Just Beat Cancer, Researched Colleges 4 Monthes, What Do You Think of this Plan? :)

[Austin-BeatCancerB17]

format below as per Sgloer, Ashkir, Rachel83az and bjcheung77’s “New To The Degree Forum? How this Area Works!”

Name
Austin

Location
California, United States

Age
29 years old

Degree’s Pursuing/Required For Goals:
I need two very specific degrees for the purpose of not having to take the CSET exams for both a multiple subject credential and a single subject credential.
(California Subject Examinations for Teachers)
Regionally Accredited Liberal Studies Degree (concentration in Social Science) (bachelors) = No CSET for entrance into a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential Program (grade K-8) (realistically K-5) (contained classroom)
Regionally Accredited Social Science Degree (bachelors) = no Single Subject (Social Science) CSET requirement. (grades 6-12)

If curious see what I mean here on the California Teaching Credential (CTC) FAQ on a recent bill called AB 130 to confirm https://www.ctc.ca.gov/docs/default-sour...ac402ab1_2)
In California Per AB 130, by obtaining a major/degree (not minor) in an “Exact” match to what they have listed here: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces...awCode=EDC
you can bypass/satisfy the CSETS requirements and get into a teaching Credential Program without taking them
I have had this confirmed by both the CTC in email and CSU credentialing analysts.
The CSET’s are brutal enough without this previous adrenal tumor (hence my username) making my learning disability worse. (it makes test taking much more difficult due to exacerbating a previous learning disability. (I have trouble with my encoding system, recalling short term information under perceived duress (don’t we all) but mine is quite a bit worse due to an amplified cortisol response among other lingering biochemical changes. Recall of areas of study before the tumor is still excellent)

Current Regionally Accredited Credits:
see first post above:
I have no idea how to convert them - i dont know which of my classes are considered 100/200/300 classes
my community colleges are listed above as well, Chaffey College, CA and Mt San Antonio college, CA. The class names are like NF 15 for nutrition and so on.

Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits:
None (Doing Sophia U.S. History 1 and 2 right now)

Any certifications or military experience?
Precision Nutrition Level 1
NASM (National Academy of Sports Nutrition) Personal Trainer

Budget:
One Year of Full Pell Grant left (I have so many undergrad credits and one year of the Pell grant left because to survive financially during the cancer my sister and I both had an apartment and used the Pell Grant. I was bedridden the last year of the tumor before using apricot kernels, 40 a day ground up in protein shake, which killed it, but made the symptoms worse, so bedridden. This was very difficult and embarrassing for me as a man who wasn’t financial providing. Scary time, low chance of survival but here I am
4k in saving
With my soon to be wife whose fully on board and me we have (but don’t want to use) 15k in credit card availability.
Student loans on the table as I plan to pay them all off first years salary, period, no questions asked on that one.
Income of 500 a month (as in expendable/can go towards education)
(if Bachelors in Social Science is done at National University/CA school online – can use the Golden State Teaching Grant which gives 20k in return for your soul for 4 years) (must work in an ‘under privileged school) (would prefer to avoid this as I want to pursue Private Educatio but have the option to teach public)

Commitments:
This. I need to get my life back on track after the cancer took eight years of my twenties. I have these credits to show for it and a level of life experience I am excited I can out towards being the best husband and father I personally can muster.
Soon to be engaged to the actual woman I believe is borderline made for me, and I for her, starting a stable career in education, planning our first child before she’s 32 (shes 28 now) we are both high genetic risks, and eventual investing in owner occupied real estate for passive income renting out all the rooms while we renovate and live in the garage. (see luxury tiny home and put that in a garage - can be done for less than 15k, super cool, all zoning legal)
I plan on doing rideshare until bachelors and then substitute teach while working on next degree and then teaching program or flip that order, whatever makes sense as helping me reach a conclusion here.

Dedicated time to study

I have full availability. I just need “pass guarantee”s as much as I one can have – like sophia not having proctors, etc, im going for easy here because of the damage the adrenal tumor did with impairing my short term recall while under duress and exacerbated a pre-existing learning disability (actual diagnosed and fairly severe ADHD, non-medicated but considering while in school),
easy = test re-takability and no cumulative testing . I take tests terribly, (cumulative) non cumulative is fine.

