Fastest path to a computer science or software degree?

[bjcheung77]

Either send us a copy/paste of the info, or screenshot of the information would do. If you don't have any personal info showing in the pdf, you can also send that in as an attachment, if there are personal info, you know what to do before you edit/re-save the file and attach it.

[padma]

In my opinion, WGU is not the fastest path to a Computer Science degree but WGU is generally well received by employers.
If you are looking for a faster route I think Excelsior or Thomas Edison would work better for you.

A bit about me: I graduated from Excelsior college CIS program (now know as Information Technology) years ago and have been working as a Software developer for 10+ years. I've found great employability with my Excelsior CS degree all through my career,

These two colleges (Excelsior & TESU) provide more liberal credits transfers in my opinion. Also WGU awards only letter grades, so if you wanted to transfer out from one college and transfer in to another, it will be far easier (and with better grades) at Excelsior or TESU.

Since you've already completed a Bachelors and another Associate degree, it seems to me you will be able to get all the general requirements via credits transfer.
As for the IT credits, Excelsior has a portfolio assessment program and TESU has a prior-learning assessment, so even learning from non-accredited sources (courses or training etc) can be used to gain college credits at these 2 colleges.

Saylor, EdX and Coursera also have some ACE-accredited courses which can be used for direct college credits, including in CS. If you see a course that is not ACE-accredited but you want to do it, do the portfolio assessment/ prior learning assessmen for those courses.

To me, Excelsior seems a good bet for quick completion of a CS degree, maybe also TESU, but Excelsior will probably be faster (as long as you can quickly complete the remaining Upper  & Lower level CS courses quickly).




-----------------------------------
Book Author of College Shortcuts: An Express Undergraduate Degree with Zero Student Loans
https://www.amazon.com/College-Shortcuts...B078T3FBBB

Entrepreneur & Senior Software Developer Java/JEE
http://www.collegeonomics.com

B.S.Computer Info Systems from Excelsior College
B.A. Mathematics Distance degree

[Nutmeg0065]

Padma, 

How do you get the upper level CS courses? Do those need to be taken at  nearby university? 

Thanks for your help!

[padma]

Any good CS courses you can find at a local university will help, as long as they are convenient for you and are somewhat affordable.
But there are some other options that might be more convenient and quicker.

The college will make the final determination on whether a course is considered Upper level, but here are some courses and tests to start with.

(1) Saylor.org:
There are a couple of Saylor courses in CS which appear Upper level, and are directly eligible for college credits:
CS402: Computer Communications and Networks
CS302: Software Engineering

(2) Other than Saylor, you can consider taking more of the skill-oriented courses or training that have quizzes or tests to verify the completion of that learning. These would be non-accredited sources but might be much faster and convenient, and would also be viewed more positively by employers.

When I completed my Excelsior CIS degree, many of my Upper level credits came from non-accredited courses, tests and also from my work experience. So it is quite possible to meet the CS and Upper level credit requirements with a portfolio/ prior-learning assessment. The college will assign a special evaluator for this assessment for the
student. In my case, this was a professor from another accredited college in New York state and I answered his questions via email and if I remember correctly one phone call as well.

(3) CompTIA:

I took CompTIA certs in Project+ a few years ago and it was quite simple to complete (and not as intense as some of the other Java JEE or DB certifications). So I think CompTIA is a good place to complete certifications quickly at the Bachelors level. The student counselor at Excelsior or TESU (or the college you enroll into) can generally answer questions as to their views on CompTIA. But I think the college will rely on the expert opinion of the evaluator once you’ve submitted the portfolio documents and so the final credits assigned will be clearer once the portfolio evaluation is completed.

Here are some CompTIA Certifications you can look at for CS:

a) Network+
b) Security+
c) Project+
d) Linux+ (Sys admin & Comp Arch)
e) Server+ (Operating Systems)
f) Cybersecurity courses maybe

(4) For the web development and web design courses, EdX.org or Thinkful.com could work well. I’ve found the Thinkful courses to be very good with lots of flexibility and student support, it’s also somewhat affordable. From what I’ve seen, Thinkful also assists students with launching their software career. Other options for web dev are CodeAcademy.com or Pluralsight.com (codeschool).

(5) There is also a book called “Portfolio Assessment: A Guide for Students” by Trudi Cooper that talks about how to build a student portfolio. This is not required but might give you some idea about how to validate your non-accredited learning for presenting to the college evaluator.

Excelisor has a 3-credit mandatory college course (I think it can be taken online) for students who intend to submit a portfolio for assessment. It provides an introduction on completing a portfolio assessment with them. There is also a per-credit fee for this assessment but it is also affordable.



-----------------------------------
Book Author of College Shortcuts: An Express Undergraduate Degree with Zero Student Loans
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078T3FBBB

Entrepreneur & Senior Software Developer Java/JEE
http://www.collegeonomics.com

B.S.Computer Info Systems from Excelsior College
B.A. Mathematics Distance degree

[Merlin]

The college will make the final determination on whether a course is considered Upper level, but here are some courses and tests to start with.

(1) Saylor.org:
There are a couple of Saylor courses in CS which appear Upper level, and are directly eligible for college credits:
CS402: Computer Communications and Networks
CS302: Software Engineering

FYI, neither of those courses are ACE recommended as upper-division credits. Not sure about Excelsior, but we know that at TESU, those are no longer considered upper-level.

