TESU BACS v.s. SNHU BSCS

[bjcheung77]

Chào bạn!  "Bóng đèn" - Light bulb moment!  Before you begin, you need to decide what is considered a competitive Masters?  You've taken courses from RMIT, which I believe has at least two campuses in Vietnam - Hanoi & HCMC, maybe a third at Da Nang.  I was wondering why you're not continuing with them?  They're a very well known research institution...

Let's get some more background, did you go to an international high school? I asked several members the same question when they first started their journey trying to reach their end goal.  I ask is because many provide college credit through the use of AP/IB, further to that, besides Vietnamese - what other languages do you know?  You have the experience, but do you have certifications along with that?

Since this is a SNHU vs a TESU thread, I vote for TESU as you can customize your degree to your liking and potentially, it's cheaper, easier, faster to complete.  Here are a few posts you may want to review (my posts are #18, 34, 39), you may want to read the entire thread though.  Link: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...ience-TESU

[npvn2]

Thanks everyone, so many great insights here!

SNHU is a good school if you are shooting for a high GPA as 25% of students graduate with a perfect 4.0 GPA and 50% graduate with a 3.5 GPA or better.

TESU, you can earn a high GPA as well. Their exams are usually hard.

I've been thinking about this a lot. Even though I like TESU for its flexibility, the fact that it has many proctored exams and that people usually consider them "hard" really concerns me. Maybe I'm second-guessing myself, but even though I have a lot of industry experience, I consider myself not a good test taker and often perform much poorly in exams than real life work.

Because of this I'm considering SNHU since there's no exam and many people say it's "easy". After all that's what I'm after: A regionally accredited CS degree with GPA as high as possible for future MSCS admission. I don't worry about the fact that the program may not teach me a lot of useful things, as I already have industry experience to make up for that.

Am I thinking in the right direction?

If you are looking at a competitive master's program, then I think the Big 3 are not your best option; instead, I'd probably choose a school where you'd take 30cr in your major through a school.

In this particular instance, SNHU's BS in CompSci/SW Engineering concentration might be a great fit. They are flexible in accepting credits from other schools, Sophia, Study.com, etc. (they are a Sophia partner so it's a bit easier to see what comes in how, but they will take SDC for 100% certain). $9,600 for 30cr there.

Franklin University also allows you to bring in 90cr of RA, NA & ACE; and they have a BSCS degree; I think between Sophia and SDC, you should be good for 90cr. $10,746 for 30cr includes SL scholarship (need to take 4 SL courses to get 10% off)

UMGC is also a good fit, as they have a BSCS, and are partners with Sophia and SDC; I know they allow a full 90cr from SDC, even though they normally only allow 70cr from CC/Alt-credit combined (not sure if they have the same deal with Sophia, or what happens if you have some Sophia and other credit already). $11,227 for 30cr which includes the 25% discount for bringing in an OnlineDegree course.

Wilmington University has a BSCS; I know far less about them though in terms of what you can bring in, but they are a Sophia partner. $11,700 for 30cr.

Wow thanks, so many more options. Could you please share more insights into Franklin, UMGC and Wilmington, especially about their assessment format and generally perceived difficult level?

Chào bạn!  "Bóng đèn" - Light bulb moment!  Before you begin, you need to decide what is considered a competitive Masters?  You've taken courses from RMIT, which I believe has at least two campuses in Vietnam - Hanoi & HCMC, maybe a third at Da Nang.  I was wondering why you're not continuing with them?  They're a very well known research institution...

Let's get some more background, did you go to an international high school? I asked several members the same question when they first started their journey trying to reach their end goal.  I ask is because many provide college credit through the use of AP/IB, further to that, besides Vietnamese - what other languages do you know?  You have the experience, but do you have certifications along with that?

Xin chào! Yeah I had good experience with RMIT, but I'm not thinking about continuing with them due to cost and distance. I didn't go to an international high school, don't know any other foreign language besides English, and unfortunately have no industry certifications despite my years of experience.

By "competitive" I mean programs that are on par with Gatech's OMSCS. It's my dream to pursue a degree at such a highly ranked institution. I don't have a good explanation for why I want that (after all I've been working in the industry for so long), but maybe because I want to experience a prestigious education once in my life (I never really had a chance) and also because I believe a rigorous master program will help me push myself further in my field, given that I've been feeling myself reaching a plateau in my day-to-day work.

[davewill]

I made good use of Prior Learning Assessment (see my signature), however, it does not provide a graded credit for GPA purposes. For this reason, I generally recommend doing a test based course over preparing a PLA portfolio as it is usually less effort. When I did it, there were no good alternative credit sources for my CS courses. However, lack of graded CS credits did not stop me from being accepted to the GA Tech OMSCS. This was due to my experience as working software engineer.

