Seek advice on the right degree plan

[SSW]

You've got multiple courses like Business Law, Management, Project Management, etc. These are definitely business courses and may not work for a Liberal Studies/Liberal Arts degree.

Excelsior's BSLA has a limited number of "professional" credits where they'd fit. It's a very small number, compared to how many credits are required for a degree.

TESU doesn't count most Business courses as working for a Liberal Studies degree either. Almost everything you have would go into free electives and not into the AOS. You might be (relatively) close to some sort of BSBA at TESU, but I'm not positive about that.

UMPI, I'm a little more unsure about. Again, I think most of your courses would go into the electives with a BLS and there just aren't that many electives to go around. With a BABA, at least some of them would probably go towards degree requirements. That would result in fewer "wasted" credits.

I got you, the concern is whether BLS or BSLA will accpet my so call "professional" credits as a part of transfer. Perhaps, only a fraction of credits or even none will fit their requirements, who knows  . Thus, I would go for an evualtion from TESU, UPMI, EU respectively to further determine which one might be a better choice for me in a bid to avoid "wastage" of credits.
Anyways, thanks for sharing with me the informaiton although I am a bit frustrated knowing that my past courses may not help in such cases.   

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If you go with TESU, I'd get evaluations for the BS in Technical Studies and BSBA in Operations Management.

Yup, TESU definitely will be worth for an investment in terms of application and evaluation. I will go through the processes and see what will they reply. Thanks.

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@SSW, your best bet right now is to apply to the schools mentioned, Excelsior, TESU, UMPI and see which evaluations are closest to finishing.  The BSLA, BALS, BLS will have the most flexible courses, up to 60-62 are free electives depending on the school you decide on.  They also have a BSPr, that is very easy to transfer into as well, you want to create multiple evaluations from each school and see which degree is most appealing to you.  The TESU BS Tech is a good choice as well, I would do more "What ifs" to see where you stand on each degree that interests you.  Again, apply to all 3, send your WES evaluations to each...

True. I will follow your recommendation. Since all respondents highlighted these 3 schools and at this moment it's really difficult to judge how much can I transfer in a general BLS/BSLA based on my "weird" backgroud. I better approach to the schools and get advice from them. Thanks.

[rachel83az]

BTW, for TESU, if you have more than 2 transcripts to send in, you may need to pay an extra $50 for the Medical Terminology TECEP (and not take it). This would get you to fully enrolled status, which unlocks unlimited evaluations. Applicant status only has 2 evaluations included and these are sometimes used up before all transcripts are evaluated.

[SSW]

I'm looking at what you have done for far, and I see that:

• You are an overachiever
  
• You have experience in business already
  
• You have lots of technical experience with your engineering background
  

This means that the Business Administration with a concentration in Project Management and Information Systems degree is the best fit for you.

As far as quicker, doing the BA in business administration doesn't take much longer. Thirty extra days is nothing, considering the grand scheme of things.

Glad to see a new suggestion. I duly understand this option might be a best fit to my backgroud. 
I will consider this as well. Thanks.

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I'm going to guess that your English I & II courses/exams won't count, since they are not English Comp courses that we would take here, but English as a foreign language courses - it would be like me taking Spanish or French, which are foreign languages for me.

I'm hoping you speak a foreign (to us) language that you can get credit for with ACTFL, because that's a good cheap way to get a lot of Gen Ed credits, whichever degree you end up getting.  So please let us know if you speak something other than English and we can give you more info on that.

Then, unfortunately, your credits aren't a great fit with any of the schools we discuss on here, because you have no Gen Eds.  Luckily they're the easiest to get, but even then, you will lose a ton of credits.  You really need a degree where all of those courses you took will work in the major, thus ensuring that you do the least amount of work.  If your budget was larger, I'd suggest a few alternatives, but since it's $5k, you really are at best with TESU (with the FT/FR term of $4778), EU (which will cost $4000 for 7cr), or UMPI which is $1400-$4200 depending on the number of terms you take to finish.

I would advise applying at TESU for the BS in Technical Studies, since I think that will use your current credits in best way - you may be awarded all of the UL and get the entire major taken care of.  You would take Physics II lab as one of your 16cr term courses, so that's an easy get.  You could also take English Comp I & II TECEPs that term, above and beyond the 16cr you'll need to take for residency - which from your writing on this forum, you should be able to pass.

