new TESU degree - data science (statistics)

[SolarKat]

So TESU would allow the grad certificate on the same residency waiver for a person getting a BS? So adding the grad cert means only paying for the statistics.com courses + 1 extra graduation fee? Or are there other fees? I mean for someone who does not want to enroll in a grad degree program, just get a grad cert (because they're probably more lenient if someone is degree-seeking).

TESU does not charge a graduation fee for certificates (undergrad or graduate). I would double check on the residency fee, as there have been multiple answers in other threads...my understanding is that one fee is good for a year. I'm not aware of any other TESU fees.

You'd register and pay tuition at Statistics.com. If you can register and pay for 3 of the classes at once, you'll pay $399/class for 3 of them ($133/grad credit!). Here's a link, scroll down to the "Optimization specialization". HOWEVER...the grad cert is not the list of 4 classes under the specialization!! Don't choose the wrong ones! The TESU grad cert requires: Risk Simulation & Queuing, Financial Risk Modeling, Regression Analysis, and Integer & Nonlinear Programming. The Statistics.com list includes Optimization, but that's an undergrad class. The Statistics.com specialization *omits* Regression Analysis. (Also, Statistics.com offers a class called Logistic Regression. That's not the same as Regression Analysis.) Then send your classes to ACE, a transcript to TESU, and apply for the grad cert. You are required to have a conferred bachelors degree before you can apply for the grad cert conferral. If you are planning to graduate in December, you could receive the grad cert with the March conferral. (That's my plan, anyway.)

The catch: Timing. Here's the schedule for the 4 classes required for the TESU grad certificate for the remainder of 2017, by start date:

-- Risk Simulation: May 5, November 17.
-- Regression: May 12, September 29.
-- Financial Risk: June 16. (RiskSim is a prerequisite for FinRisk.)
-- Integer/Nonlin: September 22.

(Also, the undergrad Optimization class is the prereq for Integer/Nonlin.)

Along the way, once you've done any 3 of the Statistics.com list (vs the TESU list), you can pay $65 to receive their specialization in Optimization...so that credential might be available to you sooner than the TESU grad certificate. I don't know if they'll be adding more sections of FinRisk (or Optimization, which runs August & next January)...you could call to see if they have plans for more sections. Dr. Ragsdale teaches Optimz, RiskSim, and Integer/Nonlin...so his dance card may already be full, given his teaching commitments on-campus as VA Tech faculty.