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Are there any degrees that can be mostly tested out of? - Printable Version

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Are there any degrees that can be mostly tested out of? - ab10365 - 05-22-2020

Long story short, I need to get a bachelors degree but I have a very sporadic schedule so if possible I'd like to transfer most of my credits in. I'm currently pursuing a BA in Psych from TESU. I know that you can transfer most of the credits in for that degree but I'm wondering if there are any more options that have the same transfer flexibility. Any input would be greatly appreciated!


RE: Are there any degrees that can be mostly tested out of? - Merlin - 05-22-2020

(05-22-2020, 12:18 AM)ab10365 Wrote: Long story short, I need to get a bachelors degree but I have a very sporadic schedule so if possible I'd like to transfer most of my credits in. I'm currently pursuing a BA in Psych from TESU. I know that you can transfer most of the credits in for that degree but I'm wondering if there are any more options that have the same transfer flexibility. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

You can transfer in up to 114 credits towards any of the degrees at TESU, but the most alt-credit friendly ones are probably the BALS and BSBA degrees. At least those are incredibly popular here on this forum since there are so many options for completing them. There are plenty of other degrees that can be completed this way as well, including a BA in Psychology I believe. Another popular transfer-friendly degree choice is the BACS, though TESU has made that one a bit harder by limiting some of the CS-related courses they will accept from Study.com.

You just need to be open to taking courses from alternate credit providers like InstatCert Credit, Study.com, StraighterLine, Sophia, and Saylor. Plus CLEP and DSST exams of course. Most alt-credit courses and exams are competency-friendly and can be completed/taken on your own schedule.


RE: Are there any degrees that can be mostly tested out of? - rachel83az - 05-22-2020

The one that could be done the quickest would be a BALS because it doesn't really matter which courses you take for that one - with a few exceptions. Others will require more study but will generally also be worth more in the long run (depending on exactly what you need a bachelor's for).


RE: Are there any degrees that can be mostly tested out of? - ab10365 - 05-22-2020

(05-22-2020, 02:44 AM)Merlin Wrote:
(05-22-2020, 12:18 AM)ab10365 Wrote: Long story short, I need to get a bachelors degree but I have a very sporadic schedule so if possible I'd like to transfer most of my credits in. I'm currently pursuing a BA in Psych from TESU. I know that you can transfer most of the credits in for that degree but I'm wondering if there are any more options that have the same transfer flexibility. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

You can transfer in up to 114 credits towards any of the degrees at TESU, but the most alt-credit friendly ones are probably the BALS and BSBA degrees. At least those are incredibly popular here on this forum since there are so many options for completing them. There are plenty of other degrees that can be completed this way as well, including a BA in Psychology I believe. Another popular transfer-friendly degree choice is the BACS, though TESU has made that one a bit harder by limiting some of the CS-related courses they will accept from Study.com.

You just need to be open to taking courses from alternate credit providers like InstatCert Credit, Study.com, StraighterLine, Sophia, and Saylor. Plus CLEP and DSST exams of course. Most alt-credit courses and exams are competency-friendly and can be completed/taken on your own schedule.

Thank you for your response! I'm interested in the BSBA (Human Resources Management or maybe Finance) from TESU. I'm pretty much open to anything though. I'm currently taking courses on SL for gen. ed. requirements. Do you know where I might be able to find a BSBA degree plan? (I prefer to earn alt. credits through SL or CLEP but again I'm open to anything). Thank you for your help!


RE: Are there any degrees that can be mostly tested out of? - rachel83az - 05-22-2020

Sophia is going to be so much cheaper for general ed right now. Sophia is free. SL is not. Sophia also has a few courses, like finances, accounting, and stats, that will potentially count towards your AOS if you go with a BSBA.


RE: Are there any degrees that can be mostly tested out of? - bluebooger - 05-22-2020

the problem is finding upper level credits that can be tested out of TESU will accept


RE: Are there any degrees that can be mostly tested out of? - Merlin - 05-22-2020

(05-22-2020, 07:13 AM)ab10365 Wrote: Do you know where I might be able to find a BSBA degree plan? (I prefer to earn alt. credits through SL or CLEP but again I'm open to anything).

I built my own plan based on looking at the degree requirements on the TESU website and matching them against courses that meet the transfer requirements. It takes some work but its best to build your own so you understand how/where to make tweaks as your interests change (or the school acceptance criteria change).

That said, there are people on the forum who keep up with the latest changes and offer help people build degree plans. Dfrecore for example. If you ask nicely, she or one of the others, may be able to help get you started.


RE: Are there any degrees that can be mostly tested out of? - ss20ts - 05-22-2020

Have you looked at Excelsior College? They will transfer in 113 credits and you're required to take 3 courses with them. They also have tests you can take for credit - UExcel exams. They accept many course from Study.com including upper levels. 

https://study.com/college/school/excelsior-college.html


RE: Are there any degrees that can be mostly tested out of? - ab10365 - 06-18-2020

(05-22-2020, 04:17 PM)ss20ts Wrote: Have you looked at Excelsior College? They will transfer in 113 credits and you're required to take 3 courses with them. They also have tests you can take for credit - UExcel exams. They accept many course from Study.com including upper levels. 

https://study.com/college/school/excelsior-college.html

I've heard of Excelsior but never really looked into them. Is it easier to transfer in upper level credits there than at TESU?

(05-22-2020, 12:51 PM)Merlin Wrote:
(05-22-2020, 07:13 AM)ab10365 Wrote: Do you know where I might be able to find a BSBA degree plan? (I prefer to earn alt. credits through SL or CLEP but again I'm open to anything).

I built my own plan based on looking at the degree requirements on the TESU website and matching them against courses that meet the transfer requirements. It takes some work but its best to build your own so you understand how/where to make tweaks as your interests change (or the school acceptance criteria change).

That said, there are people on the forum who keep up with the latest changes and offer help people build degree plans. Dfrecore for example. If you ask nicely, she or one of the others, may be able to help get you started.

Thank you for your help! I've made a rough degree plan, I just have a bunch of "store credit" at Straighterline and I'm wondering what classes would make the best use of it.

(05-22-2020, 09:14 AM)rachel83az Wrote: Sophia is going to be so much cheaper for general ed right now. Sophia is free. SL is not. Sophia also has a few courses, like finances, accounting, and stats, that will potentially count towards your AOS if you go with a BSBA.

Thank you! Everyone on here has been so helpful. I enrolled in a few Sophia courses I really enjoy their platform.


RE: Are there any degrees that can be mostly tested out of? - rachel83az - 06-18-2020

(06-18-2020, 06:29 AM)ab10365 Wrote:
(05-22-2020, 04:17 PM)ss20ts Wrote: Have you looked at Excelsior College? They will transfer in 113 credits and you're required to take 3 courses with them. They also have tests you can take for credit - UExcel exams. They accept many course from Study.com including upper levels. 

https://study.com/college/school/excelsior-college.html

I've heard of Excelsior but never really looked into them. Is it easier to transfer in upper level credits there than at TESU?

In general, Excelsior accepts fewer credits than TESU does. If you're trying to test out of a degree, that aspect might be a hindrance to your goals.