Transcript Review - Help, which of the big 3?

[andrewtn]

I've been reading over forum posts and the wiki and I think I have the basics of all this down but I'm still really unsure about which of the big three to go with and next steps. I'm hoping that if I explain my situation and goals that someone will be kind enough to point me in the right direction. I am nearly 32 years old with 57 credit hours earned from 3 different community colleges. I have a great paying job as a Project Manager for a large billion dollar software company. This summer I plan on earning my PMP (Project Management Professional) certificate from PMI (Project Management Institute). I have been very lucky to have done as well as I have done in my career without having any degree but I fear that one day the lack of a degree will hold me back. I've been working in IT at corporations since I was 17 so I'm really not concerned with gaining knowledge from a degree so much as I'm simply concerned with getting the degree for my resume (cya).

I interested both in an associates degree and bachelors. Because I have 57 credits I'd like to think I'm pretty close to an Associates degree which, while not a bachelors, would be something to put on my resume where I currently have nothing. I am trying to determine the best path forward both to potentially get an associates degree as well as ultimately getting a bachelors. Given that I have a career with over a decade of professional experience I don't think the actual specific degree matters very much at this point, more just that I have one. Ideally I'm thinking a degree in Business Administration but I'm open to other degrees if I can earn them with less time/money/effort. I may want to go for an MBA at some point so that is a consideration.

I am really unsure of which step to take next and I would appreciate any advice from the experts here on degree forum. I'm going to post my transcript of classes in case anyone would be kind enough to review them and make a suggestion for me. I should also mention that although I've got a good job I'm also a single income father of 4, with a daughter only a few years from college herself, so I'm looking for an affordable option as well. Thank you in advance!

Community College 2001
Eng 101 College Comp - 3 Credits
HST 101 Amer History 1 - 3 Credits
BUS 104 Intro to Bus Admin - 3 Credits
PSY 200 Gen Psychology - 3 Credits

Community College 2002
Eco 151 Prin of Econ 1 (macro) - 3 Credits
PHL 101 Intro to Philosophy - 3 Credits
PSC 101 Into to American Politics - 3 Credits
BIO 113 Modern Aspects of Biology (Lec) - 3 Credits
IS 103 Info Systems for Business - 3 Credits
Eco 152 Prin of Econ 2 (micro) - 3 Credits

Community College 2003
ACC 100 Applied Accounting - 3 Credits
GEG 100 Regional Geo Eastrn Wrld - 3 Credits
MTH 030 Elementary Algebra - 3 Credits

Community College 2004
MTH 140 Intermediate Algebra - 3 Credits
IS 251 Intro to Java - 3 Credits

Community College 2006
ENG 102 College Comp 2 - 3 Credits

Community College 2007
MKT 203 Principals of Marketing - 3 Credits

Community College 2013
PHIL 1156 Logic and Critical Thinking - 3 Credits
HPE 105 Personal Hyg & Community Health - 3 Credits

57 Credits Total

[cooperalex2004]

As a TESC grad I can at least tell you about TESC. Lets start with the somewhat generic AA. It may be worth the $49 (or whatever the fee is) to see where your credits would actually end up, but that choice is yours. It appears you are very close to the AA. Note also that TESC is changing the general education requirements for many of the degrees (like the BA) on July 1st and this may affect your plans. If you enroll before then you'd be locked into the requirements as they are today, if not they will be different (which may or may not be a bad thing but will require different planning for a BA degree)

AA: http://www.tesc.edu/heavin/AA/

By my count (estimated) you'd need 6 credits of Humanities and 3 credits of General Education Electives (which can be from Humanities, Social Sciences, or Nat/Sci Math areas). That's 9 credits from getting the AA. If you were to want this AA, I'd recommend you take the Analyze and Interpret Literature CLEP exam which would fill the open Humanities areas (it is 6 credits) and then take your pick of a remaining exam from the Humanities, Social Sciences, or Nat Sci/Math areas on either of these links to CLEP and DSST acceptance at TESC:
http://www.tesc.edu/academics/catalog/CL...rogram.cfm
http://www.tesc.edu/academics/catalog/DANTES.cfm

You could be done for the cost of enrollment (around $3,000), the cost of graduation, and the cost of two or three exams (as long as you pass them). As long as you were to complete the second degree within a year of enrollment then the one cost to enroll will cover both degrees, otherwise the enrollment is good for one year and would need to be renewed. If you have questions about TESC or other schools you'll find this forum to be wonderful.

