degree in psychology

[samahfr]

Hi everyone, I am so happy I found this forum, thank you all. 

I am Samah, 32 years old and mum to three boys. I moved to the US 1 year ago, currently in Lafayette LA and I would like to pursue a psychology degree in UL. 

I finished high school in France but I did not had the chance to go to college, therefore I have 0 credit.. 

The credit/college system is completely new to me and its getting a bit overwhelming. My plan was to pursue an associate of degree in general studies with a track in psychology in a College Community, transferable to a 4 year institution, but we are not staying in the US forever (3 more years maximum) so I would to complete the degree asap and if possible, in the cheapest way. 

Please find attached the curriculum of the degree in psychology and the associate of degree in general studies. 
University of Lafayette Psychology curriculum and Associate of degree curriculum
I tried to speak with the CC students advisors but I could not get much help, which way is beneficial to me? take all the courses in the associate of degree and transfer to UL, or choose just some courses from that program, earn some credit from it and seeks others on sophia or on Clep and transfer them to UL. 

I am completely lost I hope I can find some help here. 

Also, I have to pass the Accuplacer before choosing the math and english class, I have not done math since high school (except helping with my kids homework (5th and 2nd grade) ! I am afraid to be placed in basic level and I am not sure how to assess the impact of that in my goals of finishing the degree in a short time. 

Many thanks in advance for your help, much needed help !

[rachel83az]

It would be faster, easier, and cheaper to go straight for a Psych Bachelor's degree from TESU. If you're set on the University of Lafayette, we can try to help you. But it won't be fast, easy, or cheap.

[dfrecore]

It will be close to impossible to get a degree from a traditional university, using CC transfer credits, in less than 4 years. My advice is to spend some time on this forum, and consider a BA in Psych from TESU, or even a BLS from UMPI, and then a 2nd degree in Psych from TESU, or a Master's in Psych from Capella or another school.

[indigoshuffle]

I would recommend TESU. Search through degree plans. Spends some more time on the forum. You can finish much faster this way. Pick a template, then make a spreadsheet for yourself in google sheets and post the link when you're done.
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Special:AllPages

[DeanLewis]

I honestly recommend Ashworth College. It is about the cheapest per credit hour option out there, and you can complete an AS in psychology that blends seamlessly with the BS in psychology program that they also offer. They accept a wide array of transfer credit, but the program is also entirely self-paced, and very easy to accelerate through. Each course is typically six open-book exams and two four-page papers. It's a solid program that would prepare you for further study in the field.

[samahfr]

It would be faster, easier, and cheaper to go straight for a Psych Bachelor's degree from TESU. If you're set on the University of Lafayette, we can try to help you. But it won't be fast, easy, or cheap.

Thank you for your answer. I will defintely check out TESU. 
What do you mean by faster ?  How fast can someone complete a bachelor degree ? 

Thank youu

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It will be close to impossible to get a degree from a traditional university, using CC transfer credits, in less than 4 years.  My advice is to spend some time on this forum, and consider a BA in Psych from TESU, or even a BLS from UMPI, and then a 2nd degree in Psych from TESU, or a Master's in Psych from Capella or another school.

I will but I have to say I am kind of lost in all of that. I am not sure by where to start.
I understand now that I can seek credits from different university, CC or online and then transfer them. 

I am so happy I discovered this forum because I was about to sign up for all the courses in the associate of degree in slcc thinking that it is compulsory ? It is pricy + it is really hard to deal with admission.

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I honestly recommend Ashworth College. It is about the cheapest per credit hour option out there, and you can complete an AS in psychology that blends seamlessly with the BS in psychology program that they also offer. They accept a wide array of transfer credit, but the program is also entirely self-paced, and very easy to accelerate through. Each course is typically six open-book exams and two four-page papers. It's a solid program that would prepare you for further study in the field.

I will check if the degrees or credits earned online via college or course platform are recognized outside of the US. 
I am not sure how long we are staying here, and although those options seems very interesting I would hate to make all that effort for nothing. 

Thank you very much for your reply, it is very helpful to understand and to get to know all the different options that are offered to me.

[rachel83az]

At TESU, you can go from 0 credits to graduate in as few as 6 months. Most people on this forum tend to take 12-18 months for a TESU degree. It depends entirely on your abilities and the courses you take. If U of Lafayette only accepts CLEP and maybe DSST exams, as is common at most schools, you're probably not finishing in under 2-3 years. Their policies do not look very friendly towards alternate creidt: https://catalog.louisiana.edu/content.ph...avoid=7136

TESU can also be as cheap as $5-8k, total for a degree. A quick Google search shows that U of Lafayette is at least $5k per semester.

Ashworth College is about $12k for a degree, which is still more than TESU. They're also NATIONALLY Accredited. This sounds better than Regional Accreditation, but it's not. Especially not for someone who is going to be moving abroad and using their degree in another country. France may well evaluate Ashworth College as a big, fat 0. Which would suck. I would not recommend Ashworth unless you can find out ahead of time that it'll be accepted by French authorities. It sounds like a good program, but I would hate for someone to put in all that work, only to be told that they "don't" have a "real" degree.

[dfrecore]

I honestly recommend Ashworth College. It is about the cheapest per credit hour option out there, and you can complete an AS in psychology that blends seamlessly with the BS in psychology program that they also offer. They accept a wide array of transfer credit, but the program is also entirely self-paced, and very easy to accelerate through. Each course is typically six open-book exams and two four-page papers. It's a solid program that would prepare you for further study in the field.

I would never recommend an NA school when you can get an RA degree for less at TESU.  Not even close.  You should ALWAYS choose an RA option if you are able to - if the degree is available for the same or less.

[davewill]

One thing to be aware of if applying to TESU, and many other 4 year schools, is that you might have to do the TOEFL or IELTS. However, since the beginning of your TESU journey would be with alternative credit providers, you would have plenty of time to study for it. This is unlike the CC where you would have to pass the placement test up front or be forced to take remedial or ELD courses.

https://www.tesu.edu/admissions/apply-in...al-student

Applicants who are a citizen of a country where English is not the native language must either:
Submit official results from either the iBT Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS), either the Academic or General Training exam, to the Registrar. At minimum, TOEFL scores should be 79 on the Internet-based test (iBT). At minimum, the IELTS score should be 6.5. Students are responsible for taking either the TOEFL or IELTS and having the official scores sent to the Office of the Registrar at Thomas Edison State University by the Educational Testing Service (ETS).

If you originally come from the U.S or another an English speaking country, then this would not apply.

[samahfr]

At TESU, you can go from 0 credits to graduate in as few as 6 months. Most people on this forum tend to take 12-18 months for a TESU degree. It depends entirely on your abilities and the courses you take. If U of Lafayette only accepts CLEP and maybe DSST exams, as is common at most schools, you're probably not finishing in under 2-3 years. Their policies do not look very friendly towards alternate creidt: https://catalog.louisiana.edu/content.ph...avoid=7136

TESU can also be as cheap as $5-8k, total for a degree. A quick Google search shows that U of Lafayette is at least $5k per semester.

Ashworth College is about $12k for a degree, which is still more than TESU. They're also NATIONALLY Accredited. This sounds better than Regional Accreditation, but it's not. Especially not for someone who is going to be moving abroad and using their degree 

Tyanks you Rachel for your time, your explanations makes the options easy to understand
I have contacted the french degree equivalency center to enquire but they cannot give me an answer on diplomas that have not been obtained ( adding that the statut of a degree or an institution may vary from year to year.. 

I am really interested by Tesu.