+- Online Degrees and CLEP and DSST Exam Prep Discussion (https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb)
+-- Forum: Main Category (https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Forum-Main-Category)
+--- Forum: Degree Planning Advice (https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Forum-Degree-Planning-Advice)
+--- Thread: Advice for IT path (/Thread-Advice-for-IT-path)
Pages:
1
2
Advice for IT path - 5chn4pp - 03-17-2022
Your Location: Denmark
Your Age: 20
What kind of degree do you want?: Associate/Bachelor
Current Regional Accredited Credits: None
So I'm from Denmark and currently live there. I want to get a Bachelor in IT, but I'm unsure of the right path to do it. I already have a degree from a trade school and I'm currently working in the field not making much money. The vocational education also includes a CCNA certification but apart from that I don't have any academic credits. Just an apprenticeship and about 1 year of real work experience.
One path would be to take a diploma in IT from my home country, but this would only give me 60 ECTS and is nowhere near a bachelor in IT, and it would cost me about 13500 USD.
https://lifelonglearning.dtu.dk/engineering-technology/diplom/it-diplomuddannelsen/
I would also have to relocate to the Capital of Denmark, which means my rent would increase 3x times at least.
This seems a bit too costly for what I get out of it, so I researched and came up with this alternative plan. I saw the Capella BS in Information Assurance and Cybersecurity and it looks really appealing to me, since I can study it 100% online from Denmark and they have their Flexpath system so I can take the degree for cheaper and faster. They are also recognized by NSA and DHS which I don't know will benefit me or not, but I hope it does. This just seems to be much better value. However, they require that international students "Attend an internationally recognized institution" and I really doubt my trade school is one of those. So the plan would be to get an AA degree using Sophia Learning, with that AA degree I meet that international requirement, and then I can apply and get that degree.
For the AA degree, I was thinking of just earning 45 credits using Sophia Learning, then taking the rest of the 15 credits from SNHU. Then I should be good to go?
My current budget right now would be about 400-500 USD a month that i can spend on education, but I might switch jobs later when I have more experience and then my budget increases. It should also be noted that I would probably like to move away from Denmark in the future, which is another reason for taking a degree from America which would be more recognized worldwide. (I think)
I want to kindly hear some of your opinions about this, since I don't really know the American system well, I just think that this Bachelor from Capella is worth more than the Diploma from DTU. Or if you have a third suggestion please let me know.
Thank you
RE: Advice for IT path - ss20ts - 03-17-2022
(03-17-2022, 02:27 PM)5chn4pp Wrote: I want to kindly hear some of your opinions about this, since I don't really know the American system well, I just think that this Bachelor from Capella is worth more than the Diploma from DTU. Or if you have a third suggestion please let me know.
Do you mean Capella University? They are not highly thought of in the US. I would look elsewhere especially since you're a foreign student. All one has to do is google them and they'll see many controversies. You don't want that follow you with your American degree.
Which AA degree are you looking at from SNHU?
RE: Advice for IT path - bjcheung77 - 03-17-2022
Nej, min ven, jeg er ikke enig... No, my friend, I do not agree... Capella isn't the way to go, nor the cost just for a Bachelors! There are so many ways to get to a similar goal of yours, you want to make sure to get some certifications, degrees and experience under your belt. I suggest a Bachelors/Masters combo for about the same price.
First, continue on your path by taking Sophia.org courses and CCNA or other certs as you intended. You want to complete an UMPI BLS MIS degree, it's not a true IT degree, it's just used for checking the box and entry requirements into the Purdue Global MSIT degree. If you have enough energy, money, time to spend on the education, this is my choice.
Cost of the UMPI BLS MIS should be around $2800 + Sophia.org/ACTFL and Study.com Biology with Lab.
Cost for Purdue Global MSIT would be $2500/term, you can or may finish in 3 terms, that's $7500.
So, for a little over 10K, you get both the Bachelors and Masters, plus it's got a better reputation than Capella!
