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Don't want to start a WWIII BUT out of the big 3 which holds most recognition?
#31
It depends on what a student is interested in.

COSC has the only degree programs in early childhood and child studies degree programs and works closely with the CT education community, the only paralegal degree program and this was developed in conjunction with the Connecticut Bar Association, the only concentrations or majors in chemistry and physics, and so on, among the Big Three.

Meanwhile, COSC has no degree program in accounting. TESC and EC each do. TESC has the only degree programs in emergency management. EC has the only degree program in military studies, and so on.
#32
Pick the school that is the best fir for you in terms of finishing quickly without debt. You cannot go wrong with any of the choices, all regionally accredited, all very good at serving their particular focus group and the non-traditional learner. None of them are particularly well known outside certain circles (locally or military).

As to the issue of your major on your degree...A quick sampling in my workplace revealed that most of the Bachelors degrees simply indicate "BS" or "BA", Remember that for the past few decades "liberal arts" has been the mantra of higher education. In the mid to late 90's I recall Rollins College in Winter Park (a reasonably well know private college in Florida) eliminated all majors for a time...they took the attitude that they should be building students who could cope with and excel in any work venue they chose. You couldn't get any degree from them for a while other than a "Liberal Studies" degree. I believe this has changed recently, probably when Rollins saw a drop in enrollment, but it was a great example of how school used to see themselves. There is also a huge difference from college to college regarding exactly what is required to attain a "major". For example accounting is called "the language of business" yet haw many folks finish a Business BS/BA only to find they can't get into a decent MBA program without significant post grad work in accounting. In this instance it's hard to suppress a chuckle at the "BSBA" that doesn't even qualify the holder to pursue further academic work in the subject area.

VERY RARELY WILL ANYONE CARE WHAT YOUR DEGREE SAYS! THIS IS A VANITY ISSUE AND LITTLE ELSE!

On Cost:
TESC charges the highest upfront non negotiable fee of the Big three, followed closely by Excelsior. It's not enough of a difference to be a deal breaker for most....but it's enough for some and something we should all keep in mind. When COSC ended their annual enrollment fee in 2011 and went to a modest $228/semester fee structure it should have been a boom for folks on this site. We often assemble nearly all our credits before enrollment, that means we would only be enrolled in COSC for 2 semesters or $456 worth. That's a big break, when TESC added Capstone's to every degree it really adds to the cost benefit at COSC (who require a corner and a capstone).

If you need more than 60 credits, and in some other instances, FEMA can be a real deal maker. EC forces it's students to pay FCC $78/credit while COSC and TESC let you bring it in for free. In same cases that can be 30 credits...a whole year...for FREE! This is around $1000 off (compared to CBE), and thousands off if compared to actually taking classes. For me this is a deal breaker against EC, The relatively high enrollment fee, coupled with loosing a whole year worth of free credit pushes them to the back of the line. Now, if you have a bunch of credit the FEMA point may be moot, If your pursuing a unique EC offering like the RN Bridge the point is moot, otherwise it's a real concern.

Quality:
COSC was the first to require a Capstone and they are the only one to require a Cornerstone Course. The Cornerstone in particular adds cost to your degree (and time)...yet even with that a degree from COSC can be considerably cheaper than either of the other choices.

The Cornerstone is writing and research intensive. The student is forced to really consider the value of their studies...and must plot an exact roadmap to complete their degree. I found great value in the writing and research, I feel it prepared me well to complete my remaining courses and even helped in my graduate studies. I already had a road map thanks to this forum...I could have done without this course...but I'm better off having taken it. I still keep in touch with the Instructor too, he took a genuine interest in me and in my success.

Capstone...these are the new norm. COSC started it, TESC and EC have followed suit. I felt like mine was superfluous and unnecessary...but what are you gonna do, it's the price of playing the game.