I. General Education 48
[COLOR="#0000FF"]A. English Composition 6
Eng 101 College Comp - 3 Credits
ENG 102 College Comp 2 - 3 Credits[/COLOR]
B. Humanities (must include two subject areas) 12
PHL 101 Intro to Philosophy - 3 Credits
PHIL 1156 Logic and Critical Thinking - 3 Credits
[COLOR="#FF0000"]MISSING 3 Credit Course
MISSING 3 Credit Course[/COLOR]
[COLOR="#0000FF"]C. Social Sciences (must include two subject areas) 12
HST 101 Amer History 1 - 3 Credits
PSY 200 Gen Psychology - 3 Credits
Eco 151 Prin of Econ 1 (macro) - 3 Credits
PSC 101 Into to American Politics - 3 Credits[/COLOR]
[COLOR="#0000FF"]D. Natural Sciences (must include at least two subject areas) 9
◾ One college-level mathematics course (required)
(3) MTH 140 Intermediate Algebra - 3 Credits
◾ One computer science course (strongly recommended)
(3) IS 103 Info Systems for Business - 3 Credits (hopefully this fits here as COS-101)
◾ Other natural sciences/mathematics
(3) BIO 113 Modern Aspects of Biology (Lec) - 3 Credits[/COLOR]
E. General Education Electives 9
[COLOR="#0000FF"] Eco 152 Prin of Econ 2 (micro) - 3 Credits
GEG 100 Regional Geo Eastrn Wrld - 3 Credits[/COLOR]
MISSING 3 Credit Course[COLOR="#0000FF"]
II. Free Electives 12
BUS 104 Intro to Bus Admin - 3 Credits
ACC 100 Applied Accounting - 3 Credits
IS 251 Intro to Java - 3 Credits
MKT 203 Principals of Marketing - 3 Credits[/COLOR]
Extra courses (not used)
[COLOR="#0000FF"]MTH 030 Elementary Algebra - 3 Credits (not college level since it is numbered below 100 at your school)
HPE 105 Personal Hyg & Community Health - 3 Credits (Health does not fit anywhere above since you are maxed out on free electives)[/COLOR]

[JohnnyHeck]

Please. please, don't be penny-wise pound foolish now! This is a big, great important step on your part, and there is no one except yourself who can determine what is the right path. But to make the right decision, you must have all the options. Make applications to all the Big 3. They're all a little bit quirky in their own way. You cannot find the best path without investigating all paths. I know a lot about many options at the Big 3, but if I were you I would expand my search to WGU. With all your experience WGU has a unique way of looking at your experience whcih could give them the edge, I don't know. Take a chance and spend a few bucks to find out!!! Good Luck and keep us informed, we're here to help!

P.s. Start with BSBA tp all based on your employment and credits to date

[cookderosa]

All of your courses are gen ed transfer courses, meaning, there is no quirkiness. These are all very cut and dry.
Applications are $75, and enrollment is $3000 (Corrected)

Cooper laid out a very good plan- you could have your AA in general ed by month's end (or file for it anyway). It's absolutely accurate. The thing about TESC, is you don't really enjoy the full cost benefit unless you also complete your BA or BS (whichever) because the enrollment fee makes for an EXPENSIVE associate's degree. I am certain you could complete the remaining credits inside 1 year. I also think TESC gives credit for passing the PMP. I would use your credits above (mostly liberal arts) for the AA in general ed, and then pursue your bachelor's degree in business. It is most relevant and if you test, the content will be most intuitive. Head back over to the wiki to see the most up to date business degree options.

