Which TESC degree before enrollment ends?

[sanantone]

My enrollment period ends July 1st and I'm seriously contemplating the completion of another associates degree to get the most out of the nearly $3,000 I paid. I already have the AAS in Environmental, Safety & Security Technologies and BA in Social Science. The degrees I think will help me the most and be the fastest to complete are the AS in Business Administration, AAS in Applied Computer Studies, and AS in Natural Sciences and Mathematics in Biology.

First, do I have to be enrolled when I graduate? I know I can ask TESC this, but I might as well ask here since I'm making this post regardless. Could I just apply for graduation before my enrollment is up?

I really wanted the business administration degree, but I hate math and could not force myself to complete trigonometry or precalculus and the tedious accounting requirements. For the biology degree, I figured it would be too hard to find all of the requirements at a reasonable cost. $600 is pretty much my limit. My last option is the computer studies program where I would only need 12.33 more credits in the area of study and I could knock out 3 more with the MIS DSST (already took Intro to Computing). Does anyone know where I can cheaply and quickly get computer credits? Do CIS, COS, CMP, and CAP courses all apply to this program? The cheapest option I've found so far is Penn Foster's computer programming certificate, but I hate programming and would rather take networking courses or anything less tedious and boring than programming.

Any suggestions? Does anyone know about the AAS in Multidisciplinary Technology? It sounds a lot like the ESS program, but an evaluation is not available for it in Online Student Services.

[BEVERLY76]

You have to be enrolled when you apply for graduation. If you're quick about it, you can transfer in outside work between the time you apply for graduation and your actual graduation, but you need to let the school know what is pending when you apply for graduation.

[dcan]

Beware Penn Foster. From the Wiki article on it:

Though it can't award academic diplomas, Penn Foster can be a source of specific courses required to fill specific slots in a particular degree plan. However, always ensure any course you choose is ACE-recommended for credit during the period you will enroll. Failure to do so can result in a lot of wasted time, effort, and money as DegreeForum.net member jam123 unfortunately discovered. Below is an excerpt from the thread that should be understood by anyone seeking to use Penn Foster for credits:

The problem is that Penn Foster is a for-profit school which means they don't play by the same rules as State run colleges, that is why their course accreditation isn't always guaranteed. Current and prospective students need to be asking why ACE removed accreditation for so many classes. This is a red flag that PF isn't providing quality, rigorous course content that is comparable to State schools.

There's more in the article. This does not mean "do not use Penn Foster under any circumstances" but rather "be aware you may receive bad information from Penn Foster reps and you will be left holding the bag, so do your homework first."

[cookderosa]

My enrollment period ends July 1st and I'm seriously contemplating the completion of another associates degree to get the most out of the nearly $3,000 I paid. I already have the AAS in Environmental, Safety & Security Technologies and BA in Social Science. The degrees I think will help me the most and be the fastest to complete are the AS in Business Administration, AAS in Applied Computer Studies, and AS in Natural Sciences and Mathematics in Biology.

First, do I have to be enrolled when I graduate? I know I can ask TESC this, but I might as well ask here since I'm making this post regardless. Could I just apply for graduation before my enrollment is up?

I really wanted the business administration degree, but I hate math and could not force myself to complete trigonometry or precalculus and the tedious accounting requirements. For the biology degree, I figured it would be too hard to find all of the requirements at a reasonable cost. $600 is pretty much my limit. My last option is the computer studies program where I would only need 12.33 more credits in the area of study and I could knock out 3 more with the MIS DSST (already took Intro to Computing). Does anyone know where I can cheaply and quickly get computer credits? Do CIS, COS, CMP, and CAP courses all apply to this program? The cheapest option I've found so far is Penn Foster's computer programming certificate, but I hate programming and would rather take networking courses or anything less tedious and boring than programming.

Any suggestions? Does anyone know about the AAS in Multidisciplinary Technology? It sounds a lot like the ESS program, but an evaluation is not available for it in Online Student Services.

Can you add onto your AAS and crank out a bachelor's instead?

[sanantone]

You have to be enrolled when you apply for graduation. If you're quick about it, you can transfer in outside work between the time you apply for graduation and your actual graduation, but you need to let the school know what is pending when you apply for graduation.

So can I apply for graduation while being enrolled, but not be enrolled when my degree is conferred?

Beware Penn Foster. From the Wiki article on it:



There's more in the article. This does not mean "do not use Penn Foster under any circumstances" but rather "be aware you may receive bad information from Penn Foster reps and you will be left holding the bag, so do your homework first."

I heard that Penn Foster has a lot of customer service issues and that the director is rude. I made sure that all of the courses in the computer programming program are ACE approved.....at the moment. I also heard that Penn Foster courses tend to be outdated and super easy. The low cost and ability to finish quickly is enticing though.

Can you add onto your AAS and crank out a bachelor's instead?

The closest bachelors would be Homeland Security and Emergency Management. It would be too difficult to fulfill the requirements before July since many of the courses would probably have to be taken at TESC or some other school that is not self-paced. TESC also has a capstone requirement for that program. Another option would be Criminal Justice, but I don't think that would be approved since part of my bachelors in Social Science used CJ courses. My Social Science degree already qualifies me for most CJ jobs anyway. I was hoping to do something in business, technology, or science since those fields seem to be in high demand.

Thank you all for responding. I know my original post sounds like I'm just being lazy, but I really dislike math and programming. There is also more demand for networking skills than programming. Programming jobs are being outsourced. I'll keep searching. If I can't make a decision in time, it really wouldn't matter. I already reached my goal of going to graduate school and I have 3 interviews over the next week. It would be nice if TESC had a general science associates program.