best way to get a CS degree for people with experience?

[bwokbwok]

Your Location: Washington, United States
Your Age: 28
What kind of degree do you want?: Computer Science 
Current Regional Accredited Credits: I have completed a general study associate degree from a community college near Seattle. Also went to a different community college and finished a few chemistry and biology classes.

Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: 
Sophia Classes I have completed: 
Calculus I
Introduction to Information Technology
Introduction to Java Programming
Introduction to Networking
Introduction to Relational Databases
Introduction to Web Development
Principles of Management

Any certifications or military experience? No

Budget: Not tight on budget but want to spend as little as possible, within 8k is ideal, but I care about saving time more than cost.

Commitments: working full time as a web developer, no pet no kid

Dedicated time to study: I can spend about 2-3 hours on weekday and 5-8 hours on weekend.

Timeline: As fast as possible.  I would like to finish within 1-1.5 years (12-18 months)

Tuition assistance/reimbursement: I don't believe I am eligible. Female with 100k annual salary, would love to apply for scholarship if there's any good recommendation.

Hello all, I have been working as a web dev for the past 2 years. I don't have a bachelor degree and feel like this is making it harder to get a new job especially for all the recent changes in the IT field.

I was planning to get a degree via WGU and transfer credit from Sophia and study.com. After looking through a lot of information online, I doubt that I can finish WGU in one term (6 month) even if I transferred in everything from Sophia and study.com.

Then I found out about TESU which I think maybe a better option for me since I can transfer in even more classes from outside sources and really just pay for one term in TESU.

At this point, I want to complete the degree asap instead of worrying about the quality of my education since I am already working in IT. I heard that TESU is very flexible so I am hoping I can get about 60-70 credits transferred from my associated degree. 21 credits from Sophia (If I am right about each course is 3 credits). And I am planning to take 8 classes or more via study.com (about 24 credits). Then I will finish the remaining classes with TESU. 

Is this a correct estimation?
Is there any better options for me?
Do WGU graduates have a significant advantage in getting into Master degree in the future comparing to TESU?
When should I start applying for TESU if I think it will take me 4 months to finish all classes vis study.com? (I know that I will be transferring credits from 4 different sources, 2 community colleges, Sophia and study.com)

Just want to say thank you all for all the good information, I tried to read as much as possible but feeling a little dizzy at this point haha. But this guide is amazing! 
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan

[davewill]

As far as getting in to a Master's, I'd say they are very similar. Your experience adds a lot to the application. This allows the bachelor's degree to be more of a "check the box" rather than being the main basis of the admission decision. Plenty of people have been accepted to programs like Georgia Tech's OMSCS and traditional programs with either degree.

I'd say TESU is probably easier to do, although a bit more pricy than WGU. As far as applying to TESU, the best time is always as soon as you think you might want to go there. The application only costs $50 plus an extra $50 for the Med Terminology TECEP to become an enrolled student. You then send in all your transcripts. It places you under no obligation to start courses, it locks in your catalog, and helps shield you from future policy changes. The academic eval they provide will help you in your decision. You can also go ahead and work on alt credit that works for both schools while you decide.

P.S. If you go ahead and fill in the coursework from your previous colleges, people will be better able to help plan either degree.

[rachel83az]

Is this a correct estimation?

It's hard to be 100% sure without knowing exactly what credits you already have. But I'll tentatively say that, yes, it sounds about right.

Is there any better options for me?

Probably not. WGU is a good option for many students, but it's not for everyone. There is also a BS IT at PUG (emphasis in Software Engineering), but it takes a lot of writing and definitely isn't for everyone. You're looking at a minimum of 45-50 papers for that degree, even if you transfer in as many credits as they allow.

Do WGU graduates have a significant advantage in getting into Master degree in the future comparing to TESU?

Master's degree programs look at your whole package. If you've got a good application, it doesn't really matter where your Bachelor's degree is from.

When should I start applying for TESU if I think it will take me 4 months to finish all classes vis study.com? (I know that I will be transferring credits from 4 different sources, 2 community colleges, Sophia and study.com)

Now! Immediately! Apply and then pay for (but do not take the Medical Terminology TECEP. This way you know exactly where you stand with TESU and aren't duplicating potential credits. There is also the possibility that TESU won't think that your math class was sufficient (or something along those lines) and you have to take College Algebra from Sophia. It's not common, but such things do happen.

Just want to say thank you all for all the good information, I tried to read as much as possible but feeling a little dizzy at this point haha. But this guide is amazing! 
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan

Are you going for the dual degree? If not, that degree plan may be more confusing than helpful. But if you want both degrees, go for it! It's only slightly more time/effort than just completing a single degree through TESU.