This is the link to ACE, you can find out if your project management credential is worth credit here: http://www2.acenet.edu/credit/?fuseaction=search.main

EDIT: I wanted to second the suggestion of Analyzing and Interpreting Literature for your humanities, and I'd suggest Social Science and History for the second. Why? You've already taken everything that the exam covers. I think you could spend today reviewing lit terms and stopping by your library to grab the REA guide to general exams, spend tomorrow hitting the SS&H subject and sit both exams this weekend.

[JohnnyHeck]

Cookderosa - I normally would acede the ground to your experienced and insightful commentary, but in this case I have to stand-by my original recommendation that andrewtn should apply to all the schools, You are of course quite right, that in the current list of earned credits there is probably no "quirkiness" but there sure is a lot of it at each of the different degree finsihing schools wtih what's left to do fo complete a degree! With all that real life business experience that andrewtn brings to the table, each school will have some very different options available. Andrewtn seems like the perfect candidate to me to possibly qualify and earn a lot of credits via PLA. This is a very difficult area to navigate successfully. There are a lot of options, and you can't pick the best of the lot for your own circumstances without a lot of detailed investigation. Some time and a little money spent now will save a lot of both while working all the way to final bachelor goal.

[cooperalex2004]

All of your courses are gen ed transfer courses, meaning, there is no quirkiness. These are all very cut and dry.
Applications are $75, and enrollment is up at $5000 for TESC, so prices have went up since Cooper attended.

Enrollment went up? I'm still seeing enrollment as cheaper than that at Thomas Edison State College: Enrolled Options Plan

It looks like it is $2958 for out of state enrollment, $117 for technology fee, and $280 to graduate. In any case I definitely agree with everyone else, the end goal of a BA/BS degree should be your guide to what school to choose. Find one with a major/area of study you want and I am confident that most schools will be about the same in regards to being essentially done with your AA. Whatever your choice, good luck to you.

[Max Droid]

Hey Andrewtn, first off let me congratulate you on your decision to finish your degree. You came across the right place, the members on this forum are very helpful and awesome to say the least.

From reviewing the courses that you have already finished, it is very possible to complete your goal in less than a year. I would recommend submitting an application to TESC right away, and get the evaluation process started. I recommend TESC only because I chose to complete my degree through them, but the other options mentioned above are good too.

Now based on how my units were evaluated at TESC (for a BSBA) this is how I believe yours will fall in place...

Written English 6
ENG 101 College Comp 1 3
ENG 102 College Comp 2 3

Humanities 12
GEG 100 Regional Geo Eastrn Wrld 3
Need 9 More

Social Sci 12
PSC 101 Into to American Politics 3
Eco 152 Prin of Econ 2 (micro) 3
Eco 151 Prin of Econ 1 (macro) 3
Need 3 More

Natural Sci & Math 9
BIO 113 Modern Aspects of Biology 3
Need Statistics 3
Need College Algebra 3

GE Electives 21
HST 101 Amer History 1 3
PSY 200 Gen Psychology 3
PHL 101 Intro to Philosophy 3
MTH 030 Elementary Algebra 3
MTH 140 Intermediate Algebra 3
PHIL 1156 Logic and Critical Thinkin 3
HPE 105 Personal Hyg & Community Health 3

GE Totals 60

A. Business Core 27
Need Principals Finance 3
Need Business Society 3
Need Business Policy 3
IS 103 Info Systems for Business 3
MKT 203 Principals of Marketing 3
Need Principals of Management 3
ACC 100 Applied Accounting 3
Need Managerial Accounting 3
Need Business Law 3

A. Area of Study 18
These 18 can be acquired by different exams

A. Business Elecs 9
BUS 104 Intro to Bus Admin 3
Need 6

A. Free Elecs 6
Need 6

Total 120

I might have gotten something wrong above, but the best way in getting it right is to get the eval started. Also consider that after July 1st TESC will be changing their requirements.