Timeline: Finishing the courses required for the degree as fast as possible would be ideal

Tuition assistance/reimbursement:
my father/mother may be able to assist, and my wife is fully on board- we have about 500 from her expendable to go towards education and 500 from me per month.

Please provide any relevant details you may have that may help us determine a option or path for you to investigate, such as your preference towards either test-out (you're a great test taker) or competency based education (because you like assessments, assignments and have test anxiety). What other details you provide us can help determine your course of action suited for your educational journey...

testing out could work, never done before, i do prefer 'guarantee pass' courses i.e. assignment based, non-cumulative, i like to spend proba an hour or two a day, more if need be, the ADHD makes it bad if im not into the material but i really enjoy social science's content, i LOVED political science so i dont mind it, but how Sophia is set up is how i like to do it.


And finally, you all are absolutely, beyond incredible. I apologize for the scope and depth here, but I can also offer some cool stuff in return - just nutrition stuff I've collected over the years and how i killed my cancer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPADSv3XAv0&t=2s
http://www.whale.to/c/manner2.html

i believe in the biochemistry above and you can also do chemo while taking the apricot kernels.

i killed the cancer with about 40 apricot kernels a day ground up into a 'macro shake' - Orgain protein powder from costco, a fat such as peanut butter, coconut oil, organic greens from costco, and organic frozen berries, you guessed it, costco xD I juiced for energy. Breville Bluicer pro, grab the color of the rainbow from Sprouts/Whole foods and costco, carrots, celery, beets, cabbage, lemons, oranges, cucumbers, pineapple, apples, etc, please reach out to me in a pm if you or anyone you know is struggling with cancer and ill send everything i have, (gotta dig it up on the computer lol, i have a bunch of different folders and such) i also have a bunch of resources i can send for nutrition stuff like this: https://www.precisionnutrition.com/calor...nfographic
https://www.viome.com/
super cool for foods to avoid and get in diet, i used it and noticed some pretty good change is how i felt
https://holidays.nebula.org/?utm_source=...iUQAvD_BwE
also an amazing resource Ive done as well to see what you could have in your dna so you can take action now
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aaxa7rxEbyk - super cool for juicing before and afters. you can scroll to the end to see their before and afters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSpglxHTJVM - Gamechangers (on netflix rn)

oh and I'm not affiliated with any of this btw, its just very specific stuff I've collected over the years that has helped my numerous health issues.

just trying to reciprocate the help , what you all do is like, amazing, logging on every day and replying to all these posts? not getting anything in return monetarily? its just incredible.. wanted to give back what i could that i thought would be useful <3

i had cancer for 8 years and straight up 6 monthes after the apricot seeds it was gone. no chemo, no other changes.

cheers everyone <3



lets figure out this degree plan, from what ive read thats dfrecores area of expertise? and hopefully some alternatives to National University.

that's pretty much everything btw. no more longer post for you guys to read from me lol. Thats all of it - ow that you guys know the situation, just here to take in any information i can before i make some dumb and costly mistakes. theoretically each month im not salaried teaching is an opportunity cost of around $4,100 net pay in my area.

im trying to get my life back, get our home and get our family started. I feel .. so behind. I want to give the world to my soon to be wife and ill work very hard to get there.
cheers everyone.

---

For HIS 233 World Civilizations I and HIS 234 World Civilizations II, you might be able to take World History from Sterling College? They're $145/cr and it's possible that some of their other History classes might also work for NU: https://online.sterling.edu/history/

If it needs to be World Civilizations specifically, PennFoster has what appears to be World Civilizations II, but not I. The ACE page is here: https://www.acenet.edu/National-Guide/Pa...65f38bf0e1 It costs $419 for this ACE-recommended course: https://www.pennfoster.edu/college/indiv...al-studies

Everything else I can see is either World History or Western Civilization. Some schools do permit some substitutions, but others will require specific courses there.