EU might be a good option - the BLS may work, but you'll lose all of those UL credits - or at least, you'll have to take more, because you need 21cr in Arts & Sciences (Gen Eds) which you don't have.  So, I'm going to suggest you apply for the BPS in Technology Management, with a concentration in Renewable Energy Technology.  Who knew that was a thing?!?  But it is - and may be a good fit for your credits.  If not, you've lost nothing, but it's certainly worth trying.  Worst case, you do the BLS instead.

UMPI, I think is a good option - but probably not the best for what credits you already have.  It just won't make the most of them.  The best option there is a BLS, because it will allow you to use the most number of Free Electives.  A BABA only allows for a small number of Free Electives, of which you will have a ton.

Once you have applied and gotten your evals back, it's time to come and report back here and tell us what shakes out.

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In the meantime, let's gather up credits that will be required at all 3 schools for Gen Eds:

Sophia courses:
College Algebra
Statistics
Public Speaking (I'd prob wait to see where you go before taking this)
Sociology (I'd prob take this at SDC)
Ethics
Psychology (I'd prob take this at SDC)
US History I or II (or both)
Art History I or II (or both)
Intro to IT

Study.com
Physics I
Physics II
Precalculus (if you want-will be needed by TESU for BSTS)
Sociology is prob easier here than Sophia
Psychology is prob easier here than Sophia
American Government (will work at EU, required at UMPI)
Comparative Politics (needed at TESU)

TECEP maybe
English Comp I & II (let's wait to see where you end up)

This should get you going, and I imagine TESU will take a couple of weeks at least to get your eval to you, so you'll be able to get a bunch done at Sophia before that happens.  EU will get back to you within a couple of days, and if you come and post your 2nd eval (not the first one they give you, it's not the right one that tells where your courses go, you'll need a MAP), I can help you determine if you can finish the BPS-TM alternatively or not.

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EDIT to add: if you start at SDC, you might want to take Physics I & II but not take the final exams just yet (which means they won't count toward the 2-exams per month you're paying for) - if you end up at EU, you don't need those courses; and if you end up at UMPI, you might want to switch to SL and take Physics I w/Lab there, since it will be easy at that point, and you will need a lab science, and UMPI won't take a course from one place and a lab from another.

Wow, appreciate your comprehensive input. 
Of course, I speak Chinese but no other dialects like cantonese.

As far as I can see, UMPI could be the cheapeast one, provided my previous courses can be deemed as a transfer. 
TESU BS techinical studies should be the most fit as of now since I have ample technicial UL credits to utilize. 
EU is like a luck draw, I probably get evaluations from there to see if there are any suprises. 

Now after seeing expertises from you professional folks, I obtained a clearer picture. 
1. My "weird" transcript  
2. I am in dire need of Gen Ed

As a result, I would devote some time to studying those common Gen Ed courses. At the same time, I will be doing the application and evaluation concurrently. 

---

BTW, for TESU, if you have more than 2 transcripts to send in, you may need to pay an extra $50 for the Medical Terminology TECEP (and not take it). This would get you to fully enrolled status, which unlocks unlimited evaluations. Applicant status only has 2 evaluations included and these are sometimes used up before all transcripts are evaluated.

Yup, I think I have seen this in the WIKI. 
Just a few tyro questions
1. How do they define "one transcript"?
Eg, if I merge both google data analytics specialization and google project management specialization into one PDF file. Is this counted as one or two transcripts?
2. If I decipher correctly, I will be entitled unlimited evaluation from the school after I am being fully enrolled. Does it mean I have to pay tuition first in order to be fully enrolled？

[rachel83az]

BTW, for TESU, if you have more than 2 transcripts to send in, you may need to pay an extra $50 for the Medical Terminology TECEP (and not take it). This would get you to fully enrolled status, which unlocks unlimited evaluations. Applicant status only has 2 evaluations included and these are sometimes used up before all transcripts are evaluated.

Yup, I think I have seen this in the WIKI. 
Just a few tyro questions
1. How do they define "one transcript"?
Eg, if I merge both google data analytics specialization and google project management specialization into one PDF file. Is this counted as one or two transcripts?
2. If I decipher correctly, I will be entitled unlimited evaluation from the school after I am being fully enrolled. Does it mean I have to pay tuition first in order to be fully enrolled？

In order to get credit for the Google certificates, from any school, the certificates need to be on Credly. There should be links in the Google courses to claim your Credly badges, if you haven't already done so. Then you follow the instructions on this wiki page to send that transcript to the schools in question.

