COSC & TESU : Two Degree Options

[bjcheung77]

I had wondered about the changes to obtaining two Associates or Bachelors, or an Associates then ladder onto a Bachelors. I guess there hasn't been many changes since I originally looked at this...


COSC - the only option is laddering from an Associates to a Bachelors, a second Bachelors is an option, but rules are stricter I think.

Thanks for your interest in Charter Oak. Our associate degrees are general studies degrees. A concentration in a subject area is not required and so one is the same as the other – with the exception of the number of liberal arts credits. There is no good reason to do two and certainly no academic advantage. Most colleges and universities will limit the number of transfer credit significantly limit the number of credits coming from two-year institutions. We don’t even allow someone to come back and earn a second associate degree.

We do accept FEMA credits.

Regards,


TESU - They allow Associates and Bachelors degrees to be done at the same time to save on the residency waiver fee and graduation fee if you complete them simultaneously.

If I finish both ASBA/BSBA, What is the residency fee if I do both? The Residency Waiver Fee is good for one year from the date of payment. If you graduate with both degrees in the same graduation group you will only pay one Graduation Fee of $323. If you graduate with ASBA in March, and the BSBA In June you will pay two Graduation Fees.

Will I be charged $2000 for the ABSA and another $2000 for the BSBA? No if both degrees are completed in the year you paid the Residency Waiver Fee. If only one degree is completed and the first Residency Waiver Fee has expired, you will need to pay.

[TrailRunr]

Getting two bachelor's will be problematic. Once you earned the first one, TESU requires 24 brand new credits inside of the AOS after all previous degrees' conferral dates including AA after BA. If there is no room inside of the AOS, you are going to retake AOS courses to get the 24 new credits.

And then there is the whole issue of whether 2nd bachelor's are worth it versus going to grad school. There are only a few corner cases where a 2nd BA is worth it such as career changer.

If you want another major outside of business, then I would switch to the BA major (and then you can double major in a completely different field too!) and then get the MBA later. That will give you three different fields of study once you finish the MBA. The MBA does not require a BA business degree, but it MAY require a few prerequisite foundation courses that are normally found in a business degree. Do you need the BSBA for your job right away? If so, just stick with the original plan and don't do anything fancy that could ruin it like get a BA from COSC.

[bjcheung77]

Getting two bachelor's will be problematic. Once you earned the first one, TESU requires 24 brand new credits inside of the AOS after all previous degrees' conferral dates including AA after BA. If there is no room inside of the AOS, you are going to retake AOS courses to get the 24 new credits.

And then there is the whole issue of whether 2nd bachelor's are worth it versus going to grad school. There are only a few corner cases where a 2nd BA is worth it such as career changer.

If you want another major outside of business, then I would switch to the BA major (and then you can double major in a completely different field too!) and then get the MBA later. That will give you three different fields of study once you finish the MBA. The MBA does not require a BA business degree, but it MAY require a few prerequisite foundation courses that are normally found in a business degree. Do you need the BSBA for your job right away? If so, just stick with the original plan and don't do anything fancy that could ruin it like get a BA from COSC.

Thanks, I am thinking along the same lines as what you mentioned, taking a BSBA and then going for a Masters or two.
But the thought of getting another ASNSM or ABSA along the way for cheap (free to $323) and in case of the ASNSM Biology, I should be able to get the 16 credits from 4 Biology + Lab classes at Straighterline & Saylor at $49/course.
The courses for ASNSM in Comp Sci or Math is hard to find, otherwise I would go for either as my first choice.

[dfrecore]

Thanks, I am thinking along the same lines as what you mentioned, taking a BSBA and then going for a Masters or two.
But the thought of getting another ASNSM or ABSA along the way for cheap (free to $323) and in case of the ASNSM Biology, I should be able to get the 16 credits from 4 Biology + Lab classes at Straighterline & Saylor at $49/course.
The courses for ASNSM in Comp Sci or Math is hard to find, otherwise I would go for either as my first choice.

I always kind of wonder about this. What is the point? Not criticizing, just wondering why anyone would do this...

[bjcheung77]

I always kind of wonder about this. What is the point? Not criticizing, just wondering why anyone would do this...

For myself, it's for personal enrichment. I was reading other threads about others successfully doing it.
It may open doors or leaves it more open for me if I ever decide to leave or go into something else.

Just earlier today someone also mentioned the same thing I was looking into. It's life long learning for some, others it's their own desire to have a second degree as a fall back plan, or something else.

http://www.degreeforum.net/excelsior-tho...post206636

[cookderosa]

Even if you earn 1,000 credits at the 100/200 level, your knowledge remains "introductory" in the big picture.
Beyond the reading level, the content isn't markedly different in 100/200 level liberal arts than it is in high school. (occupational degrees are clearly an exception) As such, high school students frequently can take and pass the CLEP exams by the same name. Earning an associate's degree is an accomplishment, it builds bridges toward a bachelor's degree, and it certainly adds something to a resume. Earning multiple non-occupational associate's degrees is a little bit like earning multiple high school diplomas. After the first one, you've lost your ROI.

