Long-time lurker, first post — hoping to tap into the collective wisdom here before I pull the trigger on this.
**My background**
I'm based in the UK, working full-time in IT with 25+ years of experience across cloud architecture, infrastructure, and security. I hold the Google Professional Cloud Architect, Google Professional DevOps Engineer, and Certified Kubernetes Administrator certifications. No formal bachelor's degree, which is starting to matter as I look at senior and leadership roles — and potentially a master's down the line.
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**What I'm targeting**
After a lot of research (including deep dives on this forum — thank you all), I've landed on the **TESU BS Cybersecurity** as my top candidate. My reasons:
- It's 100% online and accessible to international students
- TESU explicitly states that professional cybersecurity certifications can be evaluated for PLA credit — my GCP certs feel directly relevant to CYB-4500 and CYB-4510 - needs validation
- The maths requirement stops at College Algebra + Statistics (no calculus, no physics)
- The programming requirement is minimal — Computer Programming I and Database Programming, not algorithms or data structures
- The content (networking, firewalls, Linux, risk management, compliance, ethical hacking) maps well to my actual day-to-day experience
- Only a 15-credit residency requirement at TESU
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**My transfer credit plan (as I currently understand it)**
I'm planning to front-load as much as possible via Sophia and Study.com before enrolling:
*Sophia Learning (~30 credits):*
- English Composition I & II
- College Algebra
- Introduction to Statistics
- Introduction to Sociology, Introduction to Ethics, U.S. Government
- Microeconomics, U.S. History I & II, Criminology
- Introduction to Networking
- Introduction to Relational Databases
- Introduction to Python Programming (for Computer Programming I)
- Computer Applications
*Study.com (~18 credits):*
- Operating Systems
- Routing & Switching Fundamentals
- Linux Fundamentals
- Windows Server Configuration
- Wireless Networking
- Database Programming / SQL
*GCP Cert (PLA):*
- Hoping to get CYB-4500 (Cloud Computing) and/or CYB-4510 (Cloud Security and Privacy) evaluated for credit. Will contact TESU admissions before enrolling to understand the process.
That leaves me with roughly the 9 core CYB-prefix courses + capstone to complete at TESU — which I'm happy to do properly.
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**My questions for the community:**
1. **Has anyone done the TESU BS Cybersecurity from outside the US?** Any friction or specific gotchas for international students I should know about?
2. **Sophia to TESU transcript process** — I've read that Sophia must go via Credly (NOT Parchment) to TESU. Is this still accurate as of 2025/2026? Any recent experiences?
3. **Study.com to TESU** — I understand Study.com sends directly to TESU and the ACE transcript is NOT accepted. Can anyone confirm this is still the case?
4. **PLA for GCP certs at TESU** — Has anyone successfully had a vendor cloud certification evaluated for PLA credit at TESU (or another institution)? What did the submission look like? How long did the eval take?
5. **Sophia course order / sequencing** — Is there an optimal order to tackle the Sophia courses? I've heard some have Touchstones (written assignments) that introduce delays — should I pair a Touchstone course with a non-Touchstone one to keep moving?
6. **TECEP exams** — Are there any TECEP options for the ITS-level courses (operating systems, Linux, networking) that might be faster/cheaper than Study.com?
7. **Anything I've missed or gotten wrong in my plan?** Would really appreciate a sanity check from anyone who has done this degree or a similar TESU tech degree.
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**My constraints in a nutshell:**
- UK-based, working full-time
- Want to minimise cost and time
- Comfortable with cloud/security/networking content, not looking for a heavy maths or programming-intensive degree
- Experienced professional — need the credential, not an education in things I already know
- Happy to put in the effort on gen ed to save tuition money
Any advice, war stories, or tips from people who've been through this (especially internationally) would be hugely appreciated. Thanks in advance!
I'm borrowing the login my daughter was using when she was working on her degree plan. Here's my info:
Your Location: California
Your Age: 48
What kind of degree do you want?: Bachelor - not picky on the major
Current Regional Accredited Credits: 63
Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: 34 (WGU - not sure if this fits in this category or not?)
Any certifications or military experience?: No
Budget: I don't want to throw money away, but this isn't a concern
Commitments: I work FT from home, homeschool my kids, and am pretty busy, in general
Dedicated time to study: not a ton
Timeline: 1 year - to graduate with my daughter
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: n/a
My daughter (senior) has been working through her degree plan and should be graduating next year. I'd love to join her and I think I only have a few classes left. Here's my plan, but I'm open to any advice because I'm not sure what level the WGU classes will transfer as? Any thoughts?
Guys, this is deciding whether I can continue with this BBA program this year.
I have my first bachelor's and master's degrees, and I've already transferred most of my courses through them. I'm currently studying the remaining professional courses and preparing to transfer. I was planning to pay for expedited courses, but I found out I also have to take SOS-1100 and Capstone. However, it seems my SOS-1100 is exempt. I don't know if this is true? If so, I only need to pay the Capstone credit fee, totaling $1800.