For TESU's purposes, if all of your transcripts are electronic and arrive within 24-48 hours of one another, they'll probably only take one evaluation. The biggest problem arises when you have to send paper transcripts, because those can arrive days or weeks later, eating up your evaluations.

In order to be fully enrolled, you need to pay for a class or a TECEP. The $50 Medical Terminology TECEP is the cheapest way to unlock full enrollment, especially if you're not sure if you want to continue at that school.

[SSW]

BTW, for TESU, if you have more than 2 transcripts to send in, you may need to pay an extra $50 for the Medical Terminology TECEP (and not take it). This would get you to fully enrolled status, which unlocks unlimited evaluations. Applicant status only has 2 evaluations included and these are sometimes used up before all transcripts are evaluated.

Yup, I think I have seen this in the WIKI. 
Just a few tyro questions
1. How do they define "one transcript"?
Eg, if I merge both google data analytics specialization and google project management specialization into one PDF file. Is this counted as one or two transcripts?
2. If I decipher correctly, I will be entitled unlimited evaluation from the school after I am being fully enrolled. Does it mean I have to pay tuition first in order to be fully enrolled？

In order to get credit for the Google certificates, from any school, the certificates need to be on Credly. There should be links in the Google courses to claim your Credly badges, if you haven't already done so. Then you follow the instructions on this wiki page to send that transcript to the schools in question.

For TESU's purposes, if all of your transcripts are electronic and arrive within 24-48 hours of one another, they'll probably only take one evaluation. The biggest problem arises when you have to send paper transcripts, because those can arrive days or weeks later, eating up your evaluations.

In order to be fully enrolled, you need to pay for a class or a TECEP. The $50 Medical Terminology TECEP is the cheapest way to unlock full enrollment, especially if you're not sure if you want to continue at that school.

Oh, I see. I do have the badges. However, I do not know the specific procedures pertaining to the Google courses transcript routed to the school. 
Thanks for highlighting all these essential information.

[bjcheung77]

@SSW, I would skip the ACTFL or any language tests if you're going the Excelsior or TESU way. Even though they're great for max transfer credits, you should know where you stand by sending in your evaluation for them to investigate. You might also want to decide on the degree once the credits populate and see which degree/school would allow you to finish cheaper, easier, faster, hopefully with the subject area you're interested in too... Frankly, you want to know which Masters you would like to apply to if that is your end goal. I would get as many prerequisites completed at the undergraduate level to make your application stronger.

[SSW]

@SSW, I would skip the ACTFL or any language tests if you're going the Excelsior or TESU way.  Even though they're great for max transfer credits, you should know where you stand by sending in your evaluation for them to investigate.  You might also want to decide on the degree once the credits populate and see which degree/school would allow you to finish cheaper, easier, faster, hopefully with the subject area you're interested in too... Frankly, you want to know which Masters you would like to apply to if that is your end goal.  I would get as many prerequisites completed at the undergraduate level to make your application stronger.

Understood. I have to wait for my evaluation result then to futher determine which will be the my final decision. 
If UMPI is the choice, ACTFL test needs to be done. 
Meanwhile, I probably will start those common Gen Eds like Ethics, Sociology and History courses. 

With regards to the Master, I have been pre-enrolled in a MBA and going to start in next year. 
Therefore, prerequisites are not that important at this moment. 
Perhaps, my goal is only to get a degree as of now.

[bjcheung77]

兄弟, bro... @SSW, could you provide more details on this pre-enrollment in the MBA program? Are you starting in January 2023 or later like September 2023? I'm still a tad confused on which institution you're going to, is it local in China or Singapore? An online university in the US? Basically, you have 3 years diploma/degree equivalent and the ENEB Project Management. Did you get the ENEB PM evaluated yet? Did you take PM because of the favorable ECE in the ENEB main thread?

I am asking questions to get to know what path you're taking. It seems a bit redundant to get the Bachelors at this point if the ENEB PM has been evaluated as an equivalent to RA Bachelors by ECE already. With the 3 years diploma and this evaluation, you have enough for entrance into the pre-enrollment MBA. I would correspond further by email with them to see if anything else is needed. I would recommend skipping the Bachelors for now...

Essentially, unless you need the Bachelors for a different program admissions to the Masters level, you're not tied to going one route towards the Masters. There are options and alternative entry points to most Masters programs as each and every student has their own case-by-case scenario or situation. I would find out more with the institution and follow up with us here... Either way it goes... Good Luck, happy studies!