Excellent! Going to bed now and Ill be looking into these first thing tomorrow. Didnt see you'd responded so fast while i was editing the addendum/template. stayed up far far too late again tonight, was doing research into colleges. 

dfrecore also mentioned University of Idaho for world history as well,  but I have no idea how much they are, I'll be looking into that as well and will briefly post my findings for everyones added knowledge later today. <3

[dfrecore]

Ok, I did 2 degree plans: 1) TESU BALS, and 2) EU BLS. EU wins hands down. First, because it's cheaper. Second, because it will be faster.

TESU still needs:
Diversity (Sociology probably)
Ethics
History
5 UL Liberal Arts courses
5 200-level Liberal arts courses (most of yours are 100-level)
Cornerstone & Capstone

EU still needs:
6 UL Liberal Arts courses, including 1 UL Ethics course
2 UL of anything
Info Lit, Cornerstone & Capstone

Between SDC and Coopersmith, you can easily get your UL courses done in a couple of months, and be ready to finish up at EU, with just 2 8-week terms (1 for InfoLit & UL Cornerstone, 1 for Capstone).

Next, I will work on the Franklin and NU SocSci degree plans and see what I can come up with.

---

NU - $16k+ for the degree (they're quarter-based, so you need 45cr x $370/qcr) - the fact that you can't look at the degree program is a major downside to me.

Ok so I'm not thrilled with that Franklin University Social Science degree - very little social science going on; and they count History as a Humanities rather than a Social Science, so those courses are out. The good part is that you can get the entire degree with just 8 courses there (they do mostly 4cr courses) which is about $10k. I am making the assumption that this is a 2nd degree, and that all gen eds are waived, so it's just 32cr in the major (6 required courses and 2 electives).

Other options to look into (they all take ACE credits, which you might need for pre-reqs):
Upper Iowa University
Cost: $471 per cr = $14,130 online

Univ of Maryland Global Campus
Cost: $499 per cr = $14,970 for Out-of-State
Last I checked:
OnlineDegree scholarship – 1 course = 25% discount off tuition
Study.com partner – will take 90cr

SUNY Empire
Cost: $353 per cr = $10,943 for 31cr Out-of-State
45cr of UL required in all degrees, 24cr of which must be in the concentration

-------------------------------------------------

Other things to look into: how about an inexpensive Master's degree instead of a 2nd degree? There are some out there for $10k or less. Not sure if it will work, but worth looking into.

[bjcheung77]

@Austin-BeatCancerB17, That's a lot of info! I'm still thinking the UMPI BLS with a minor or two of your choice, coupled that with the WGU BS for teaching purposes. You can always ladder to another WGU Masters Education/Teaching right after getting hired. Review your options and see which one you like most, decide on which may work for you...

[Austin-BeatCancerB17]

Welp. There goes an hour.
 
Went to upload a file and the page died. Lost all I'd written. Lets just stick to bullet points. Im exhausted.

regardless I have to say this. I'm honestly just awestruck that you would voluntarily put in this kind of effort for someone you don't even know, while not being compensated like this. Whoever you are, please know, of all the billions in this world, you, and everyone on this forum who also dedicate like this, are just absolutely confusingly rare and incredible people. Its lifechanging, literally, how much of an impact you make. 



you few hold more knowledge on this subject than probably anyone else in the world. 


 truly, from the absolute bottom of my heart, thank you.
 

 
@Dfrecore, 
 
that was my thought as well with Franklin, but for 8 classes, hey it accomplishes my goal, I'm looking into them next as a backup.
 
Excelsior University also seems excellent however I'm not confident a degree in Liberal Arts would work for the purposes of waiving/satisfying the CSET subject matter tests for the multiple subject k-8 credential program - as I understand it must be in Liberal Studies or it sounds like they might have to actually evaluate it?
 
Ill call the CSU SB credential specialist Monica whose been very helpful tomorrow and find out, but if that works that will amazingly excellent news as EU seems much much better.
 