[bwokbwok]

Thank you for all the respond above, I have applied to TESU and have requested 2 transcripts to be sent to TESU

These are the classes I remember taking and passed in 2 different colleges, most of them are taken in 2014-2016, last 4 classes in 2019
English 101,
English 102,
Intro to Psych,
Pre-Calculus I,
Pre-Calculus II,
Calculus I,
Art History,
Drama,
2 Accounting classes,
2 Econ classes,
Physics with lab,
Geology,
A class about multicultural study,
Public speaking,
Microbiology,
Chemistry,
Anatomy,
Physiology

[davewill]

Thank you for all the respond above, I have applied to TESU and have requested 2 transcripts to be sent to TESU

These are the classes I remember taking and passed in 2 different colleges, most of them are taken in 2014-2016, last 4 classes in 2019
...

That's great! If you don't have them, you should get copies of your old transcripts sent to yourself so you know exactly what is on them.

If there's only two transcripts to send, TESU will evaluate those with you in applicant status, they require you to become enrolled by registering for something to do more than two. So, you can go ahead and wait on the Medical Terminology TECEP until you're ready to send in some of your ACE courses.

[bjcheung77]

@bwokbwok, Welcome to the board, that's a great intro post with the addendum and template. Just wondering, did you do Bio I and Bio II at the community college? If so, you can always add an Associates to your double Bachelors, I think your assessment of doing the double Bachelors is a great idea, you'll be well versed in Business & Comp Sci without needing too much extra energy, money, time to spend on the requirements. I would make sure to do the BACS first and then BS CIS as that's your intended degree...

WGU is a great institution, even though they have a WA affiliate or is state endorsed, they're still exclusively known as an online institution that's private/non-profit. TESU is a public/state institution, I usually recommend these type of institutions first, you can always ladder up to a WGU Masters afterwards. Something like this, TESU BACS/BS CIS - two degrees, ladder to WGU MBA/MS Data Analytics... Unless you're looking for a one and done solution, you can do WGU Bachelors and WG Masters.

[bwokbwok]

@bwokbwok, Welcome to the board, that's a great intro post with the addendum and template.  Just wondering, did you do Bio I and Bio II at the community college?  If so, you can always add an Associates to your double Bachelors, I think your assessment of doing the double Bachelors is a great idea, you'll be well versed in Business & Comp Sci without needing too much extra energy, money, time to spend on the requirements.  I would make sure to do the BACS first and then BS CIS as that's your intended degree...

WGU is a great institution, even though they have a WA affiliate or is state endorsed, they're still exclusively known as an online institution that's private/non-profit.  TESU is a public/state institution, I usually recommend these type of institutions first, you can always ladder up to a WGU Masters afterwards.  Something like this, TESU BACS/BS CIS - two degrees, ladder to WGU MBA/MS Data Analytics... Unless you're looking for a one and done solution, you can do WGU Bachelors and WG Masters.

I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to offer your insights. You know more about TESU than most of the TESU staff haha. Yes, I took a few Bio classes in a community college, was trying to get into nursing but changed my mind. I would definitely focus on BACS and trying to sneak in the BS CIS and an Associates. 

And I thought that TESU looks better on the resume than WGU because TESU is not as well-known as an online institution. So seeing your comment here is really reassuring.

Again, thank you all of you who is trying to help me. I see you all spending time and trying to help everyone in other posts and discussion. I have learnt so much in this forum.

[LevelUP]

I agree with Davewill that your job experience will give you a huge edge when applying for master's programs. 

People who go to the colleges we recommend have gone on to master's programs or to law school at T30 universities, such as Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University, Cornell University, University of Texas at Austin, and Georgia Institute of Technology.

For computer science, there are 3 colleges we recommend: TESU, WGU, and SNHU.  SNHU will take longer and cost more than TESU or WGU.

Once you pick your college, the next step is to create a spreadsheet and plan out all the courses you will need to complete your degree.

[bjcheung77]

I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to offer your insights. You know more about TESU than most of the TESU staff haha. Yes, I took a few Bio classes in a community college, was trying to get into nursing but changed my mind. I would definitely focus on BACS and trying to sneak in the BS CIS and an Associates. 

And I thought that TESU looks better on the resume than WGU because TESU is not as well-known as an online institution. So seeing your comment here is really reassuring.

Again, thank you all of you who is trying to help me. I see you all spending time and trying to help everyone in other posts and discussion. I have learnt so much in this forum.

You're welcome, here's the links to the TESU add-on certs and associates, you don't have to do any extra work if you have all the classes on route to the Bachelors.  So, I suggest adding the AS Biology & Math as you'll get all the math classes completed when you do the BACS/CIS combo degree.

Basically, it all depends on the student and if they really need or want the extra cheapie or freebie... If you have more than 1 class remaining, you may want to decide on completing or skipping the extra add-ons here, as your main focus remains to get the BACS first and CIS combo degree afterwards....

Associates: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...gree_Plans
Certs: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...cate_Plans