Degree from TESC?

[degreeguy]

Couple of quick questions... It looks like I can fulfill up to 36 credits annually for about $6k, is this correct?

Second, I have no idea about degrees, but if I complete an undergrad degree in BA with a focus on Marketing, can I go look for an MBA elsewhere, in example Carnegie Mellon?

I work full time and have a wife/two kids - How much time will I reasonably have to put into 30 credits a year?

TIA.

[dfrecore]

You should probably spend some time reading through this forum. First, you will learn a lot about degrees, especially at TESC. Second, you could save a LOT of money, because you can test out of a BSBA degree from TESC (or at least test/take some inexpensive courses) for less than $4000 start-to-finish, and get a LOT more than 30 credits per year. A year to get your entire degree (even with a wife and 2 kids) is not unreasonable, and people here have done it in a lot less time.

You can get your degree at one school, and get another degree (MBA or otherwise) at another school. There are plenty of people here doing that as well, and there is lots of advice on that front as well.

I would start reading through some of the posts as they come up, starting at the first post and working through to the most recent. And pay attention to dates, people can reply to very old posts, so info from the beginning of one might be years old, and things have changed since that particular post was started. But, it's still useful in figuring out how this whole degree thing (and specifically testing out of one) works.

[degreeguy]

Thanks for the reply. What exactly do you mean testing out? Is this life experience? I have a pretty good job at a public company, can I use this?

What I'm really looking to do is earn a 4 year degree as quick as possible. Is there a thread you could direct me to that discusses this? A quick search of "testing out BSBA" yields tons of results, I read through a few of them already and nothing relevant to what I'm looking to do. I'm middle management (prob one of a very small handful in a company of 3,000 people who doesn't have a four year degree) and need a Bachelors to advance further in my career.

[degreeguy]

found this

http://www.degreeforum.net/general-educa...ths-3.html

[smrt]

You might want to start here: Degree Forum Wiki - Wikia
It gives a pretty good overview of the test-out process.

The good thing about testing out of classes is that, for the most part, the timing is up to you. I went three months without making progress because I was busy with my dayjob, but right now things are slow, and just this week I started and finished 6 credits.

A lot of us are in a similar boat - We have jobs we're qualified for, but need that degree to take us to the next level. Do a little reading on the Wiki, check out some of the forum threads, come back here and ask questions, and you'll be on your way in no time! Good luck!!

[cookderosa]

Testing out is when you use a company that produces a college equivalency exam (CLEP is one) and you study for, then take the test. A CLEP exam costs $80 and is worth between 3-9 college credits depending.

So, instead of taking Sociology 101 in class (16 weeks) you can use one of a million resources to self-study. This is a great exam to get started with, a good balance of common sense and academics. You can do this for a week or a month, based on your own drive. If you want, you can take a practice test to see how close you are to passing. When you're ready, you take the real exam at a testing center in your area. You'll make an appointment online and pay. The testing center may have their own fee ($20ish) and once you've paid, you're ready. The test will be 90 minutes and is all multiple choice. It's pass/fail. You need roughly 50-60% of the questions right to pass. And voila, you're done. Lather, rinse, repeat.

I earned all the exam credits for my AA and BA simultaneously in about 6 months and then applied to TESC. At that point, I used 12 months of financial aid to take classes (though most people don't do that- most people continue to pay cash and test, but I didn't have the $) I am a mother of 4, had a nursing baby at the time, part time job and volunteer work, homeschooled my older kids through the day, and I'm not especially good at taking tests- if I can do it, you can do it. Everything you need to know is in a book, youtube video, or here.

EDIT: I forgot to say I went from 0 to 122 credits (AA and BA) in 18 months - and that was doing it slow (by the standards here).

[degreeguy]

Great information and resources, thanks!

The link from smrt was great and brought me to here; COSC Degree Plans - Degree Forum Wiki - Wikia

I think Charter Oak is my plan. Time/ease is much more important to me than money or any other factors and all of the resources point to COSC - From my reading I can basically test out 114 credits and take two courses at COSC for a BA in Business Administration.

One key thing that hopefully someone can speak of is applying to other schools for an MBA. My reading shows that almost all of the grades (with the exception of Uexcel) are simply pass/fail and the GPA is weighted strictly on the two courses from COSC and Uexcel - My further reading shows this might make it slightly more difficult getting into a different MBA program. Can anyone share tips on how to get a more grade weighted GPA or what types of schools would accept me with a COSC degree? Like would a state school in NY/NJ (Rutgers, SUNY) accept my application? I've read the one offs, but don't hold too much weight in them.

Thanks so much!

[degreeguy]

Another question as I begin organizing my plan to first get a BSBA from COSC:

Am I just cross-referencing this http://www.charteroak.edu/exams/exams-master-list.pdf and this Business Administration - Charter Oak State College Catalog for the major?

This only shows 45 credits, where do I pick up the other 75? Also, I have about 30 credits from a CC in NJ, most are A's and B's but some are D's and F's. I've read that I can just transfer in the good credits and leave the bad ones out, is this true?

[degreeguy]

What exactly are FEMA and TEEX credits? I can just register and get through 32 credits taking 32 tests here, each one can be done in a few hours?

Some of this feels to good to be true.

[hightecrebel]

What exactly are FEMA and TEEX credits? I can just register and get through 32 credits taking 32 tests here, each one can be done in a few hours?

Some of this feels to good to be true.

TEEX is the Texas A&M Engineering Extension, and they have three courses on cybersecurity, each made uop of multiple modules, all accomplished online for free. if you go here, they're Cyber 101/201/301.

FEMA refers to the Federal Emergency Management Administration's Independent Study courses, a number of which are accepted for credit at COSC. I'm a TESC student, so I'm unsure which are used or where they fall in their set, but I'm sure on of our more knowledgeable members can help with that.

Also, a free ethics course was recently found here, select the 'no CE credit' option, and upon completing, just add it to your ACE transcript. More info is available in the thread here

Regarding what you need to take, there is a good breakdown on the wiki here

As far as seeming too good to be true, I agree. But for once it is true, although for many people takes a bit more work than some of those here who seem to knock out 30 credits in a day or two...

As far as COSC being the easiest one to test out of, I feel I should mention that TESC's Bachelor of Science in Business Administration: General Management can be completely tested out of, but will require TECEPs, which have less tailor-made study material