Ok, if I were you (and I'm not), I would focus on trying to finish the BSBA in General Management at TESC first, this can be done in less than a year. I would then apply to a Masters in Project Management program that would help me in preparing for PMP certification exam.

Since you already have management experience and have already taken business courses, I believe that you can easily test out of the remaining business courses you need for a bsba. There are many options on how you can complete the remaining courses, I recommend spending some time using the search option to figure out which way best suits you.

Good Luck!

[mrs.b]

A lot of good advice above. Keep a few factors in mind as you plan out your path.

1) PLA versus credit-by-exam (CBE).

PLA is a faster option than, say, taking a full course so it is a good option for many traditionally-oriented students. So is a CBE (CLEP, DSST, ECE, TECEP, etc.). To be awarded PLA credit, you must collect evidence and write detailed support for evaluation and hopeful award of credit, then wait for the assessment team to review and determine if you qualify. With CBEs, you study until you know you can pass, then go sit the exam. If you have significant prior experience, the entire process can be done in one day. If you're starting in on new material you've never seen before, it can still be done quickly if you're a fast learner or the material is in your wheelhouse and easy to pick up, or as much time as you need.

Most schools charge per-credit awarded for PLA (I know TESC does, not enough experience with the other two to say for certain), so you will pay the same for a PLA credit award as you will for a full course, whereas a CBE option (CLEP, DSST, ECE, TECEP, etc) are often less than $100 all-in for 3-12 credits depending on the exam.

2) Capstone course expense and time constraint is a factor when calculating your final bill and timeline.

All three of the Big3 require students to complete a capstone course to complete graduation requirements for degrees. TESC's BSBA program is the only one that can be tested out of (TECEP), reducing the cost of a three-credit course to just $100, and reducing your needed time to completion from a full course timeframe to however much time you need to study for and feel comfortable to sit the exam (some do it in days). Now, the other two have lower enrollment expenses so that may not make or break any decisions, but keep that capstone course expense in mind when determining which of the schools will meet your needs the best, since cost is a consideration.


Best of luck, and congratulations for making this major step. Way to lead your family by example!

[sanantone]

Enrollment went up? I'm still seeing enrollment as cheaper than that at Thomas Edison State College: Enrolled Options Plan

It looks like it is $2958 for out of state enrollment, $117 for technology fee, and $280 to graduate. In any case I definitely agree with everyone else, the end goal of a BA/BS degree should be your guide to what school to choose. Find one with a major/area of study you want and I am confident that most schools will be about the same in regards to being essentially done with your AA. Whatever your choice, good luck to you.

I'm not seeing $5,000 either. That would be outrageous.

[andrewtn]

Thank you everyone (cooperalex2004, JohnnyHeck, Jennifer, Max Droid, Mrs B, sanantone) for taking the time to give me some input on this. I don’t think I would want to spend ~$3,000 just to obtain an Associates though if I could knock out both the Associates and the Bachelors for nearly the same cost it would probably be worth it.

Several of you talked about completing the Bachelors in less than a year which sounds great but worries me. We are talking about filling somewhere around 66 credits which I would imagine would therefore require somewhere around 20 tests in one year. That seems like a lot but if some can be done in days maybe it's possible. I have to remember that I have a full time job and 4 children.

It sounds like the next step most of you are suggesting is to go ahead and submit to TESC, and maybe to all three. Once I understand how things transfer I can build a plan for tackling the reqs.

The July 1 deadline for TESC is a bit concerning as well. I saw a separate tread today which stated that as long as you apply before July 1 you have 6 months to enroll so hopefully that is correct and would buy me a few extra months to complete the reqs. I wonder if we have an understanding as to what is changing as of July 1st? I'll search around on the forum and see if I can find any details on it.

Thanks Again!
Andrew