47 RA Credits - Bachelor's Degree Assistance (Liberal Studies, Econ, or Electrical)

[GotmyBig3Degree!]

An Econ degree is not a good one - not available at any of the Big 3, and not alt-credit friendly.  The closest thing is a Business degree. Not sure he wants to do that.

There is no such thing as a BS for electricians that I know of - going to trade school to become one is the best option. Electrical engineering sounds close, but it's really not (and I'm sure it's not a great option for him).

I would do a BLS from EC since it's cheaper than TESU by $2600, and doesn't require a concentration like COSC.  It's just a very simple degree to get.   All of those courses he's taking at his trade school will fit in as he earns them - as long as it's a credit-bearing program.  He has plenty of space in free electives at EC (60cr worth), where TESU only allows 30cr there.  

And at some point if he decides to get a degree at UMPI instead, he can make the switch.

No decision is a bad one here - it's just a question of cost/time.
- EC will be $4,000 for 7cr there, you can bring in 113cr - and you'll need 30cr of UL (cornerstone, capstone, 6 UL courses in Arts & Sciences, and 2 UL courses in Business or anything else).
- TESU will be $6,654 for 6cr there, you can bring in 114cr - and you'll need 18cr of UL (capstone and 5 UL courses in Liberal Arts).
- COSC will be $3,181 for 6cr there, you can bring in 114cr - and you'll need 30cr of UL (capstone + 9 UL courses in the Concentration is easiest).
- UMPI will be $2,800 for 2 terms (or $4,200 for 3 terms) which will include 30cr, you can bring in 90cr

Thank you dfrecore- I didn't think there was a BS for Electricians as I hadn't found any either and I agree with you about Econ.  The cost breakdown you provided is very appreciated.

[GotmyBig3Degree!]

That's great your friends son is in a trade school getting into the Electrician field... He wants to focus on the 3 main things, 1) Certification in that trade, 2) Degree - An associates first if he wants, then ladder into a Bachelors, 3) Experience in the field, find an entry level job in that industry or be an apprentice... 

So, while he's trying the trade, let him take some ACE credit courses from Sophia.org for general education requirements that will go towards the Big 3/UMPI, if he's interested in CBE and Business or IT, you may want to add Purdue Global, UMASS Global, WGU, and Walden to that list.  He should decide which program/school he wants the degree(s) from...

Since he's starting off and not sure where to go, he should focus on the program/school, if he still can't decide from the above list, then have him continue earning/learning and taking some ACE courses towards a General or Liberal Studies degree.  For example, He may want to ladder a basic Associates at Pierpont and get a UMPI Bachelors in Applied Science.

Here are the Sophia.org courses and what it should transfer as to some of the schools mentioned, don't take too many courses unless it's for personal learning and interest or credit for the desired degree. Another option is to take some CLEP exams through partnership with Modernstates.org - Link: Sophia.org Equivalency List - Degree Forum Wiki (miraheze.org)

Thank you for the excellent information.  He's interested in whatever is 'simplest' which, I believe, is a Liberal Studies degree.  I'm going to direct him to this thread and have him explore.

[armstrongsubero]

Builders can do construction technology and Electrians do Electrical Technology if they are doing a BS...like others mentioned you usually do a trade school followed by an apprenticeship.

TESU has an Electrical Technology degree thats caters for electricians, but it will be a bit pricey:

https://www.tesu.edu/ast/programs/bs/ele...technology

[bjcheung77]

Since Electronics Engineering Technology was mentioned, you may also want to take a look at ECPI. https://www.ecpi.edu/

[allvia]

I would suggest the Bachelor of Liberal Studies - Project Management Minor from UMPI.  Project Management skills are very helpful for those in trade careers.  This would meet the goal of having a bachelor degree, while gaining real world practical knowledge. Do not take the Project Management from Sophia if this path is chosen; the UMPI project management courses build off each other.

[dfrecore]

I would suggest the Bachelor of Liberal Studies - Project Management Minor from UMPI.  Project Management skills are very helpful for those in trade careers.  This would meet the goal of having a bachelor degree, while gaining real world practical knowledge. Do not take the Project Management from Sophia if this path is chosen; the UMPI project management courses build off each other.

Agreed.  My kid is thinking of an AAS in Construction Management, and this will be what I suggest for him (I think).

[GotmyBig3Degree!]

I would suggest the Bachelor of Liberal Studies - Project Management Minor from UMPI.  Project Management skills are very helpful for those in trade careers.  This would meet the goal of having a bachelor degree, while gaining real world practical knowledge. Do not take the Project Management from Sophia if this path is chosen; the UMPI project management courses build off each other.

Agreed.  My kid is thinking of an AAS in Construction Management, and this will be what I suggest for him (I think).

allvia- a BLS with Project Management concentration sounds excellent.  I'm going to try and create a spreadsheet for him and then will share for any feedback/edits/corrections. Thank you, everyone!