WGU BSCS or Pierpont->UMPI->MS

[swellguy]

Your Location: South Carolina,US
Your Age: 24
What kind of degree do you want?: BSCS
Budget: ~$5000
Commitments: N/A
Dedicated time to study: full time, I can study as much as is needed
Timeline: BS ~6 months
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: N/A
Some Background:
I have 4 years of developer work experience and a year of sysadmin experience.
I'm thinking of getting a CS degree to help boost my resume, open up a bit more international opportunities
and maybe even grad school in the future.
Plan:
Was thinking of getting a BSCS at WGU, so I did all the Sophia transfers for it.

But after some research, I read about the potential of getting the Pierpont BOG AAS -> UMPI BAS with an AoE in Information Systems
Then instead of getting a BSCS at WGU I could get an MS instead maybe at
WGU MSITM or somewhere else for example,  GAtechs OMSCS to get a bit more brand value and getting a CS degree.
Unsure if I mind forgoing CS and just getting something technical or management related.

An additional caveat for the Pierpont path, I am a US citizen and resident but have a foreign HS diploma so would have to get that evaluated and translated.



Completed Sophia credits:
Financial Accounting 3
Introduction to Business 3
Principles of Management 3
Project Management 3
Introduction to Information Technology 3
Introduction to Java Programming 3
Introduction to Python Programming 3
Introduction to Relational Databases 3
Introduction to Web Development 3
English Composition 1   3
Visual Communications 3
Workplace Communications 3
Introduction to Ethics 3
Calculus 1   4
Introduction to Statistics 3
Environmental Science 3
Human Biology 3
Human Biology Lab 1
Introduction to Nutrition 3
Macroeconomics 3
Microeconomics 3
U.S Government 3



Coursera Cert:
TADA - Google IT Support Professional

[rachel83az]

What is your budget?

Getting a Pierpont degree doesn't guarantee being able to get a BAS at UMPI. Even if you do, UMPI's degrees aren't very technical/comp sci at all. It might not be sufficient to get entry into the Georgia Tech degree. Nothing that could be considered a comp sci prerequisite. It may not be sufficient for Georgia Tech or even WGU (I'm not sure what WGU's MSITM entry requirements are, however).

If you have a higher budget, you might want to consider getting a BACS at TESU instead of a BSCS at WGU. Why? Getting a degree in a single 6-month term at WGU is not super common. It's technically doable, but may not be possible even with maximum transfer. If it takes you 2 or 3 terms at WGU, that would cost about as much or even more than a TESU degree.

[swellguy]

What is your budget?

Getting a Pierpont degree doesn't guarantee being able to get a BAS at UMPI. Even if you do, UMPI's degrees aren't very technical/comp sci at all. It might not be sufficient to get entry into the Georgia Tech degree. Nothing that could be considered a comp sci prerequisite. It may not be sufficient for Georgia Tech or even WGU (I'm not sure what WGU's MSITM entry requirements are, however).

If you have a higher budget, you might want to consider getting a BACS at TESU instead of a BSCS at WGU. Why? Getting a degree in a single 6-month term at WGU is not super common. It's technically doable, but may not be possible even with maximum transfer. If it takes you 2 or 3 terms at WGU, that would cost about as much or even more than a TESU degree.

If a BAS at UMPI is unlikely to be sufficient for a technical MS that's good to know and I'd probably just do the BSCS route.
Budget ~ $5000
I've spent a lot of time "pre-gaming" WGU courses and most of the CS and IT-related coursework I have prior experience and knowledge in.
In addition, I'll be able to study full time so I'm pretty confident I'll be able to complete it in a single term.


edit: as an additional note, I noticed that the Pierpont AAS might give me some additional transfer courses for WGU
https://partners.wgu.edu/Pages/Single.as...173&pid=86
specifically,
Ethics in Technology
Technical Communication
Business of IT - Applications
Network and Security - Foundations

[bjcheung77]

@swellguy, You missed the last post addendum! Basically, it's to provide us your budget, commitments, study habits, etc. You really don't need the Pierpont BOG AAS if you already know your Bachelors or Masters end goal. You want to get there by making sure the prerequisites are all completed... https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Area-works

[dfrecore]