[dfrecore]

@SSW, I would skip the ACTFL or any language tests if you're going the Excelsior or TESU way.  Even though they're great for max transfer credits, you should know where you stand by sending in your evaluation for them to investigate.  You might also want to decide on the degree once the credits populate and see which degree/school would allow you to finish cheaper, easier, faster, hopefully with the subject area you're interested in too... Frankly, you want to know which Masters you would like to apply to if that is your end goal.  I would get as many prerequisites completed at the undergraduate level to make your application stronger.

A foreign language is required at UMPI, and counts as Gen Eds at both TESU and EC, which OP needs - so why tell him NOT to take this?  It's an easy win.  I would choose ONE of the following exams, whichever has your language (I don't know what "Chinese" is, I didn't think that was an actual language, I thought you had to specify Mandarin or Cantonese or whatever).  Worst case, you get 3cr, but I'm sure you will get closer to 12, including UL, which will be helpful at all 3 schools, and the UL in an Arts & Sciences area will be required at EC no matter your degree.  You literally cannot go wrong here.


ORAL PROFICIENCY INTERVIEW (you can only choose 1):
 
OPIc (computerized) $108
Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Pashto, Persian-Farsi, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese
 
OPI (live person) $165
Afrikaans, Akan-Twi, Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Baluchi, Bengali, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Burmese, Cambodian, Cantonese, Cebuano, Chavacano, Czech, Dari, Dutch, English, French, Ga, Georgian, German, Greek, (Modern), Gujarati, Haitian Creole, Hausa, Hebrew, Hiligaynon, Hindi, Hmong-Mong, Hungarian, Igbo, Ilocano, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Javanese, Kashmiri, Kazakh, Kikongo-Kongo, Korean, Krio, Kurdish, Lao, Malay, Malayalam, Mandarin, Mandingo-Bambara, Nepali, Pashto, Persian-Farsi, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Serbian/Croatian, Sindhi, Sinhalese, Slovak, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Tagalog, Tajik, Tamil, Tausug, Telugu, Thai, Tigrinya, Turkish, Turkmen, Uighur, Urdu, Uzbek, Vietnamese, Wolof, Wu and Yoruba
 
Novice High/Intermediate Low 3cr (3cr LL)
Intermediate Mid 6cr (6cr LL)
Intermediate High/Advanced Low 9cr (9cr LL)
Advanced Mid 9cr (6cr LL/3cr UL)
Advanced High/Superior 12cr (6cr LL/6cr UL)


WRITTEN PROFICIENCY TEST:



WPT $108
Albanian, Arabic, Chinese-Cantonese, Chinese-Mandarin, English, French, German, Greek (Modern), Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Persian-Farsi, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian-Croatian, Spanish, Turkish, Urdu, and Vietnamese
 
Novice High/Intermediate Low 3cr (3cr LL)
 
Intermediate Mid 6cr (6cr LL)
 
Intermediate High/Advanced Low 8cr (6cr LL/2cr UL)
 
Advanced Mid 9cr (6cr LL/3cr UL)
 
Advanced High/Superior 12cr (6cr LL/6cr UL)

[SSW]

兄弟, bro... @SSW, could you provide more details on this pre-enrollment in the MBA program?  Are you starting in January 2023 or later like September 2023?  I'm still a tad confused on which institution you're going to, is it local in China or Singapore? An online university in the US?  Basically, you have 3 years diploma/degree equivalent and the ENEB Project Management.  Did you get the ENEB PM evaluated yet? Did you take PM because of the favorable ECE in the ENEB main thread?

I am asking questions to get to know what path you're taking.  It seems a bit redundant to get the Bachelors at this point if the ENEB PM has been evaluated as an equivalent to RA Bachelors by ECE already.  With the 3 years diploma and this evaluation, you have enough for entrance into the pre-enrollment MBA.  I would correspond further by email with them to see if anything else is needed.  I would recommend skipping the Bachelors for now...

Essentially, unless you need the Bachelors for a different program admissions to the Masters level, you're not tied to going one route towards the Masters.  There are options and alternative entry points to most Masters programs as each and every student has their own case-by-case scenario or situation.  I would find out more with the institution and follow up with us here... Either way it goes... Good Luck, happy studies!

Sure, it's my pleasure to share more information in return to this forum. 

