What is the best option for getting a Bachelors degree with minimum additional effort

[dohigg1]

Hi folks! 

I've been a member of the forum for a while and was hoping you could share your experience on the best route for me to take to gain a US RA Bachelors degree by sitting for as few additional credits as possible. I've read many of the threads and there seems to be a lot of options, so I'd appreciate any guidance you could give. 

First, I'm based in UK and so minimum residency or 100% online is perfect. 
Second, I've got a credit assessment from ECE (course-by-course analysis) with the following: 

Most of these credits are in accounting:

• 60 UG at LL 
  
• 16 Graduate Level
  

 The others are: 

• General studies - 10 
  
• Biology - 10 
  
• Chemistry - 10 
  
• Law - 10 
  
• Financial services / Banking - 5.25 
  
• Human nutrition - 2.5
  
• Food safety - 1.5 
  
• Management studies - 15 (UL) 
  
• Housing management - 8 (UL)
  

All of the above have been evaluated as equivalent to US regional accreditation. 

I also have US Credit from University of the People as following: 

• Graduate level - Marketing Management - 3 
  
• Graduate level - Organizational Behavior - 3 
  

Which brings the grand total to 154.25 credits: 109.25 LL, 23 UL and 22 graduate level. 

Thanks for your help in advance! 
D

[Flelm]

Do you have a budget? Do you already have a degree, or would this be your first degree? Does at least one of Biology/Chemisty have a lab component?

Excelsior or TESU are probably your best bets, depending on the answers to those questions.

[rachel83az]

What do you consider to be minimal effort? Some people think exams are easier than papers. Other people would rather hang by their toes than take an exam, so prefer papers.

Take a look at this page to gain a better understanding of what is required for degree completion: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Ch...University

[dohigg1]

Do you have a budget? Do you already have a degree, or would this be your first degree? Does at least one of Biology/Chemisty have a lab component?

Excelsior or TESU are probably your best bets, depending on the answers to those questions.

Thanks for the quick reply. In addition to the credits mentioned I have a UK professional qualification that ECE evaluated to a US RA Bachelors degree. However, my objective is to actually have a "real" Bachelors degree as that is something employers are asking me for and is hindering career progress. 

The Biology and Chemistry courses did have a practical component (these credits are from UK A-levels and practical coursework is about 20 - 30% of the assessment). However, the ECE evaluation doesn't explicitly state a lab component so that might be an issue? 

In terms of budget, I'm flexible on that. Clearly the lower the cost, the better! However, my main concern is not having to do lots more credits as it feels like wasted effort and my day job means I'm often low on time. I want to use as much of what I have as possible and willing to pay a higher rate if its possible to do that.

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What do you consider to be minimal effort? Some people think exams are easier than papers. Other people would rather hang by their toes than take an exam, so prefer papers.

Take a look at this page to gain a better understanding of what is required for degree completion: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Ch...University

Sorry for my lack of clarity. I mean minimal effort in so far as using as many of the credits I already have as possible. Some institutions have lots of specific course requirements so I'm looking for a programme that is as flexible as possible on the credits I can include. For instance, some colleges offer 114 credits to transfer but because my credits are heavily weighted to accounting I might only be able to transfer 60 or so. What I'm really looking for is the most flexible programme on course requirements with maximum credit transfer. I realize a balance will need to be struck between the two factors and that's what I'd appreciate the guidance of this forum on because it's where I'm getting lost.

[rachel83az]

You could probably get a TESU BALS right this moment (this depends on EXACTLY what those courses are). They should take most, except for the UoPeople credits. But perhaps a TESU BSBA in Accounting? You might have most of what's needed there. You'd have to submit your credits there for evaluation for us to better compare between EC and TESU, though.

[freeloader]

What professional credential do you hold? It sounds like you are opposed to a top-up bachelor's/master's program that would build on your credential and experience?

[Flelm]

https://tesu.smartcatalogiq.com/en/Curre...ed-Credits

I'm not sure if SDC/Sophia credits count as "US College Credits". COSC has a similar policy.

[dohigg1]

What professional credential do you hold?  It sounds like you are opposed to a top-up bachelor's/master's program that would build on your credential and experience?

It's the ACCA qualification and for a variety of reasons I want a US degree rather than UK. I'm not aware of any specific US-based 'top-up' but I'm not opposed to it at all. The objective is to specifically obtain a Bachelors degree, so masters is not relevant here. I do want to minimize the number of additional assessments and requirements because I already have more than enough credits (if I'm able to use them) and I want use what I've already done wherever I can instead of doing more.

[rachel83az]

I would recommend applying to TESU and Excelsior submitting your credits there for evaluation. Then you can see which one actually is better for your needs. What you've listed doesn't really mean much until it's listed on a school's evaluation.

[ss20ts]

Without listing what the specific courses are it's hard to tell you what specifically you'll need to complete a degree. You're going to have to take a few more courses. Cornerstone and capstone at a minimum wherever you attend. If you go with TESU you'll need 24 RA credits besides the cornerstone and capstone. For UMPI you'll need to complete at least 30 credits at UMPI and you may need to complete the GEC depending on how WES evaluates your international degree. What's general studies? That doesn't mean anything in the US.