The reason people go on to earn a bachelor's degree, is to BUILD on the introductory subjects. At the 300/400 level, you now explore subjects in more depth, certainly you branch out into aspects of that subject that were limited to a paragraph in your intro book. An example, is a 100/200 level student takes Biology 101 (which has a chapter of Microbiology, a chapter of Botany, etc.) but a biology major will take a full course of Microbiology, a full course of Botany, etc. There are valid reasons to earn a second bachelor's degree, but if possible, I think most people suggest going for a master's if admissions allows it. (in my own case, my BA is social science, which wasn't adequate science prep for admission into a MS - I had to earn credit in a number of sciences, but none had to be at the 300/400 level, so it was acceptable just to advance by adding 100/200 level *for science majors* sciences instead of the *for non science majors* sciences I took in my BA)

A master's degree isn't even a master in the truest sense of the word- a master's degree means you've mastered what is ALREADY out there- you've studied your field and have a handle on it. You do a thesis that is essentially a reflection of the existing literature (though some master's degrees do allow and encourage original research- mine did) It's the doctor's degree where you now CONTRIBUTE to the body of knowledge, you're at the front of the educational pack.

All this begs the question "do you need to be at the front of the educational pack?" And the answer is "of course not." The optimal return on investment of time and money should hit somewhere around the point in which you're able to gain some kind of employment advantage, so that really depends on your industry.

[AJ_Atlanta]

Very true, and unemployment numbers proves this. The masters degree is in fact the "most employable" education level.

[TrailRunr]

Very true, and unemployment numbers proves this. The masters degree is in fact the "most employable" education level.

I don't really agree with that. It really depends on the major. Let me use an extreme example with an occupational AA (one of the few AAs that are worth it). An AA in nursing (if you pass the NCLEX) trumps a BA in Lib Arts Studies or a MA in history for employability. The major makes a huge difference. If you terminate your education with an AA and choose the wrong major, of course your employability is going to stink unless it's a good occupational major like nursing. And guess what, you can't get an occupational AA without a substantial number of courses, often butt-in-seat while you can get an MBA online in 4 months. the employment market is going towards specific BA majors when deciding absolute minimum qualifications. So the major field does count for a lot.

Spinning this back to the OP's original idea of the ASNSM, which has a really poor ROI. The better ROI is to choose a career changer major in a BA field that can lead to something as a fallback plan while gaining personal enrichment. BA in math or science (or NSM even?) can be spun into a teaching career. Many areas are hurting for science and math teachers. Yeah, you can't do it in 4 SL courses. But there are still shortcuts available and you can finish in 2016. Then move on to grad school and get the business degree.

[sanantone]

If you want to earn a degree for personal enrichment and can afford it, then who cares what anyone else thinks? It's a flexible program. You don't have to only take 100/200-level courses. You can take 300/400-level courses if you want. You can take microbiology. I did. Botany and zoology are often lower level credits anyway. Some schools will give you the option of taking biology I and II or botany and zoology. It's similar to how one can take separate courses in anatomy and physiology or take A&P I and II. By the time I finish the ASNSM and BSBA in CIS, I will already have the equivalent of a BA in Natural Science and Mathematics at TESU without the capstone; I just won't be allowed to earn a third bachelor's.

If you want to become a patent agent, you don't need a science degree; you just need the credits. But, by earning the credits, you already put yourself in a position to earn at least the associate's degree. You might as well just pay the $323 to have it conferred. If you want to become a biology teacher, you probably don't even need the biology degree. In my state, you don't need the degree. There are a lot of teachers certified to teach a subject in which they don't have a degree. I had a math teacher with a biology degree and a physics teacher with a microbiology degree. In Texas, they pass the TEXES test in the subject. In other states, they pass the Praxis. I was going to become certified in the life sciences when I was in an alternative teacher certification program a couple of years ago. The No Child Left Behind Act gives states the flexibility to determine what makes a teacher highly qualified to teach a subject. Some rules states have implemented are having a degree in the subject, having 12 credits in the subject, or just being able to pass the certification test for the subject.

[TrailRunr]

By the time I finish the ASNSM and BSBA in CIS, I will already have the equivalent of a BA in Natural Science and Mathematics at TESU without the capstone; I just won't be allowed to earn a third bachelor's.

To me, it would have made more sense to go to grad school for the business degree. The MBA does not require a business degree and there are MIS concentrations at the MBA level too. That will preserve your "second degree" BA slot while you're able to get the business degree at the MBA level. Now that we've seen several people complete MBAs within a few months, grad school makes a lot more sense. The business courses already taken aren't wasted since some of them are foundation prereqs. With that 2nd BA slot freed up, you can potentially get a double major to maximize the usefulness of the slot instead of a broad/general studies program like BA-NSM. Because us 2nd BA degree folks won't have a third shot at TESU, it's best to maximize that slot if you're the weird personal enrichment learning type that wants to take every SL course out there. In California, public universities usually don't allow 2nd BA degrees anymore. It's really last chance saloon.

Yeah, you can get a teaching job in some states with just the right credits. You can tutor the subject as well. And it's perfectly fine for personal enrichment. But a specific BA degree would give you more employment options.