I was enrolled in a UK university MBA program through a case-by-case basis evaluation. In fact, there are quite numbers of school UK unversity accept a "mature" candidate. Mature candicate is normally defined by a few conditions such like more than 30 years old with 8 year working experience, of which 3 to 5 managerial experience is required. The requirement more or less different from one school to another. 
However, those universities may not have a competitive ranking, usually around QS 800 to 1000+ like Sunderland, Middlesex, Bournemouth and so on and so forth. They do have distance learning mode, they also have their collaborated instituations in Singapore as well. Thus, I probably will start next year April or May in Singapore. 
As for ENEB project management, I did not get it evaluated as I don't think it will help to apply a degree?  I got exempted for 4 courses peratining to project management due to I am holding a PMI-PMP certificate. Hence, the final transcript only shows 7 courses' grade. This also result in that I reckon the evaluation of ENEB program might be pointless in terms of degree application. 

I was enrolled with an unconditional offer, so the pursuit of a degree is really not for MBA or master application. The main reason is that I would like to have a "consistent" academic backgroud, it's like just-in-case learning to prepare for future. Since I have planned and set aside time slots next year Jan, so I am here to explore the degree options.

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@SSW, I would skip the ACTFL or any language tests if you're going the Excelsior or TESU way.  Even though they're great for max transfer credits, you should know where you stand by sending in your evaluation for them to investigate.  You might also want to decide on the degree once the credits populate and see which degree/school would allow you to finish cheaper, easier, faster, hopefully with the subject area you're interested in too... Frankly, you want to know which Masters you would like to apply to if that is your end goal.  I would get as many prerequisites completed at the undergraduate level to make your application stronger.

A foreign language is required at UMPI, and counts as Gen Eds at both TESU and EC, which OP needs - so why tell him NOT to take this?  It's an easy win.  I would choose ONE of the following exams, whichever has your language (I don't know what "Chinese" is, I didn't think that was an actual language, I thought you had to specify Mandarin or Cantonese or whatever).  Worst case, you get 3cr, but I'm sure you will get closer to 12, including UL, which will be helpful at all 3 schools, and the UL in an Arts & Sciences area will be required at EC no matter your degree.  You literally cannot go wrong here.


ORAL PROFICIENCY INTERVIEW (you can only choose 1):
 
OPIc (computerized) $108
Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Pashto, Persian-Farsi, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese
 
OPI (live person) $165
Afrikaans, Akan-Twi, Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Baluchi, Bengali, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Burmese, Cambodian, Cantonese, Cebuano, Chavacano, Czech, Dari, Dutch, English, French, Ga, Georgian, German, Greek, (Modern), Gujarati, Haitian Creole, Hausa, Hebrew, Hiligaynon, Hindi, Hmong-Mong, Hungarian, Igbo, Ilocano, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Javanese, Kashmiri, Kazakh, Kikongo-Kongo, Korean, Krio, Kurdish, Lao, Malay, Malayalam, Mandarin, Mandingo-Bambara, Nepali, Pashto, Persian-Farsi, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Serbian/Croatian, Sindhi, Sinhalese, Slovak, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Tagalog, Tajik, Tamil, Tausug, Telugu, Thai, Tigrinya, Turkish, Turkmen, Uighur, Urdu, Uzbek, Vietnamese, Wolof, Wu and Yoruba
 
Novice High/Intermediate Low 3cr (3cr LL)
Intermediate Mid 6cr (6cr LL)
Intermediate High/Advanced Low 9cr (9cr LL)
Advanced Mid 9cr (6cr LL/3cr UL)
Advanced High/Superior 12cr (6cr LL/6cr UL)


WRITTEN PROFICIENCY TEST:



WPT $108
Albanian, Arabic, Chinese-Cantonese, Chinese-Mandarin, English, French, German, Greek (Modern), Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Persian-Farsi, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian-Croatian, Spanish, Turkish, Urdu, and Vietnamese
 
Novice High/Intermediate Low 3cr (3cr LL)
 
Intermediate Mid 6cr (6cr LL)
 
Intermediate High/Advanced Low 8cr (6cr LL/2cr UL)
 
Advanced Mid 9cr (6cr LL/3cr UL)
 
Advanced High/Superior 12cr (6cr LL/6cr UL)

Thanks for alerting me. This will trigger me to check Gen-Eds requirements for 2 other schools thoroughly.
In fact, I did not know I could get maximum 12 credits to transfer in this section. Initially, I thought only 3 credit will be earned to fullfil the Gen Eds only. 
By the way, I can only speak Mandarin.