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TESC Student, trying to understand various ways to earn credit. - JBtesc - 07-06-2013
Ok I've been reading these message boards for a while now, and everytime I think I've started to get the hang of it and figure out a plan for myself, I read something else and my mind is blown all over again.
I enrolled in Thomas Edison for a year starting July 1. I have accepted a Pell Grant and will be eligible for NJ state financial aid if I take 12 credit hours (full time) the next two terms. All of this basically has me taking 36 credit hours via Online Courses at TESC. (I'm still not clear on if TECEP exams are an option with the fin aid requirements and the comprehensive tuition plan I chose, but I have a feeling I can't use them.)
I have taken 1 CLEP so far - Intro. Psychology
I have 3 credits for an art class I took at a CC. It is slotted under Humanities with a 120 code when I do the AA evaluation, but when I try the "what if" scenario for a BA in psych, it shows up as a 300 level course.
I have passed 3 FEMA exams and sent away for my transcripts, I intend to take more and utilize these exams to the fullest extent possible at TESC.
I'm taking Eng comp 1 this term, along with a psych elective ( I didn't realize it was elective when I registered
)I enrolled in the AA program thinking I would be happier (feel a sense of accomplishment) in two years with an AA instead of just being 2 years into a BA. I had no idea how much I could actually test out at TESC and how much more quickly I could do it. So I missed out on the July 1 deadline for the new BA guidelines.
If my goal is a BA in psych, is there a current or recent thread that helps one plan out which requirements for that degree can be filled in the easiest/cheapest/quickest way possible?
For example, I *just* today started looking into ALEKS and straighterline. Does TESC accept both of these? If so, are there classes for the BA psych on there that I could use? And if so, lol, are these sites cost effective? ie cheaper than going the CLEP/DSST route?
Specifically, if one takes relevant classes on ALEKS and/or Straighterline, do you have to play ONLY the fees associated with those sites, or is there an additional fee to process the transcripts into credits accepted by TESC? (ie, like FCC does with FEMA credits for some schools)
Thanks to anyone who has read all of this, and thanks in advance for any advice. I apologize for the scatterbrained post but this is all so complex to me.
TESC Student, trying to understand various ways to earn credit. - KayV - 07-06-2013
Okay, I think this plan will cover what you need. First of all, it's not a big deal that you enrolled under the new requirements because your AA degree requirements transition directly to your BA. Also, it's great that you have the 36 hours to use from TESC, since those can fill your upper level Psych requirements. I have included the three 6-hour classes that TESC offers as well as a perennial favorite, Living in the Information Age.
The stars indicate classes you already have taken; the arrows indicate the classes you should take from TESC. I am sure lots of people here have great advice about the TESC Psych classes.
Search for FEMA and ALEKS advice here and on the wiki, and remember that you do not have to pay anything (especially the FCC fees) to transcribe FEMA credits at TESC. As for Straighterline, some people like it and others prefer testing. SL and ALEKS often have promo codes going for discounts, so google for current offers when you enroll.
TESC Associate of Arts to BA Psych
A. Intellectual and Practical Skills (15 credits)
*>TESC English Composition I- 3 Composition
SL English Composition II or CLEP College Composition- 3 Writing Intensive Coursework
ALEKS Intermediate Algebra- 3 Math
ALEKS College Algebra- 3 elective
SL Business Communication or DSST Technical Writing- 3 elective
B. Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World (18 credits)
*CC Art class- 3 Humanities
CLEP Social Science – 6 Social Science (3 elective)
>TESC class ENS 314 Global Environmental Change- 6 Science (3 elective)
>TESC class SOS 110 Living in the Information Age- 3 elective
C. Personal and Social Responsibility (9 credits)
CLEP or SL Introductory Sociology- 3 Diversity
DSST Human/ Cultural Geography- 3 elective
SL Business Ethics (TESC PHI-384) or DSST Ethics in America- 3 Responsible Ethical Leadership
D. General Education Electives (18 hours)
CLEP Analyzing/ Interpreting Lit- 6
CLEP Humanities– 6
>TESC class HIS 356 War and American Society- 6
(THE ABOVE CLASSES COMPLETE YOUR AA DEGREE. CONGRATS!)
II. Area of Study: Psychology (33 hours, 18 Upper Level and 3 Capstone)
A. Requirements 9
1. *CLEP Intro to Psych- 3
2. ALEKS Intro to Statistics-3
3. >TESC PSY 322 Experimental Psychology- 3 UL
B. Capstone 3
4. >TESC LIB-495 Liberal Arts Capstone- 3 UL (take this last)
C. Electives 21
5. *>TESC class Psych elective- 3
6. DSST PSY-361-DE Organizational Behavior- 3 UL
7. DSST PSY-331-DE Fundamentals of Counseling- 3 UL
8. >TESC PSY-379 Social Psychology- 6 UL
9. >TESC Psych elective- 3 UL
10. >TESC Psych elective- 3 UL (or LL)
III. Free Electives- 27 FEMA from current list
TESC Student, trying to understand various ways to earn credit. - KayV - 07-06-2013
And of course, I forgot to fill in that you can get 6 UL Psych hours with one TESC class, PSY 379 Social Psychology. Ooops, posting too late. ; )
TESC Student, trying to understand various ways to earn credit. - JBtesc - 07-06-2013
Wow, Kay, thank you so much.