If a BAS at UMPI is unlikely to be sufficient for a technical MS that's good to know and I'd probably just do the BSCS route.
Budget ~ $5000
I've spent a lot of time "pre-gaming" WGU courses and most of the CS and IT-related coursework I have prior experience and knowledge in.
In addition,  I'll be able to study full time so I'm pretty confident I'll be able to complete it in a single term.


edit: as an additional note, I noticed that the Pierpont AAS might give me some additional transfer courses for WGU
https://partners.wgu.edu/Pages/Single.as...173&pid=86
specifically,
Ethics in Technology
Technical Communication
Business of IT - Applications
Network and Security - Foundations

This is not the degree you'd be getting at Pierpont, the free one we discuss here is the BOG AAS degree, with a possible area of emphasis in IS.  But I think the BOG AAS will still satisfy all of your Gen Eds.

The best way to go about it is to get the Pierpont degree, and then send everything to WGU, and get an eval.  While you're waiting for that (because I think you won't get the AAS conferred for quite a while at this point) is to go ahead and get everything else you need from Sophia and Study.com, since you know what courses come in as using the WGU transfer guides: 
https://partners.wgu.edu/Pages/Transfer....ning%20LLC
https://partners.wgu.edu/Pages/Transfer....=Study.com

[swellguy]

@swellguy, You missed the last post addendum!  Basically, it's to provide us your budget, commitments, study habits, etc.  You really don't need the Pierpont BOG AAS if you already know your Bachelors or Masters end goal.  You want to get there by making sure the prerequisites are all completed... https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Area-works

I've now updated the initial post with the missing information,
My initial thoughts were if I could get a CS-related Masters by getting a BS from UMPI then I could essentially get a masters cheaper and maybe faster.
But, if the UMPI path is unlikely to allow that then just going fo CS bachelors makes more sense.

---

If a BAS at UMPI is unlikely to be sufficient for a technical MS that's good to know and I'd probably just do the BSCS route.
Budget ~ $5000
I've spent a lot of time "pre-gaming" WGU courses and most of the CS and IT-related coursework I have prior experience and knowledge in.
In addition,  I'll be able to study full time so I'm pretty confident I'll be able to complete it in a single term.


edit: as an additional note, I noticed that the Pierpont AAS might give me some additional transfer courses for WGU
https://partners.wgu.edu/Pages/Single.as...173&pid=86
specifically,
Ethics in Technology
Technical Communication
Business of IT - Applications
Network and Security - Foundations

This is not the degree you'd be getting at Pierpont, the free one we discuss here is the BOG AAS degree, with a possible area of emphasis in IS.  But I think the BOG AAS will still satisfy all of your Gen Eds.

The best way to go about it is to get the Pierpont degree, and then send everything to WGU, and get an eval.  While you're waiting for that (because I think you won't get the AAS conferred for quite a while at this point) is to go ahead and get everything else you need from Sophia and Study.com, since you know what courses come in as using the WGU transfer guides: 
https://partners.wgu.edu/Pages/Transfer....ning%20LLC
https://partners.wgu.edu/Pages/Transfer....=Study.com

Hmm, if the conferring process for the Pierpont degree will take a while,
then it might not be worth waiting for it even if it will cover some additional Gen Eds,
since at this point based off my spreadsheet I'm done with Sophia and I only plan to take 5 courses at Study.com

Still, I think I'm only missing 1 RA credit (probably use ASU) to be able to get the AAS
so I might just apply for it and WGU around the same time.

[origamishuttle]

as an additional note, I noticed that the Pierpont AAS might give me some additional transfer courses for WGU
https://partners.wgu.edu/Pages/Single.as...173&pid=86
specifically,
Ethics in Technology
Technical Communication
Business of IT - Applications
Network and Security - Foundations

I completed my Pierpont degree too late to transfer to WGU, but two of these classes I transferred in from Study.com, and two I completed in my first weekend at WGU, so I wouldn't have gained much anyway. It seems like you're doing all the right things for success at WGU, except some of the Sophia courses are easier at WGU, and Study.com courses can help with some of the more challenging courses, like Discrete Math I, DS&A, etc.:

Study.com / BSCS Transfers (wgu.edu)

However, you have an interesting concept about stretching your budget for a master's degree too. BLS is the fastest option at UMPI, but you would probably want to enroll in the next session, and you'll need to complete Spanish I and probably a couple other courses at Sophia while you're waiting to start. If you max out the 90-credit transfer to UMPI, then you'll only need 10 courses in one 8-week session to finish, which is very achievable.