COSC answered most of my questions before I even applied (EC and TESC insisted I apply before they would answer basic questions). Once I applied I received excellent advice and coaching...help navigating the COSC waters.

COSC made using F/A via consortium agreement a seamless, painless process. I can't fully express what a difference this made for me. Without this assistance/guidance I might still lack a degree...it opened the doors in a very real way (kudos also to CSU-Pueblo for completing my team).

Im proud of my COSC degree, glad I lucked into them when so many recommended TESC/EC...it was the right choice for me and it's the first place I guide the folks I counsel with on this topic. I really believe there are only a few instances when EC or TESC edges out COSC.

GO ACORNS!!!! Smile
MBA, Western Governors University February 2014
BS Charter Oak State College November 2011
AS in EMS August 2010

I'm always happy to complete the free application waiver for those applying to WGU (I get a free gift from WGU for this).  Just PM me your first/last name and a valid email so I can complete their form.

Thread; COSC AS using FEMA http://www.degreeforum.net/excelsior-tho...total.html
#33
I believe there are a lot of instances where EC and TESC will edge out COSC, but it mostly has to do with the majors offered. TESC worked for me because they gave me UL credit for my CC courses. I could see a lot of people being in that situation. Still, TESC does not require a real capstone for the BSBA programs. I looked really hard at COSC to see if I could save money on completing the business degree with them, but I would have to earn a bunch of UL credits from scratch. I still think capstones are dumb.

TESC was the first to accept FEMA credits for free. FEMAs can also be used for more than free electives in the Homeland Security and AAS in ESST degrees. Another bonus with TESC and Excelsior is that they offer associate's degrees with majors. COSC only offers associate's in general studies. TESC has the best evaluation out of the three colleges. I know because I applied to all three. Excelsior will tell you nothing before you enroll. COSC has great customer service, but they don't really give too many specifics before you enroll. The evaluation is okay, but it doesn't tell you exactly how your credits will transfer. TESC's evaluation will give you course codes and exactly where each individual course will fit in your degree plan. They also give two free evaluations before enrollment unlike the other two. I'm not enrolled now, but when I shoot TESC an email about how a course will transfer, they answer most of the time. For example, they told me exactly how the TEEX courses would be transcribed.

I still haven't gotten Charter Oak to tell me how the GRE Subject exams are turned into courses. My old advisor told me I could use GRE subject exams to earn credit for the Individualized Studies degree, but no one can tell me which credits I would earn. I have emailed everyone and received responses from most. No one seems to know how the GRE tests are transcribed. Calling also got me nowhere.

If you want to complete a more specialized degree in something like engineering that doesn't really have many cheap online options elsewhere, TESC and Excelsior offer the required courses. COSC has a couple of programs too where it offers all of the courses that are hard to find elsewhere, but TESC beats out the other two in this regard because it has the lowest tuition rate. The comprehensive tuition plan is a good deal for out-of-state students. There are plenty of state colleges that charge more than TESC for in-state students. The tuition includes everything: e-Packs, online, guided study, and TECEP. Another thing is that Excelsior and TESC have spent their time and resources creating exams that would make it easier for someone to complete a degree at COSC which leads to another point. TESC accepts more exams as UL.

