Which College/Degree? A lot of credits.

[rachel83az]

If your goal is an MBA, I wouldn't jump into a BALS. A BALS is fine, but not having a Business degree could wind up "locking you out" of an MBA program that you want. The BALS might be "almost done", but does it actually get you closer to your goals? I really don't think so. And, IMO, it doesn't look as nice on a resume as a BSBA, Environmental Science, or Computer Science. What if something happens and you're not able to continue with your plans? Will you be happy listing just a BALS on your resume, after all the work you've put into your degree?

[dillpickles]

If your goal is an MBA, I wouldn't jump into a BALS. A BALS is fine, but not having a Business degree could wind up "locking you out" of an MBA program that you want. The BALS might be "almost done", but does it actually get you closer to your goals? I really don't think so. And, IMO, it doesn't look as nice on a resume as a BSBA, Environmental Science, or Computer Science. What if something happens and you're not able to continue with your plans? Will you be happy listing just a BALS on your resume, after all the work you've put into your degree?

Right. If my current job doesn't work out (I just jumped jobs after 8 years at the same one), I'd rather have a degree on my resume that aligns with my field which would be CS or BA. And my goal is absolutely to jump into MBA because I'm at Director level right now and would like to jump to VP level in a couple of years - that MBA will matter.

So I guess the question is: if I choose to go BSBA or CS, can I get those at the same time, and what does that look like with my current transcript? I'm guessing I'll get those answers after the eval.

---

dillpickles


100% - great advice!  I was moving through my Info Sys/Web Dev degree well and then I got offered a job, and that was the last time I went to school (8 years ago). I'm determined to wrap this all up and find the best way to get one degree, and if two degrees takes a class or two more, get two. All of my transcripts are sent and hoping that I get some answers in the next few weeks. 

Now to decide what to take on Sophia in the meantime.

I think people are all excited by all of your courses and throwing out SO MANY options, and though they're not all bad, they're not all great either.  It's just way too much. Skip the AA's and just worry about the BA that you're closest to.  Everything else is just fluff, or things you really shouldn't be wasting your time on.  Not trying to be mean to others, but honestly, there's just no need to do all of this.

Pick ONE degree.  That is it.

And just an FYI, I think your UL needs to be in your major/AoS.  So, Stats & Database SQL will not count.  Even if they will count either of those, they will only count 1 because there is only space for 4cr of non-Environmental Studies courses in the plan, meaning just one of those UL courses.

That means that you have to take a 16cr term at TESU, and you have to take Global Issues and Society (GLB-301) as one of your courses.  If they will not let Stats or Database count towards your UL, then you cannot get this degree because they don't offer the courses you need to get it.  So, if this is your first choice, be practical about whether or not it's doable.

My second choice would be a BALS, as crazy as that may sound - because honestly, a BSTS is just as generic, but in a different direction.  There is no reason to go out of your way to get this degree if it doesn't matter.  With a BALS, you are practically done.  All of your AoS, including LL & UL is done.  All of your Free Electives are done.  Most of your GE is done.  You can do Sophia, Study.com, whatever to get the 4 GE courses you need and do the Cornerstone and Capstone at TESU and be done.  Or you can do a single 18cr term there, and cover everything you need.  Or you can do a couple of classes to get the requirements done and then do a 16cr term.  Whatever makes you happy.

I might go to Saylor right now, and take ENVS203: Environmental Ethics, Justice & Worldviews - it's $5 to take the exam, and if you pass, there's your Ethics requirement, done.  Then, take GEOG101: World Regional Geography or SOC101: Intro to Sociology - there's your diversity requirement, done.  Finally, POLSC201: Intro to Western Political Thought or POLSC221: Intro to Comparative Politics, and there's your Civic Engagement requirement, done.  All for $15.

Then, instead of the 1cr TECEP you were going to register for, do the COM-209: Public Speaking TECEP or the ENG-202: Technical Communication TECEP.  Oral Communications requirement, done.

Obviously, if you do a 16cr term, you could incorporate any of the above into the plan.

But it really does not pay to reach really hard for a degree that won't get you much, when there's one that's RIGHT there, without almost any effort.  It looks like you've been going to college for a very long time, with no degree. So, take that low-hanging fruit, and get a BALS and be done with it.  You could literally be done by the end of the year.

