Can someone help me find the fastest way to a degree?

[clep3705]

Done properly, an AA completed on the way to a BA won't delay obtaining the BA. It offers the advantage of having something completed if life gets in the way. If you start a BA degree and half way through something happens, you have nothing to show but you could have had an AA in that amount of time. It's something to consider. I'm not saying that it is the right way for there is no universal, absolutely right way to get a BA.

[Likiro]

Thank you all for responding! My preference would be to get a BA. I am not opposed to an AA and I definitely see the point in getting it along the way if it makes sense. My concern with the community college route is that I would have to take 24 local credits and I would like to avoid that if possible.

dfrecore - Thank you for the link! I would love to see the degree plan you mentioned. Thank you!

[mtmcginnis]

Look into Regis University. Send your unofficial transcript over for an unofficial evaluation to see what will transfer.

You are only required to take 30 credits with the university and the rest you can take at a community college, or test out of.

There are a lot of programs that are strictly online. You'll save money/time by taking some community college classes, testing out, while also taking University classes.

Let me know if you have any questions!

[dfrecore]

Here is the generic TESU BALS degree plan. It utilizes free courses (TEEX, NFA, Ethics) and then Saylor and ALEKS, and leaves the rest open to using the source of your choice: normally SL, but also Study.com. If you PM me, I can help you figure out which exact courses to fill in there if you'd like.

I don't have a COSC degree plan similar to this right now, but I'm working on it, and I'll post it when I get it.

[cookderosa]

Welcome! You've got a good start already. I will second the suggestion of others that thinks getting your associate's now is a great step. For starters, you can do it entirely through CLEP testing (cheap) and it will give you a benchmark to hit between now and your bachelor's degree. If you stay at the same school and pursue the "next" degree (as opposed to jumping across from something like AA to Business) your transition will be seamless.

I realize the AA isn't your end goal, but I see it as a value-add to your resume. You can have a completed credential nearly immediately (I think you can finish your AA in about 3 months), as well as an "in progress" credential when you start working - whenever that is. If you spend 6+ months on your last "2 years" of credit, that's 6 months that you have that on your resume.

It's also worth mentioning that all of the options here are fast- fast is relative. I've seen many people here do an entire 4 year degree from scratch in under a year. It can be done- so for that reason, pick something you are interested in and that you'll be proud to have on your resume. The difference here between Liberal Arts and something like Business or Psychology is negligible- nearly identical timeline.

[Likiro]

dfrecore - Thank you so much for the degree plan! Very helpful!

Cookderosa - Thank you for the advice! Yes, I agree...the AA might make sense to get along the way. Especially if I can get it by testing out alone in a short period of time. Would you recommend getting the AA through TESU?

[KayV]

Spreadsheets are beyond me, but here's a thread I started a few weeks ago with some COSC degree plans:
http://www.degreeforum.net/excelsior-tho...017-a.html

[dfrecore]

dfrecore - Thank you so much for the degree plan! Very helpful!

Cookderosa - Thank you for the advice! Yes, I agree...the AA might make sense to get along the way. Especially if I can get it by testing out alone in a short period of time. Would you recommend getting the AA through TESU?

You should only get the AA through TESU if you're going to get the BA there. It's a $2000 residency waiver you'll be paying, which is expensive for an AA. But, if you are going to continue on and get your BA there, then you should be able to use the residency waiver you paid for already to count, so you won't have to pay it again. NOW, I have read on here differing views - the $2000 residency waiver will only last a year, and then you'd have to pay it again; OR once you have residency at the school, it counts forever. So I would contact TESU and get it in writing before counting on this forum for that info. It would really suck to have to pay that fee twice!

Again, I wouldn't get an AA knowing that I'm getting a BA soon thereafter, but it's up to you.

[Likiro]

Welcome! You've got a good start already. I will second the suggestion of others that thinks getting your associate's now is a great step. For starters, you can do it entirely through CLEP testing (cheap) and it will give you a benchmark to hit between now and your bachelor's degree. If you stay at the same school and pursue the "next" degree (as opposed to jumping across from something like AA to Business) your transition will be seamless.

I realize the AA isn't your end goal, but I see it as a value-add to your resume. You can have a completed credential nearly immediately (I think you can finish your AA in about 3 months), as well as an "in progress" credential when you start working - whenever that is. If you spend 6+ months on your last "2 years" of credit, that's 6 months that you have that on your resume.

It's also worth mentioning that all of the options here are fast- fast is relative. I've seen many people here do an entire 4 year degree from scratch in under a year. It can be done- so for that reason, pick something you are interested in and that you'll be proud to have on your resume. The difference here between Liberal Arts and something like Business or Psychology is negligible- nearly identical timeline.

I see your point on the AA if I can get that done pretty quickly. With TESU having the $2k residency waiver, would COSC be my best bet if I went this route?

[Likiro]

Thank you for this info! I'm weighing all of my options. I appreciate the info on TESU. If I go that route, I will definitely research that $2k residency waiver! I have 3 kids so while I do intend to pursue a BA, the reality is it may or may not go as quickly as I'd like. That said, I also don't want to spend a lot of unnecessary extra $$$. If it's just picking up another credential along the way without much extra effort or $$$, than it may make sense.