"Previously, to meet the Subject Matter Requirement, candidates must have either received a passing score on the applicable CSET examination or completed a Commission-approved subject matter waiver program. AB 130 expands the available options to allow candidates to meet the Subject Matter Requirement through any one of the following methods: 
" 2. Successful completion of an academic major in the subject they will teach. a. For Single Subject credentials, the major must be in one of the subjects named in Education Code section 44257(a). b. For Multiple Subject credentials, the major must be in liberal studies or an interdisciplinary major that includes coursework in the content areas identified in subdivision (b) of California Education Code section 44282."
https://www.ctc.ca.gov/docs/default-source/commission/coded/2021/coded-21-05.pdf?sfvrsn=ac402ab1_2
 
List of acceptable single subject (Grades 8-12) majors 
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=44257&lawCode=EDC
 
 
@bjcheung77  Thank you so far mate    sadly, WGU doesn't work for my purposes as far as the initial degrees (not the credential program, that might work) because of the fact that their degrees arent in liberal studies or social science, so id still have to take the nasty CSETS if I did them, they were what i was orignally going to do in January, but thank God I did more research.
 
"At this time, the degree major must correspond to the authorization to be listed on a Single Subject Credential. For example, a degree authorization in English would qualify for a Single Subject credential in English. The law as written requires that the degree major exactly align with the subject area of the credential, meaning that a candidate who is completing a Single Subject credential program in Science: Biological Science would need to have earned a degree in Biology or Biological Science. A degree in Environmental Biology would not be acceptable for this purpose. 
2. What if a candidate’s degree is in a closely related subject, but is not in the exact subject of the single subject credential they seek? a. The current statutory language does not provide leeway for the acceptance of closely related subjects; the match must be exact. "
 
https://www.ctc.ca.gov/docs/default-source/commission/coded/2021/coded-21-05.pdf?sfvrsn=ac402ab1_2
 
 
@Dfrecore
 
Attached is the degree plan the NU advisors worked up for me, I attached my trancripts from both colleges as well for ease of use.

  Austin Schneider _BA in Social Science with an ITL Prelim SS Credential Program Estimate.pdf (Size: 350.2 KB / Downloads: 4)

  Schneider_Austin_Chaffey_ Unofficial_Transcripts.pdf (Size: 45.22 KB / Downloads: 1)

  Transcript Data - Mt San Antonio.docx (Size: 35.45 KB / Downloads: 0)

 
Reasons I'm looking at NU:
 

• You take one course per month, which means I can do both degrees at once, the social science from NU and the LS/BALS from wherever else
  

 
Financials:

• you auto get what's called the Key Grant at NU bringing each of their courses down to roughly $1,030
  
• I also still have one year of the full amount of the Pell grant, doing NU means I would potentially get the Cal grants as well as its a CA college
  

 
The transfer sources applicable for NU are here below: 
I finally found all the answers we need for their transfer policies and general ed/social science degree plan, down to each course needed/alternatives 
 

• General Education Requirements/Alternatives:
  

https://nu.curriqunet.com/catalog/alias/catalog85/iq/5209/5641/5645
 

• Transfer Policies and Sources Accepted:
  

https://nu.curriqunet.com/catalog/alias/catalog85/iq/5217
 
 
 With that in mind, unless Franklin or somewher else for Social Science makes more sense, 
 

This is my plan so far: correct, admonish, guide me in the right direction


Using the classes here as a base, keeping in mind I need at least 10 classes done AT NU

SOCIAL SCIENCE DEGREE FROM ACTUAL CATALOG - NU
https://nu.curriqunet.com/catalog/alias/catalog85/iq/5209/5535/5574
(ignore the credential part) (im having them check if I can even get only the bachelors in SocSci rn - so thats nerve-racking, I dont see why not, they offer standalone English, ECD, and Interdisciplinary Studies degrees with or without a credential option) 

(Franklin might be the only option if they force you to take the undergrad single subject credential, but i highly doubt it, seeing what they say today.) 