Thanks so much for the guidance. What does it look like cost-wise if I choose to go this route to wrap up a BALS quickly and then immediately jump into a BSBA?  Would that make sense?  Grab the low hanging fruit and then move on to my goals.

[LevelUP]

Right. If my current job doesn't work out (I just jumped jobs after 8 years at the same one), I'd rather have a degree on my resume that aligns with my field which would be CS or BA. And my goal is absolutely to jump into MBA because I'm at Director level right now and would like to jump to VP level in a couple of years - that MBA will matter.

So I guess the question is: if I choose to go BSBA or CS, can I get those at the same time, and what does that look like with my current transcript? I'm guessing I'll get those answers after the eval.

You can get the BSBA and BA CS at the same time.

You will need the following to complete the CS and I would do them in this order at Study.com

Operating Systems
Management Info Systems UL
Database Management UL
Systems Analyst UL
Discrete Math
Data Structures
Computer Architecture UL


A lot of these courses you should be able to do in around 20 hours each.

I don't think you save much time doing to the BALS and you'll regret not doing the computer science degree.

The MBA is a good choice as well. Even if you don't get the VP job, you may still get a salary bump with an MBA. WGU's MBA can be done in 6 months or less for around $4000. There are some other options as well.

[dillpickles]

Right. If my current job doesn't work out (I just jumped jobs after 8 years at the same one), I'd rather have a degree on my resume that aligns with my field which would be CS or BA. And my goal is absolutely to jump into MBA because I'm at Director level right now and would like to jump to VP level in a couple of years - that MBA will matter.

So I guess the question is: if I choose to go BSBA or CS, can I get those at the same time, and what does that look like with my current transcript? I'm guessing I'll get those answers after the eval.

You can get the BSBA and BA CS at the same time.

You will need the following to complete the CS and I would do them in this order.

Operating Systems
Management Info Systems UL
Database Management UL
Systems Analyst UL
Discrete Math
Data Structures
Computer Architecture UL


A lot of these courses you should be able to do in around 20 hours each.

I don't think you save much time doing to the BALS and you'll regret not doing the computer science degree.

The MBA is a good choice as well. Even if you don't get the VP job, you may still get a salary bump with an MBA. WGU's MBA can be done in 6 months or less for around $4000. There are some other options as well.

These two degrees feel like they are well aligned - just not the easiest path, obviously. Are any of these courses able to be taken outside of TESU?  Do you see any gen-ed holes that I need fill (I think sociology is one, is Ethics another?).  Will I need to take Calc I since I skipped it and hopped straight to Calc II?

[carrythenothing]

You will need the following to complete the CS and I would do them in this order.

Operating Systems
Management Info Systems UL
Database Management UL
Systems Analyst UL
Discrete Math
Data Structures
Computer Architecture UL

These two degrees feel like they are well aligned - just not the easiest path, obviously. Are any of these courses able to be taken outside of TESU?  Do you see any gen-ed holes that I need fill (I think sociology is one, is Ethics another?).  Will I need to take Calc I since I skipped it and hopped straight to Calc II?

All of them can be done at Study.com: https://study.com/college/school/thomas-...rsity.html

You won't need calculus I. (See my earlier post for the policy.)

[rachel83az]

Right. If my current job doesn't work out (I just jumped jobs after 8 years at the same one), I'd rather have a degree on my resume that aligns with my field which would be CS or BA. And my goal is absolutely to jump into MBA because I'm at Director level right now and would like to jump to VP level in a couple of years - that MBA will matter.

So I guess the question is: if I choose to go BSBA or CS, can I get those at the same time, and what does that look like with my current transcript? I'm guessing I'll get those answers after the eval.

I'm guessing that, right now, you're pretty close to Environmental Studies, not super close to Computer Science, a bit further away from a BSBA (CIS or Marketing). But we'll see when the evaluation arrives.

You can definitely get the BSBA CIS and the BA CS at the same time. You cannot (as far as I'm aware) get them separately. If you got the BA CS, graduated, then returned to TESU, I think you would need to get the BSBA Marketing. Possibly General Management, but that's a generic degree that I'm not really in favor of when you can get a more targeted degree.