Remember that an application to a master's program is a package. If you have lots of work experience, professional awards or acheivements, good letters of recommendation, or even professional training, they can help even if you don't have a strong GPA or any GPA at all. The main thing grad programs are looking for are students who will be successful in graduating the program.

In your shoes, I would contact the programs I was interested in and discuss your situation with them. Often people used to dealing with undergrad programs don't realize the the admissions staff for grad programs are generally more responsive to questions and are more motivated to work with you.

[npvn2]

I made good use of Prior Learning Assessment (see my signature), however, it does not provide a graded credit for GPA purposes. For this reason, I generally recommend doing a test based course over preparing a PLA portfolio as it is usually less effort. When I did it, there were no good alternative credit sources for my CS courses. However, lack of graded CS credits did not stop me from being accepted to the GA Tech OMSCS. This was due to my experience as working software engineer.

Remember that an application to a master's program is a package. If you have lots of work experience, professional awards or acheivements, good letters of recommendation, or even professional training, they can help even if you don't have a strong GPA or any GPA at all. The main thing grad programs are looking for are students who will be successful in graduating the program.

In your shoes, I would contact the programs I was interested in and discuss your situation with them. Often people used to dealing with undergrad programs don't realize the the admissions staff for grad programs are generally more responsive to questions and are more motivated to work with you.

Thanks for sharing. I'll definitely get in touch with them.

[bjcheung77]

Yes, TESU is great for PLA to get AOS or hard to find courses for cheap... however, PLA credits will only go towards the 30 RA credit requirement, you still need to hit the 16 residency credits OR pay the residency waiver fee.  If you're looking for other Top Masters options, you may want to read this thread, in addition to my post #5 and the last post #14. Link: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...-admission

Another reason TESU was my vote earlier is again ability to customize your degree plan, so you can look at the requirements for your Top 3 choices and 3 backup options and see what their requirements for entry are, make sure to take courses towards those prerequisites while you're doing the PLA or taking courses at TESU.  For backup options, see here: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...#pid361288

[npvn2]

Yes, TESU is great for PLA to get AOS or hard to find courses for cheap... however, PLA credits will only go towards the 30 RA credit requirement, you still need to hit the 16 residency credits OR pay the residency waiver fee.  If you're looking for other Top Masters options, you may want to read this thread, in addition to my post #5 and the last post #14. Link: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...-admission

Another reason TESU was my vote earlier is again ability to customize your degree plan, so you can look at the requirements for your Top 3 choices and 3 backup options and see what their requirements for entry are, make sure to take courses towards those prerequisites while you're doing the PLA or taking courses at TESU.  For backup options, see here: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...#pid361288

I've been seeking information on MSCS prerequisites from various schools that I like. My goal is to have a list of all CS requirements, and then try to fulfil as many of those as possible with RA credits from various sources. Then I'll transfer those credits to a school that is most flexible in accepting transferred credits and finalize a bachelor degree there (probably TESU, with their ability to accept up to 114 credits).

But there's one thing I'm still not sure: Does TESU usually accept transferred credits for courses that aren't in their BACS curriculum? I'm asking because many of the MSCS requirements I've seen aren't in TESU's curriculum, so I don't want to finish those prerequisites just to know later that I can't use them to earn my degree at TESU.

[Flelm]

But there's one thing I'm still not sure: Does TESU usually accept transferred credits for courses that aren't in their BACS curriculum? I'm asking because many of the MSCS requirements I've seen aren't in TESU's curriculum, so I don't want to finish those prerequisites just to know later that I can't use them to earn my degree at TESU.

The short answer is yes. Longer answer is: what courses are you trying to transfer in that TESU doesn't have listed?

[gams007]

But there's one thing I'm still not sure: Does TESU usually accept transferred credits for courses that aren't in their BACS curriculum? I'm asking because many of the MSCS requirements I've seen aren't in TESU's curriculum, so I don't want to finish those prerequisites just to know later that I can't use them to earn my degree at TESU.

The short answer is yes. Longer answer is: what courses are you trying to transfer in that TESU doesn't have listed?

I have a question can you transfer project management or digital marketing as UL requirement in the area of study for a BACS?

[LevelUP]

I have a question can you transfer project management or digital marketing as UL requirement in the area of study for a BACS?

no

For all possiale UL courses for BA Computer Science, refer to the Wiki:
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...ience_Plan

[dfrecore]

Wow thanks, so many more options. Could you please share more insights into Franklin, UMGC and Wilmington, especially about their assessment format and generally perceived difficult level?

Zero insights to give. No clue.

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But there's one thing I'm still not sure: Does TESU usually accept transferred credits for courses that aren't in their BACS curriculum? I'm asking because many of the MSCS requirements I've seen aren't in TESU's curriculum, so I don't want to finish those prerequisites just to know later that I can't use them to earn my degree at TESU.

Much easier for you to give us a list of courses you want to take and we can give you info on those.