RE: Advice for IT path - 5chn4pp - 03-17-2022
(03-17-2022, 02:35 PM)ss20ts Wrote:(03-17-2022, 02:27 PM)5chn4pp Wrote: I want to kindly hear some of your opinions about this, since I don't really know the American system well, I just think that this Bachelor from Capella is worth more than the Diploma from DTU. Or if you have a third suggestion please let me know.
Do you mean Capella University? They are not highly thought of in the US. I would look elsewhere especially since you're a foreign student. All one has to do is google them and they'll see many controversies. You don't want that follow you with your American degree.
Which AA degree are you looking at from SNHU?
The AA degree is this one:
https://www.snhu.edu/online-degrees/associate/aa-in-liberal-arts
I mainly just want to use it as a stepping stone so I have some kind of recognized degree that an American university will accept and admit me to a bachelor degree.
I have seen some of the Capella controversies, most of what I have seen are problems with PhD level degrees and teachers not helping enough for some students. I didn't really see it as a big problem for me, but if there exists a better alternative, I would be happy to consider them.
I've read great things about the IT degrees that WGU offers, but they don't take in international students sadly.
I was also interested in the Bachelor’s in Applied Cybersecurity from SANS.edu, but that price tag of $35,750 is really high for me.
(03-17-2022, 03:00 PM)bjcheung77 Wrote: Nej, min ven, jeg er ikke enig... No, my friend, I do not agree... Capella isn't the way to go, nor the cost just for a Bachelors! There are so many ways to get to a similar goal of yours, you want to make sure to get some certifications, degrees and experience under your belt. I suggest a Bachelors/Masters combo for about the same price.
First, continue on your path by taking Sophia.org courses and CCNA or other certs as you intended. You want to complete an UMPI BLS MIS degree, it's not a true IT degree, it's just used for checking the box and entry requirements into the Purdue Global MSIT degree. If you have enough energy, money, time to spend on the education, this is my choice.
Cost of the UMPI BLS MIS should be around $2800 + Sophia.org/ACTFL and Study.com Biology with Lab.
Cost for Purdue Global MSIT would be $2500/term, you can or may finish in 3 terms, that's $7500.
So, for a little over 10K, you get both the Bachelors and Masters, plus it's got a better reputation than Capella!
Thank you very much, I will research this path and hopefully it is better than Capella.
RE: Advice for IT path - rachel83az - 03-17-2022
Controversies aside, Capella's Flexpath is actually NOT that much faster or cheaper. They require you to take a certain number of traditional credits from them first before they'll allow you to access the FlexPath.
How do you feel about writing papers? You could get a degree from Purdue Global if you really want an IT degree and don't mind a LOT of writing. If you're okay with writing, but don't want to do a LOT of it, you could get a BLS in Management Information Systems from UMPI.
If you'd prefer exams to papers, you could get a Comp Sci degree from TESU in about a year for around $8k USD.
RE: Advice for IT path - LevelUP - 03-17-2022
We had at least one student on Degreeforum try to take Capella's Flexpath and they weren't accepted and told to take traditional courses at a much higher cost as Rachel83az stated. So I would avoid them as there are better choices.
Purdue Global has an IT program with a concentration in programming and software development, and we recently had a student do this in 2 terms which would be around $5000.
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/PUG_Information_Technology_Degree_Plan
Later on, if you want to go into cybersecurity, you could get all the cybersecurity top certifications.
RE: Advice for IT path - 5chn4pp - 03-17-2022
(03-17-2022, 03:20 PM)rachel83az Wrote: Controversies aside, Capella's Flexpath is actually NOT that much faster or cheaper. They require you to take a certain number of traditional credits from them first before they'll allow you to access the FlexPath.
How do you feel about writing papers? You could get a degree from Purdue Global if you really want an IT degree and don't mind a LOT of writing. If you're okay with writing, but don't want to do a LOT of it, you could get a BLS in Management Information Systems from UMPI.
If you'd prefer exams to papers, you could get a Comp Sci degree from TESU in about a year for around $8k USD.
I think that its safe to say I won't be choosing Capella, all these other options seems to be better and cheaper.