---

 (word count limit) SO HERES THE MAIN QUESTION

assuming we're trying to stack/double count classes using the courses listed on that degree plan:
 https://nu.curriqunet.com/catalog/alias/catalog85/iq/5209/5535/5574

assume I have all the LL courses on that degree plan above ^

how do we arrange them/which college would they count best at for the BALS/LS degree as well?
if that makes sense,

EU vs TESU vs UMPI - everyones saying these are the top 3 from what ive gathered so far


thats the big question 

Using the NU SS degree plan above - how do we count those classes/which category would they go into best/which college for the BALS/LS would be fastest/whats the difference between EU and TESU at that point? It seems like if all those are done in my plan below - it might be pretty much the same at that point? (in the case that the credential analyst Monica gets back to me today and says that it must be speicifcally a liberal studies program.

 
This is the current plan to get them btw as per @Rachel83az and @dfrecore   thank you both t r e m e n d o u s l y

NU accepts all of these as per their policy I listed above - reposting here: https://nu.curriqunet.com/catalog/alias/...85/iq/5217


I can hit all the LL and one UL (leaving 10 courses for residency requirements at NU) via

Sterling (thank you Rachel   )
Straighterline
Sophia

(having one of the UL from SDC confirmed now)

• World Civ I or II - whichever world civ this is considered, - NU is getting back to me  $79
  

https://www.straighterline.com/online-college-courses/humanities/survey-of-world-history/ 
 

•  SOS 110/ILR 260- had it confirmed by NU today this works for their version of SOS 110  ( NU version ILR 260) $498 (cheaper than TESU or NU)
  

https://www.edx.org/microbachelors/tesu-information-literacy
 

• -The other world history, possibly the geography (having that confirmed right now), and if needed, the American politics if my comp politics or international relations doesnt satisfy this (NU is re-assessing that one class and getting back to me) ,   $145 a credit done in two one month terms in summer
  

https://www.sterling.edu/about/accreditation
means it counts as a regionally accredited college so accepted by NU as per their transfer policy
https://online.sterling.edu/summer-discounted-gen-eds-purchase/
 
and then U.S. History I and U.S. History II $99 for both - will get them done in one month
https://www.sophia.org/online-courses/social-science/us-history-i-2
https://www.sophia.org/online-courses/social-science/us-history-ii-2
 
 
I could then take hopefully one of the upper level courses below - can only be one though at this point because I need the 10 residency courses at NU
thanks to you Rachel83az  
 
(HIS 400 Historical Theories and Methods
might be covered by
 History 301: Historiography & Historical Methods at Study.com.  $200
OR
 HIS 361 Making and Sundering of Union might be
History 306: The American Civil War Era.)  $200

I checked U of Idaho @dfrecore and while it would work the proctor is offsite and im not certain about the timescale, straigherline is way cheaper for one of them, and the other can be done for cheaper at Sterling and in one month, not sure if i need to test onsite for that but Id assume not. 



So thats so far the plan on how to get those LL for NU done plus one UL


How would those fit in the plan @dfrecore, you're the absolute authority on this. 

Again, I cant even stress how much of an impact you make on these peoples lives, me included. I am constantly in awe of the level of dedication and input you all put into helping each and every person on this forum.

thank you all. for everything so far.  

I hope everyones input, as this thread progresses and is more and more honed, serves to be a baseline to help someone else with this similar goal of a recession proof teaching career. 


This double degree plan we're working on here allows someone to teach every grade, to teach elementary school making a great salary while they wait for a position in the single subject passion of their choice to open up, (swap out SS for any of the single subject credentials) in CA, because of the new AB 130 bill.

It just baffles me that you all exist and are so uniquely helpful. 


@Dfrecore @Rachel83az @Vle045 @Natshar @ss20ts @BJCheung77

[rachel83az]

Just to confirm, you have asked that NU is okay with simultaneous degrees and you know what their policy is in regards to credits that must be earned AFTER your most recent degree, yes? Some schools are really strict about this. Others, less so. You mention working on NU and your Lib Studies degree simultaneously. If you were doing, say, TESU for History and UMPI for Lib Studies, this would not work. TESU is very, very picky about this kind of thing. EU theoretically allows second Bachelor's degrees, but they won't actually allow students to get a second Bachelor's - the student gets directed to the Master's programs instead.