TESC Student, trying to understand various ways to earn credit. - mrs.b - 07-06-2013
JBtesc Wrote:I enrolled in Thomas Edison for a year starting July 1. I have accepted a Pell Grant and will be eligible for NJ state financial aid if I take 12 credit hours (full time) the next two terms. All of this basically has me taking 36 credit hours via Online Courses at TESC. (I'm still not clear on if TECEP exams are an option with the fin aid requirements and the comprehensive tuition plan I chose, but I have a feeling I can't use them.)
I cannot help with the Psych degree planning, but I can give some information on the combination of credit options in the 36 credits from TESC's Comprehensive Tuition Plan, and what will apply to your financial aid requirements.
First, "full time" at TESC is six credits per "term," not 12 as is the case at every other school, because TESC squeezes four standard terms into a "year," where most schools only have two standard terms. So your full-time minimum requirements at TESC are six credits (usually, but not always two courses since TESC does have some courses worth six credits and one of those will meet the Fin Aid requirement). Six credits per term must be fulfilled with online or guided study courses only. Now, that does not mean you cannot take other course types in a term. After those six credits per term are met with online or GS, you can take the other courses in any course type offered by TESC. For instance, in one of my terms, I took one online course, one guided study course, and an e-Pack course. It was a total of 9 credits, but if I had dropped either the online or GS course, my financial aid would've been reduced from full-time to part-time but I could've dropped the e-Pack without repercussion. In all the other terms, I took three online courses, and during one I dropped a course which reduced my term from 9 credits to 6, and I still met the full-time requirement.
Second, Comprehensive Tuition at TESC can apply to any course type they offer. While you will need to prioritize your terms to include at least six credits of online or GS courses, you can then use remaining credits that term for the TECEPs or anything else. Personally, I'd recommend taking a hard look at the e-Pack options. It significantly increases your course offerings, but they are still in CBE format (you get access to a ton of study aids, which made it well worth using the Comp Tuition budget, in my opinion, but the actual test delivery is the same as TECEP in that the paper test is sent to your proctor and you can set the exam at any point during the term when you're ready), so not as much busy work as your standard course. Plus, TECEPs are under $100 out of pocket, but you'll still be using 3 of your available 36 standard credit budget that could be fulfilled with pricier course types that are paid per-credit.
Last, you can take 36 credits from TESC, and then also transfer in additional credits on top of that during your enrollment. It's doable with the right time schedule, and TESC's generous transfer policy makes it perfectly allowable, so put a schedule on paper and you can still do your Straighterlines, CLEPs, DSSTs, and so on after you start taking those courses.
Hopefully that makes sense! It's a bit of a learning curve to decipher how TESC applies financial aid, and how their Comprehensive Tuition package opens your options while still being restricted by the financial aid minimums. Until you get the full hang of it, I'd suggest picking your courses a couple weeks before each registration time and reach out to both Registrar and the Financial Aid office (call and email them, try to get Fin Aid's answer in writing) to be sure it's all going to work as you intend.
TESC Student, trying to understand various ways to earn credit. - mrs.b - 07-06-2013
JBtesc Wrote:For example, I *just* today started looking into ALEKS and straighterline. Does TESC accept both of these? If so, are there classes for the BA psych on there that I could use? And if so, lol, are these sites cost effective? ie cheaper than going the CLEP/DSST route?
Specifically, if one takes relevant classes on ALEKS and/or Straighterline, do you have to play ONLY the fees associated with those sites, or is there an additional fee to process the transcripts into credits accepted by TESC? (ie, like FCC does with FEMA credits for some schools)
Oops, missed this question. TESC accepts courses that are approved by the American Council on Education. When viewing the database for course options, be sure to pay attention to the approval dates. See here for options: https://www2.acenet.edu/credit/?fuseaction=transcripts.main TESC will only accept these ACE courses on the ACE transcript, not direct from the specific sites.
As far as cost and fees, you'll pay the specific sites offering the courses, get them approved onto an ACE transcript once the course is complete, and when all your items are on your ACE transcript, you'll pay ACE to send that transcript. It's $35 or $40 (don't remember off the top of my head). You can have the transcript sent to TESC each time you finish a course but that'll mean paying ACE that $35 or $40 each time, so...wait until all your ACE courses are on there. Still, it can be much more cost-efficient than some other options.
TESC Student, trying to understand various ways to earn credit. - sanantone - 07-06-2013
It's $40 for the first transcript and $15 for each additional transcript.
TESC Student, trying to understand various ways to earn credit. - JBtesc - 07-07-2013
Thanks so much, Mrs.B and Sanantone, appreciate it. I think I'm getting a better handle on it.
TESC Student, trying to understand various ways to earn credit. - JBtesc - 07-08-2013
I'm getting ready to sign up for ALEKS (does anyone know of a current discount?).
I thought I read on another thread that Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences is easier for someone who's been studying this type of stuff? I've been studying for psych tests/class and am terrible at math, A) would this be easier for me possibly? and B) Is it still accepted by TESC for a BA psych as of the new (which I don't understand) July 1st guidelines?
TESC Student, trying to understand various ways to earn credit. - KayV - 07-08-2013
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I think Stats for the Behavioral Sciences would be accepted, but check with your advisor. It just says 3 hours of Statistics on the new guidelines.