If not, I feel I need to pause this program because I can't currently afford this huge expense, and it doesn't seem worth it.
Could you check what "Waived" is shown on my program plan?
See the attachment showed:
Information Literacy (INSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENT) 3SH To meet this requirement, students MUST take SOS-1100 Fact, Fiction, or Fake? Information Literacy Today (formerly Critical Information Literacy) at Thomas Edison State University.Waived.
Just finished up my bachelors in December and planning on applying for OTS. Anyone got recommendations for studying the Airforce Officers Qualifying Test? Study.com has one, but thought I'd ask here before signing up.
Just recently quit my casino job, looking to go Active Duty officer route over AFR + Casino Job lol.
My spouse needs to decide on his degree path soon. I suggested he apply for the UMPI BABA based on the recommendations here and what he currently has. He wants to finish quickly, but would also like a more technical degree that is better aligned with his IT project management background (10+ years of experience). He's open to all platforms/methods for credits before transferring over.
Your Location: Texas Your Age: 45 What kind of degree do you want?: He wants a BS with an IT or PM focus, but he needs to finish quickly. Hoping for a balance of speed and relevance.
Current Regional Accredited Credits: Houston Community College GRADECOURSE A ENG 1301 (COMP I) C RELE 1301 (Principles of Real Estate) ARELE 1211 (Law of Contracts) ARELE 1307 (Real Estate Investments)
Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: CLEP PASS Western Civilization II
Sophia.org GRADE COURSE A Art History I A Art History II A Developing Effective Teams A Environmental Science A Financial Accounting BIntroduction to Business B Introduction to Ethics A Introduction to Information Technology A Introduction to Nutrition A Introduction to Web Development B Macroeconomics B Microeconomics A US History I A Visual Communications BProject Management B Algebra I A Introduction to Sociology TBD Workplace Writing II (in process)
Any certifications or military experience?: PMP - Project Management Professional CSM - Certified Scrum Master CSPO - Certified Scrum Product Owner PCEP - Certified Entry-Level Python Programmer Introduction to FOCUS - FinOPS Foundation PRINCE2 Foundation ITIL Foundation
Budget: Trying to keep it under $6K to finish. Commitments: School is the primary commitment right now. Dedicated time to study: 50+ hours per week. Timeline: 6 months or less. Tuition assistance/reimbursement: None
I am wondering if I can study Finance and International Business as dual degrees, or must I get one degree with two areas of study?
I definitely plan to get the degree in Finance, and have some marketing credits, that might make it easy to get the undergraduate certificate in marketing. I also like International Business, and wondering if I can take that as a second degree, or must be two areas of study?
I did read through the info at TESU. Finance is a BSBA, but International Business is just a BS, although still through the business school. Is it a dual degree possibility? They share a capstone.
Location: US
Age: Young
Degree: TESU BSBA Finance and a second degree
RA Credits:
Most GEN EDS from ASU already done.
Finishing Available Business core at Sophia
About to start Study classes
Your Location: Atlanta, GA
Your Age: 32
What kind of degree do you want?: Management/Leadership or PMP or HR
Sophia:
A&P 1 (Lecture Only)
A&P 2 (Lecture Only)
Ancient Greek Philosophers
Art History 2
Calculus 1
English Comp 1
Environmental Science
Intro to Business
Intro to Chem
Intro to Ethics
Intro to Nutrition
Lifespan Development
Macroeconomics
Microeconomics
Visual Communications
Any certifications or military experience?: Animal Behavior Certification from Animal Behavior College
Budget: As cheaply as possible but quick comes before quickly - I do have FAFSA and am a military spouse but MYCAA has been used
Commitments: None
Dedicated time to study: 60 hrs/week
Timeline: ASAP
Hello!
I am looking at a Management and Leadership degree from UMPI. However, I was looking at seeing if I could combine it with an HR degree. I currently work in middle management for a vendor company at a hospital (literally have NO idea how I landed it) but I absolutely hate my job. I want another job in middle or upper management - potentially going for my PMP eventually. I LOVE onboarding and HR and management - just not this job.
