Choosing between Org Leadership & Gen Studies CBE at ETAMU (E.Texas A&M)

[futbolista89]

Good morning everyone.

I am a 36 year old who within the last month or so got the itch to finish what I started over a decade ago. I earned over 60 credits from a CC in NJ and after weeks and weeks of research, I came across Competency Based Learning. I eventually also found East Texas A&M and since I currently reside in TX, it was a no brainer to apply to this institution. 

Now, my last big decision to make is which program to pursue. My initial plan was General Studies (GSCB) because my initial motive was 'just get it over with' , basically I just wanted 'any' degree so I could check it off in a possible job application. However upon further thought, I see that many folks opt for doing the Organizational Leadership (ORGL) program because it is apparently even easier and has a little bit more 'specialization' , which would give it a boost when applying for certain jobs or positions.

The good news is that ETAMU essentially accepts all of my credits (60+) in most programs it appears. But , when I utilize the DegreeWorks page, there is some confusion on my part. There are 2 options under the Areas of Study menu, when choosing the Major on the dropdown, there are 2 options for ORGL. When I choose the first one, it essentially accepts all of my transfer credits (just like for Gen Studies) which is great. But it also lists that there are Language requirements, which is odd because according to the official ETAMU page, it specifically states there are no language requirements. When I select the 2nd option for ORGL on the same dropdown menu, it only accepts about half of my transfer credits, and also has the same language requirements.

Can someone help me understand better which are the requirements for the ORGL Competency based program?  If they indeed accept all of my credits just like the GSCB program , I would most likely opt for that option. But the degreeworks page is throwing me off.

I am officially enrolled to the General Studies program (GSCB) but the term doesn't begin until Jan 12, so I think I still have some time to change programs.

Thank you to everyone ahead of time, happy Sunday.

[futbolista89]

Updating with this information, sorry if I broke any forum rules;

Location: Texas
Age: 36
What kind of degree do you want?: Competency Based Liberal Arts degree
Current Regional Accredited Credits: 65
Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits:
Any certifications or military experience?: No
Budget: $1000 per term
Commitments:
Dedicated time to study: A lot of free time to study
Timeline: within 1 year, the less time the better
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: No award letter yet but FAFSA should cover quite a bit

[SpartacusPM]

At the end of the day, if it is just a check the box it likely doesn't matter. As an ETAMU alum who did the Organizational Leadership (ORGL) focus. For what it's worth I just graduated in May after completing two terms at the age of 38. It really is a great school and I hope you choose to walk at the ceremony. The ORGL was the best option for me as it was generalized and focused on things I already knew. From my understanding the General Studies degree is really flexible in the courses you can take as your major. One thing to note is that the General Studies degree is unique in that it requires a mirco-internship. How that exactly works, I am unsure. But definitely something to aware of.

While this likely is not a huge issue, for me personally having a degree on my resume that says Organizational Leadership seems more legit than one that reads General Studies.

There is no foreign language requirement.

Have you joined the facebook group: Sophia to ETAMU. It is a great community of those that have gone to ETAMU/TAMUC and have used Sophia to fill in any gaps in coursework to transfer in before starting.

[futbolista89]

At the end of the day, if it is just a check the box it likely doesn't matter. As an ETAMU alum who did the Organizational Leadership (ORGL) focus. For what it's worth I just graduated in May after completing two terms at the age of 38. It really is a great school and I hope you choose to walk at the ceremony. The ORGL was the best option for me as it was generalized and focused on things I already knew. From my understanding the General Studies degree is really flexible in the courses you can take as your major. One thing to note is that the General Studies degree is unique in that it requires a mirco-internship. How that exactly works, I am unsure. But definitely something to aware of.

While this likely is not a huge issue, for me personally having a degree on my resume that says Organizational Leadership seems more legit than one that reads General Studies.

There is no foreign language requirement.

Have you joined the facebook group: Sophia to ETAMU. It is a great community of those that have gone to ETAMU/TAMUC and have used Sophia to fill in any gaps in coursework to transfer in before starting.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

I was not aware of a micro internship. Tbh, it seems more and more likely I may be switching to ORGL if that's the case. ORGL seems a lot more straightforward than Gen Studies.

Would you know if the ORGL would accept CLEP Spanish exam credits, as part of the electives? I know you mentioned there are no Language requirements for ORGL, but I wonder if I could apply CLEP or even take Spanish electives, because I would be able to breeze through those, as I speak native level Spanish as well as read and write.

I will join the FB group, thanks for the heads up. Appreciate your information.

[SpartacusPM]

The Spanish should transfer as an elective, but I don’t know for sure. Best to ask your advisor. I took Spanish with Sophia, and I believe it transferred in as an elective, I don’t remember off the top of my head because I transferred more than the max of 90 credits. I originally was going to go to UMPI so I took Spanish.