I did take a look at that TESU degree, its okay but I think the Purdue program that LevelUP suggested is better for me.
About writing papers, I can definitely write them and I do enjoy it, but I have to have a good understanding of the subject before I can do it. I assume that I have 2 choices, either I write a paper and I get graded on that, or I take an online exam and I get graded on that. If that is the case, I would prefer papers.
(03-17-2022, 03:51 PM)LevelUP Wrote: We had at least one student on Degreeforum try to take Capella's Flexpath and they weren't accepted and told to take traditional courses at a much higher cost as Rachel83az stated. So I would avoid them as there are better choices.
Purdue Global has an IT program with a concentration in programming and software development, and we recently had a student do this in 2 terms which would be around $5000.
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/PUG_Information_Technology_Degree_Plan
Later on, if you want to go into cybersecurity, you could get all the cybersecurity top certifications.
That Purdue program does seem really good, does it have to be the Program and software development path or can this be done with an Information security and assurance path instead? I looked at the courses and I prefer those instead.
What about admissions? Right now I'm looking at either Purdue or UMPI, Purdue seems to be a Sophia partner but I don't see the same thing with UMPI. Will these universities admit me if I just take the required general education courses with Sophia and nothing else? UMPI states this on their website: "Provide high school transcript, high school equivalency test (HiSet), or GED". Are the Sophia courses enough?
RE: Advice for IT path - ss20ts - 03-17-2022
(03-17-2022, 04:46 PM)5chn4pp Wrote: What about admissions? Right now I'm looking at either Purdue or UMPI, Purdue seems to be a Sophia partner but I don't see the same thing with UMPI. Will these universities admit me if I just take the required general education courses with Sophia and nothing else? UMPI states this on their website: "Provide high school transcript, high school equivalency test (HiSet), or GED". Are the Sophia courses enough?
You're an international student so your application process will be different. I'll send you a pm with the contact info for the YourPace admissions counselor who can help you directly.
RE: Advice for IT path - LevelUP - 03-18-2022
(03-17-2022, 04:46 PM)5chn4pp Wrote: That Purdue program does seem really good, does it have to be the Program and software development path or can this be done with an Information security and assurance path instead? I looked at the courses and I prefer those instead.
You can choose whatever concentration you want, but the software development is by far the easiest to do as it automatically is completed when you do the PHP certification, which should take 20hrs or less to do.
I did the PHP cert in one day.
I suggest reading this thread to learn how the Purdue Exceltrack works.
https://www.reddit.com/r/SecurityCareerAdvice/comments/k5gr64/i_got_a_bs_in_cybersecurity_from_purdue_global_in/
RE: Advice for IT path - rachel83az - 03-18-2022
(03-17-2022, 04:46 PM)5chn4pp Wrote: About writing papers, I can definitely write them and I do enjoy it, but I have to have a good understanding of the subject before I can do it. I assume that I have 2 choices, either I write a paper and I get graded on that, or I take an online exam and I get graded on that. If that is the case, I would prefer papers.Yes, some classes can be a mix, but schools tend to lean heavily toward one or the other. UMPI tends to have papers (one per class). Purdue Global has PAPERS (multiple papers per class).
Quote:What about admissions? Right now I'm looking at either Purdue or UMPI, Purdue seems to be a Sophia partner but I don't see the same thing with UMPI. Will these universities admit me if I just take the required general education courses with Sophia and nothing else? UMPI states this on their website: "Provide high school transcript, high school equivalency test (HiSet), or GED". Are the Sophia courses enough?
ss20ts has already pm'd you with admissions information for UMPI, but Sophia courses are generally enough. You would also need a foreign language. Unfortunately, Danish is not a language you can get credit with at https://www.languagetesting.com/certifications-tests/test-information You can take a Danish oral exam (conversation in Danish), but you wouldn't get any credit for it. How is your German? Swedish? Swedish only has an oral exam, German has exams in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Reading and listening are the cheapest exams, oral & writing cost more.
You would also need a lab science, which you can take through Study.com. You could do either Biology 101L or Chemistry 111L.