Thanks so much for the guidance. What does it look like cost-wise if I choose to go this route to wrap up a BALS quickly and then immediately jump into a BSBA?  Would that make sense?  Grab the low hanging fruit and then move on to my goals.

There are several possibilities when it comes to getting two degrees at TESU:

Path 1:
16-credit flat-rate term to avoid the residency waiver fee - $4778
Graduation audit fee: $298
2nd application fee: $50
2nd capstone: $1605
2nd Graduation audit fee: $298
I'm not 100% sure what the "return to graduate" fee is, but that could be another $103 if you graduate twice.

Total: $7029 or $7132

Path 2:
16-credit flat-rate term to avoid the residency waiver fee - $4778
No graduation yet
2nd capstone: $1605
Graduation audit fee: $298

Total: $6681

Path 3 (if you can set aside enough free time):
16-credit flat-rate term to avoid the residency waiver fee - $4778 - this one includes both capstones
Graduation audit fee: $298

Total: $5076

Path 4 (no flat-rate terms):
Cornerstone: $1605
Capstone 1: $1605
Residency waiver fee: $3125
Graduation fee: $298
2nd application fee: $50
Capstone 2: $1605
2nd residency waiver fee (there is some dispute over whether or not this would be due if you graduate 2x in a 12 month period, but it looks likely): $3125
2nd graduation fee: $298

Total: $10,351

Path 5 (no flat-rate terms):
Cornerstone: $1605
Capstone 1: $1605
Capstone 2: $1605
Residency waiver fee: $3125
Graduation fee: $298

Total: $8238

[carrythenothing]

I'm not 100% sure what the "return to graduate" fee is, but that could be another $103 if you graduate twice.

The "return to graduate" fee is for inactive students (so it's actually cheaper to become active again by enrolling in a 1-credit TECEP): https://tesu.smartcatalogiq.com/current/...scriptions

[rachel83az]

I don't think you save much time doing to the BALS and you'll regret not doing the computer science degree.

I completely agree with this. It would only save a few months, if that, to get a BALS vs. BA CS. As long as you actually want that degree, it doesn't make much sense to just "settle" for a BALS. A BA CS looks better on a resume than a BALS, certainly. So you could well get better job offers by sacrificing a few extra months. Worth it, IMO.

Operating Systems
Management Info Systems UL
Database Management UL
Systems Analyst UL
Discrete Math
Data Structures
Computer Architecture UL

These two degrees feel like they are well aligned - just not the easiest path, obviously. Are any of these courses able to be taken outside of TESU?  Do you see any gen-ed holes that I need fill (I think sociology is one, is Ethics another?).  Will I need to take Calc I since I skipped it and hopped straight to Calc II?

Course suggestions for gen eds: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...ts_Roadmap
Computer science: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...ience_Plan
"Business core": https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...re_Roadmap
Computer Information Systems: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan
Marketing: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan

Once you see how fast you can go through alt-source courses, you'll be amazed.

Nothing for these degrees currently needs to be taken from TESU. Though, we do often suggest Software Engineering as part of an easy 16-credit term for CS students. Environmental Studies might or might not need a TESU class.

[ss20ts]

If your goal is an MBA, I wouldn't jump into a BALS. A BALS is fine, but not having a Business degree could wind up "locking you out" of an MBA program that you want.

This is very true when it comes to MBAs. While many MBA programs will accept students without business degrees, often times they have to take prereq courses before they can even start the MBA courses. And you pay that school's tuition & fees on those prereq courses. I saw this over and over when I was looking at MBA programs. Completing my second bachelor's degree got me waived from 4 prereq courses in my current MBA program.

[davewill]

If your goal is an MBA, I wouldn't jump into a BALS. A BALS is fine, but not having a Business degree could wind up "locking you out" of an MBA program that you want.

This is very true when it comes to MBAs. While many MBA programs will accept students without business degrees, often times they have to take prereq courses before they can even start the MBA courses. And you pay that school's tuition & fees on those prereq courses. I saw this over and over when I was looking at MBA programs. Completing my second bachelor's degree got me waived from 4 prereq courses in my current MBA program.

Not to mention that "life happens" and if they never get around to the MBA, they might really be glad they have a business degree.