I've seen several people complete a WGU master's degree in one six-month term. Again, it's around 10 courses. MSCSIA is a good choice for a tech career, but the degree program changed two days ago, so we'll have to wait for feedback to see what the new courses are like. MSITM is another good choice, although it's more business oriented. Either way, you have experience already, so a bachelor's/master's combo is likely to have more ROI than just a bachelor's, even a BSCS degree.

Please note that GT OMSCS is a long-term goal. The class schedule is fixed, with limited options for when you can start each year, and courses are very challenging. It can take years to complete, and many students wash out.

[swellguy]

as an additional note, I noticed that the Pierpont AAS might give me some additional transfer courses for WGU
https://partners.wgu.edu/Pages/Single.as...173&pid=86
specifically,
Ethics in Technology
Technical Communication
Business of IT - Applications
Network and Security - Foundations

I completed my Pierpont degree too late to transfer to WGU, but two of these classes I transferred in from Study.com, and two I completed in my first weekend at WGU, so I wouldn't have gained much anyway. It seems like you're doing all the right things for success at WGU, except some of the Sophia courses are easier at WGU, and Study.com courses can help with some of the more challenging courses, like Discrete Math I, DS&A, etc.:

Study.com / BSCS Transfers (wgu.edu)

However, you have an interesting concept about stretching your budget for a master's degree too. BLS is the fastest option at UMPI, but you would probably want to enroll in the next session, and you'll need to complete Spanish I and probably a couple other courses at Sophia while you're waiting to start. If you max out the 90-credit transfer to UMPI, then you'll only need 10 courses in one 8-week session to finish, which is very achievable.

I've seen several people complete a WGU master's degree in one six-month term. Again, it's around 10 courses. MSCSIA is a good choice for a tech career, but the degree program changed two days ago, so we'll have to wait for feedback to see what the new courses are like. MSITM is another good choice, although it's more business oriented. Either way, you have experience already, so a bachelor's/master's combo is likely to have more ROI than just a bachelor's, even a BSCS degree.

Please note that GT OMSCS is a long-term goal. The class schedule is fixed, with limited options for when you can start each year, and courses are very challenging. It can take years to complete, and many students wash out.

One question is if I decide to do the Pierpont -> UMPI route and then I want to try to get into OMSCS,
I read that people that don't have CS related degrees are still able to get in if they have taken some CS related course work during their degree.
If I take some CS related transfer credits at SDC and use some from Sophia in my transfers for the pierpont and UMPI elective sections
and considering that I also have a few years of work experience, is that likely to be enough for OMSCS admissions?
If not then as you said I feel the MSITM or MSCSIA from WGU might be more valuable to me than a BSCS.
In addition, I wonder if aiming for a specific AoE in Pierpont would be seen as better for OMSCS, like Math or Information Systems (I don't think they have a cyber or compsci related one).

Edit: I also saw this post about getting multiple minors for UMPI
https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...or-Inquiry
If I do pierpont -> UMPI get a BAS and get a minor in Math and or Cybersecurity
I wonder if that would also help increase admission odds for a CS masters

[rachel83az]

The AoE from Pierpont would probably have little to no impact on admission to Georgia Tech. However, an emphasis in something like Math could provide more keywords on your resume that might help land a job in the future.

[swellguy]

The AoE from Pierpont would probably have little to no impact on admission to Georgia Tech. However, an emphasis in something like Math could provide more keywords on your resume that might help land a job in the future.

That's fair, I'd assume though that I could aim for certain transfer courses that Georgia Tech is looking for i.e Discrete Math, DS&A so that way they would appear on my transcript for Pierpont and UMPI.
I've heard though that they do treat transfer courses differently.
In addition, they do list some MOOCs to help increase admission odds listed here:
https://omscs.gatech.edu/preparing-yourself-omscs

Basically, I'm trying to say that even if the degree isn't a CS degree I think if I have enough CS related courses on a transcript it might  help with admission odds.
Then again this stuff is kinda new to me so I'm not sure.