As far as the BSBA, someone here did get into a decent MBA program after completing a degree at TESC. I don't think the concentration was in accounting though. It makes sense in most cases to just complete the business degree with all of the prerequisites one can encounter. It doesn't make sense to try to stuff them all in free electives while completing a bunch of liberal arts courses you don't need. Sorry. I really tried to remain objective, but Rebel pushed me over the edge. Smile
Graduate of Not VUL or ENEB
MS, MSS and Graduate Cert
AAS, AS, BA, and BS
CLEP
Intro Psych 70, US His I 64, Intro Soc 63, Intro Edu Psych 70, A&I Lit 64, Bio 68, Prin Man 69, Prin Mar 68
DSST
Life Dev Psych 62, Fund Coun 68, Intro Comp 469, Intro Astr 56, Env & Hum 70, HTYH 456, MIS 451, Prin Sup 453, HRM 62, Bus Eth 458
ALEKS
Int Alg, Coll Alg
TEEX
4 credits
TECEP
Fed Inc Tax, Sci of Nutr, Micro, Strat Man, Med Term, Pub Relations
CSU
Sys Analysis & Design, Programming, Cyber
SL
Intro to Comm, Microbio, Acc I
Uexcel
A&P
Davar
Macro, Intro to Fin, Man Acc
#34
I have a few other points. Excelsior and TESC have more potential to become ranked in something because they offer master's degrees that limit transfer credits. It's hard to be ranked on undergraduate degrees when you allow almost 100% transfer. TESC now has a ranked master's program in nursing. It's not ranked very high, but it beats out several other traditional colleges in NJ. EC and COSC have no ranked programs.

TESC holds programmatic accreditation in a few fields: TEAC, NLNAC, CCNE, ABET, and CAAHEP. EC holds accreditation from NLNAC, ABET, and IACBE. As far as I can tell, COSC has no programmatic accreditation.
Graduate of Not VUL or ENEB
MS, MSS and Graduate Cert
AAS, AS, BA, and BS
CLEP
Intro Psych 70, US His I 64, Intro Soc 63, Intro Edu Psych 70, A&I Lit 64, Bio 68, Prin Man 69, Prin Mar 68
DSST
Life Dev Psych 62, Fund Coun 68, Intro Comp 469, Intro Astr 56, Env & Hum 70, HTYH 456, MIS 451, Prin Sup 453, HRM 62, Bus Eth 458
ALEKS
Int Alg, Coll Alg
TEEX
4 credits
TECEP
Fed Inc Tax, Sci of Nutr, Micro, Strat Man, Med Term, Pub Relations
CSU
Sys Analysis & Design, Programming, Cyber
SL
Intro to Comm, Microbio, Acc I
Uexcel
A&P
Davar
Macro, Intro to Fin, Man Acc
#35
Uggh, I had a long response done and I think I lost it. Sanatone, you went through several of the positives TESC and EC offer...I'm with you on most of that. Point is...as I stated when I started...you need to pick the best choice for your circumstances, it's not a one size fits all process.
MBA, Western Governors University February 2014
BS Charter Oak State College November 2011
AS in EMS August 2010

I'm always happy to complete the free application waiver for those applying to WGU (I get a free gift from WGU for this).  Just PM me your first/last name and a valid email so I can complete their form.

Thread; COSC AS using FEMA http://www.degreeforum.net/excelsior-tho...total.html
#36
rebel100 Wrote:Uggh, I had a long response done and I think I lost it. Sanatone, you went through several of the positives TESC and EC offer...I'm with you on most of that. Point is...as I stated when I started...you need to pick the best choice for your circumstances, it's not a one size fits all process.

I agree. One member here had better success with transferring her WGU credits to Charter Oak and the consortium agreement thing is also a big plus.
Graduate of Not VUL or ENEB
MS, MSS and Graduate Cert
AAS, AS, BA, and BS
CLEP
Intro Psych 70, US His I 64, Intro Soc 63, Intro Edu Psych 70, A&I Lit 64, Bio 68, Prin Man 69, Prin Mar 68
DSST
Life Dev Psych 62, Fund Coun 68, Intro Comp 469, Intro Astr 56, Env & Hum 70, HTYH 456, MIS 451, Prin Sup 453, HRM 62, Bus Eth 458
ALEKS
Int Alg, Coll Alg
TEEX
4 credits
TECEP
Fed Inc Tax, Sci of Nutr, Micro, Strat Man, Med Term, Pub Relations
CSU
Sys Analysis & Design, Programming, Cyber
SL
Intro to Comm, Microbio, Acc I
Uexcel
A&P
Davar
Macro, Intro to Fin, Man Acc


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