That said, if you're able to bang out papers quickly, UMPI is almost certainly going to be your fastest Liberal Studies degree. If you only need one or two History classes (or none, it looks like?) from UMPI, I'd go with them. Most students take 2 or 3 sessions to finish their required UMPI classes (4-6 months). But we've had a couple of exceptional students who have been able to finish an entire Liberal Studies degree in a single session. 2 months from starting classes.

IIRC, UMPI awards the degree ~2-3 weeks after your final session ends and your grades are posted.
TESU only graduates students a few times per year. If you finish a couple days late, you have to wait an extra 4 months until your degree is awarded.
I can't remember if Excelsior graduates students continuously or if one has to wait for specific graduation dates. I think it's monthly, but I'm not certain. That said, the deal-breaker for many students is the group project in the capstone.

If you're trying to get this done as quickly and as cheaply as possible, I'd go with UMPI. Excelsior would be cheaper than TESU, but the capstone is reported to be more challenging.

[davewill]

Excelsior University also seems excellent however I'm not confident a degree in Liberal Arts would work for the purposes of waiving/satisfying the CSET subject matter tests for the multiple subject k-8 credential program - as I understand it must be in Liberal Studies or it sounds like they might have to actually evaluate it?
 
Ill call the CSU SB credential specialist Monica whose been very helpful tomorrow and find out, but if that works that will amazingly excellent news as EU seems much much better.
 
"Previously, to meet the Subject Matter Requirement, candidates must have either received a passing score on the applicable CSET examination or completed a Commission-approved subject matter waiver program. AB 130 expands the available options to allow candidates to meet the Subject Matter Requirement through any one of the following methods: 
" 2. Successful completion of an academic major in the subject they will teach. a. For Single Subject credentials, the major must be in one of the subjects named in Education Code section 44257(a). b. For Multiple Subject credentials, the major must be in liberal studies or an interdisciplinary major that includes coursework in the content areas identified in subdivision (b) of California Education Code section 44282."
https://www.ctc.ca.gov/docs/default-source/commission/coded/2021/coded-21-05.pdf?sfvrsn=ac402ab1_2

I'd definitely check. I can read that multiple subject major requirement requiring "coursework in the content areas identified..." as applying to liberal studies as well as other interdisciplinary majors, which might mean they have to evaluate your transcript to see that you covered all of the content areas even with a liberal studies degree.

[ss20ts]

Why not a BA in History from UMPI?

[bjcheung77]

I'd definitely check. I can read that multiple subject major requirement requiring "coursework in the content areas identified..." as applying to liberal studies as well as other interdisciplinary majors, which might mean they have to evaluate your transcript to see that you covered all of the content areas even with a liberal studies degree.

^^THIS^^, There are so many options to get this completed, as mentioned earlier, you can go for TESU/UMPI combo.
1) UMPI BLS with a minor or two of your choice, UMPI BA History
2) TESU BALS with Social Science concentration, TESU BA History
3) A mix of the two institutions, plus a WGU BS Teaching credential (California Elementary Multi Subject)

Having said that, as per your posts, you're looking at Social Science and not really History, even though the required courses for NU's social science program are all History courses. You really need to ask yourself which subject matter you're going to enjoy and want to teach. Further to that, the energy, money, time you will need invested in completing the requirements...

I'll throw this one as another alternative option: TESU BALS Social Science concentration, you can take a bulk of the courses from CJ, Psych, Sociology, etc. TESU BA Sociology, you can transfer in and reuse 99 credits from the BALS, 90 for gen ed/electives, 9 for the AOS (area of study). You can finish both degrees at the same time and they use the same capstone. See if this would work...

[rachel83az]

Why not a BA in History from UMPI?

Because apparently California is stupid about this. It needs to be Liberal Studies and Social Science. Otherwise, History would be a good option!

[natshar]

(possibly stupid) question whats wrong with taking the CTES? Taking a test seems like a lot less work than getting two bachelors degrees? Am I missing something here?

Why not just got and get a single BA in Social Sciences (or go to WGU and get a BA in education) and just take the CTES?