When looking at the pre-reqs it looks like I still need:
Engl Comp ii
US Govt
A&P1 Lab
Sociology
US History ii
Spanish i
Your Location: Ontario, Canada
Your Age: 29
What kind of degree do you want?: Anything, preferably in IT or CS
Current Regional Accredited Credits: 69 credits
Biology for Science Majors I - 3 cr
English I - 3 cr
Intro Physics I - 3 cr
Vertebrate Structure & Function - 3 cr
Principles of Genetics - 3 cr
Intro Physics II - 3 cr
Intro Chemistry I- 3 cr
Intro Chemistry II - 3 cr
Intro to Microbiology - 3 cr
(UL) Ornithology - 3 cr
(UL) History of the Earth - 3 cr
Intro to Ecology - 3 cr
Marketing - 3 cr
Intro to Management- 3 cr
Organizational Behavior - 3 cr
(I have split the psychology ones for ease of comparibility)
Intro to Psychology I - 3 cr
Intro to Psychology II - 3 cr
Intro to Cognition - 3 cr
Psychology of Personality - 3 cr
(UL) Drugs & Behavior Psychology - 3 cr
(UL) Psychology of Human Sexuality I - 3 cr
(UL) Forensic Psychology I - 3 cr
(UL) Forensic Psychology II - 3 cr
Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: 18 credits
Sophia:
College Algebra
Intro to Ethics
Visual Communications
Calculus I
Public Speaking
Lifespan Development
Any certifications or military experience?: No military experience, certs: Google IT Support, Cisco CCNA, CompTIA A+, Network+ and Security+
Budget: $4k to $5k USD
Commitments: None, I've been applying but the current job market is really bad and I feel the lack of a degree is still holding me back.
Dedicated time to study: As much as needed
Timeline: ASAP, Ideally by May as the job listing will be on by then
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: N/A
Hi again all, I've come back with an update of sorts but I need some help deciding which degree to pursue. This forum is a lifesaver and I appreciate the effort people put in here to help others decide on a path after reviewing their credits. Basically, I did more research on TESU and ended up applying to the BA in Biology as I have a mix of biology and psychology credits, with a few business credits too, it appeared to be the fastest degree I could complete. It took quite some time for the credits to be processed and evaluated at the credential service and then eventually at TESU. Long story short, 54 credits transferred in to the BA in Biology and after meeting with the academic advisor, I learned that most, if not all Canadian institutions run on a 3 credit system. I was expecting my Biology/Chemistry and Physics to transfer in to eliminate the prerequisite science courses... but that didn't go according to plan. At TESU and I'm sure other U.S universities as well, a science course with a lab is equivalent to 4 credit hours. The advisor informed me that I could appeal the credential service and inform them that the science courses I have done had a lab component included as part of the 3 credits or appeal to the dean but he said either scenario was unlikely as they can't change a 3 credit to a 4 credit equivalent. So I would have to not only retake the prerequisite courses I'd also have to retake a microbiology course because of the same story, even though I've done the labs for all these courses.
We then discussed an IT or CS degree instead, he asked me to send the current ACE credits I've completed from Sophia as well as my IT certifications. So I have sent those in for evaluation and will update when done. This will utilize my second evaluation after which I'll have to enroll for the courses to keep updating into my transcript as well as any further academic advisor meetings. The issue is, I have a friend who works at an IT company and said he could refer me but the organization requires a bachelor's degree, so now I'm looking to complete a degree as fast as possible. Concurrently, I've emailed UMPI and will apply just to get the ball rolling in case I need to switch. While I was waiting for my evaluation I managed to complete 6 courses at Sophia, I was using the degree map TESU gives and just going down the list to get gen-eds out of the way. The degree I want ideally is still something in IT or CS as it will be the best fit for my current field. However, the TESU IT degree has 2 courses apart from the Information Literacy and Capstone that don't have any transfer equivalents which are:
ITS-3630 Windows Server Configuration
ITS-3400 Wireless and Mobile Networking
Not to mention, I haven't done the Data Analytics or Cloud Data Analytics certs off Coursera for transfer credit. The BACS degree at TESU is the one I want to do, as I've read it's possible to transfer everything in apart from the Information Literacy course and capstone, but I don't think it's possible in the timeframe. Though, I do have the RA credit residency requirement completed, I will most likely look to complete it as a secondary degree, I haven't done any of the CS courses and even if I start now, I doubt I can have it done in even 3-4 months.
UMPI seems to be the best fit, but rather than do a BLS, I was looking to do a BA in Psychology as I have a lot of the psychology credits they require, and I've read about how it's possible to complete a degree in one term. I will do the BLS if it's the best fit, but I've also read about the degree not being recognized on a resume. I'm open to a Business Admin/PM degree if it can be completed in one term.
I hope all that information helps me find a path that best fits my situation and thanks for reading through it!
Edit: I forgot to add, because I have a few of the courses required at UMPI for a BA in Psych, if they're transfered in, and because I'd still need to do 30 credits at UMPI for the residency requirements could those 30 be used to fulfill the other portions of the program instead of the psychology portion?
Hey all as an ETAMU alum. I keep up with what they are doing. There has been a lot of discussion on CBE grad degrees from the school. They have officially announced the launch of their Masters of Education with a focus on Instructional Design.
I see 2 concentrations available: Corporate Training and Development Emphasis or Curriculum Innovation With AI Emphasis.
This is very exciting!
Applications are now open to start in May of 2026!
30 credits. 7 week terms. $2,000 per term for Texas Residents and $3,000 per term for out of state.
