, these courses really build on one another)
Linear Algebra (this course was a pain, the text feels like it's written in another language and it's a real killer, mainly because of how hard to conceptualize the topics and understand what you're actually doing, but alas every mathematician must get through it)
Mathematical Modeling (I was the most excited about this course but beware, it's the real deal.  Closest thing to a graduate course in mathematics doing what real mathematicians do.  I failed and ended up switching this class out)

Also, start with 1 course at a time.  You're much better off focusing on one branch at a time and getting through it at a faster pace than several at once.  Don't enroll until you've gotten all the testing credits out of the way.  If you have any questions feel free to PM me and I'll give you my e-mail address, I'm not on here often.

Have you thought about what career path you're considering using this degree for?  For me it was teaching.

Best of luck, we need as many math people out there we can get.

This is a really helpful post - thanks so much! It's great to hear from someone who has already completed the degree. It sounds like most of the exams and courses you took were quite breezy until Linear Algebra and Mathematical Modeling. I'm studying Linear Algebra at the moment so hopefully I'll be in a good position to get a good score, as it will be a while until I take the exam. As for Mathematical Modeling, I also want to take this course, partly out of interest and partly because I might want to do something math-related at graduate level. Did you find any useful study resources, or do you have any tips for preparing in advance? Do you feel that you would have been able to pass if you'd had a longer time to study in advance?

I take your point about studying for one course at a time, but I organize my study into morning and evening sessions - mornings for the courses/exams coming up (one at a time), and then mathematical concepts in general for a couple hours before I go to bed. The reason I do this is that I'm afraid that someday I'll start studying a new course with lots of new ideas that I might struggle to get to grips with in a limited time frame. I'm not particularly smart or quick-thinking , but I think I can go the distance if I put in the work necessary to master each concept. 

Thanks for the PM offer if I have any questions. I'll send you a PM with my email after I post this. No doubt the time will come when I need some help! I'm also thinking about teaching, but I'm not 100% about it - I really like CS, Physics, Engineering and Robotics too, so there is a chance I might try to do a graduate degree in one of those fields. I'm hoping that learning more and progressing through this degree will help me choose a clearer path.