The best source for upper-level CS courses right now is a local university, an online university, or Study.com (which offers two UL CS courses: Systems Analysis & Design or Database Management; and Digital Marketing & Advertising may also count depending on your AOS).

As far as test out options go, you can grab a number of UL CS credits via CSU-Global CBE. TESU also offers their Network Technology TECEP (though it may not transfer to as many destination schools).

[padma]

The college will make the final determination on whether a course is considered Upper level, but here are some courses and tests to start with.

(1) Saylor.org:
There are a couple of Saylor courses in CS which appear Upper level, and are directly eligible for college credits:
CS402: Computer Communications and Networks
CS302: Software Engineering

FYI, neither of those courses are ACE recommended as upper-division credits. Not sure about Excelsior, but we know that at TESU, those are no longer considered upper-level.

The best source for upper-level CS courses right now is a local university, an online university, or Study.com (which offers two UL CS courses: Systems Analysis & Design or Database Management; and Digital Marketing & Advertising may also count depending on your AOS).

As far as test out options go, you can grab a number of UL CS credits via CSU-Global CBE. TESU also offers their Network Technology TECEP (though it may not transfer to as many destination schools).

The course content of the "CS302: Software Engineering" seems quite comprehensive and covers the entire software life cycle. And from my experience so far, Excelsior looks at the course content to decide if it meets their degree requirements for Upper level credits. As I said earlier, it is at the discretion of the college to determine which credits can be considered upper level. Not so sure about the CS402, maybe you’re right here, hard for me to say. In any case, it could meet the IT requirements at least at the LL or more.

At Excelsior, as per the degree requirements, only 15 credits have to be UL, so that would mean the rest of the mandatory 48 credits in IT can be LL, and apart from the 60 credits for the arts&science, the remaining 12 credits are free electives.

Regarding Study.com, agreed, it makes a lot more sense to take self-paced courses or exams for college credits than to do a portfolio assessment whenever possible. There are much lesser ambiguities this way and cost might be a bit lesser. I think portfolio assessment is great wherever that is not an option, or whenever something else would take too much time or money. Also the prior learning thing works well if a student is very interested in a particular course or skills-based training or experience that they cannot find through any other credits-granting courses or tests.

As for the university courses, tuition cost is something I would look to save on predominantly, so I would generally factor that in. Also the scheduling flexibility, having to physically take a course on campus may not be as convenient or as quick as credit-by-exam or self paced online (affordable) courses. Of course this depends, for certain courses in which students need to work more closely with a professor for personal guidance etc, physical classes on campus is a way to get that, which would come at a higher dollar cost.

CSU-Global CBE courses seem really cool and affordable and they have quite a few IT courses, thanks for this info Merlin. It would be good to know the experiences of more students on which of these courses or exams would transfer as UL credits.

Hope all of these discussions are helpful to Nutmeg0065 and to others on a similar path.


-----------------------------------
Book Author of College Shortcuts: An Express Undergraduate Degree with Zero Student Loans
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078T3FBBB

Entrepreneur & Senior Software Developer Java/JEE
http://www.collegeonomics.com

B.S.Computer Info Systems from Excelsior College
B.A. Mathematics Distance degree

[Nutmeg0065]

My transcript evaluation for CS:

WGU Bachelor of Science, Computer Science

COURSE TITLE Units STATUS Requirement for Transfer

Introduction to IT 4 Not met One course, equivalent to 4 units, in Introduction to IT. *Course can be satisfied by an associates or bachelor?s degree in Information Technology. This course must have been taken with the past 5 years to be considered for transfer.

Structured Query Language 4 Not met One upper-division course on SQL or Database development or 1 of the following certifications: Oracle 12c SQL Fundamentals 1z0-061, Oracle PL/SQL Developer Certified Associate 1z0-071, or Oracle Database SQL Expert 1z0-047.

American Politics and the US Constitution 3 Met One course, equivalent to 3 units, in U.S. government and the U.S. Constitution. *Can be satisfied by an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree.

Applied Probability and Statistics 3 Met One course, equivalent to 3 units, in Statistics. *Can be satisfied by an Associates or Bachelors degree.

Software Quality Assurance 3 Not met One course in Software Quality Assurance or Software Testing equivalent to 3 CUs.

Introduction to Artificial Intelligenc 3 Not met One course in Introduction to Advanced Artificial Intelligence, Intelligent Systems or Machine Learning.

Technical Communication 3 Met One course on Technical Communication, equivalent to 3 units.

Business of IT - Applications 4 Not met Can be satisfied by a Business of IT Applications course, equivalent to 4 units, or can be satisfied by an ITIL Foundations certification. *Can be satisfied by an Associate degree or higher in Information Technology.

Software Engineering 4 Not met One course in Software Engineering.

Operating Systems for Programmers 3 Not met One course in Operating Systems for Programmers / Engineers or one course in advance Operating Systems

Fundamentals of Information Security 3 Not met One course in Introduction to (Computer or Network or IT) (Security or Cybersecurity). *Course can be satisfied by an associates or bachelor?s degree in (Computer or Network or IT) (Security or Cybersecurity). Must have been taken with the past 5 years. The following certifications can also be applied to this course: EC-Council ECSS, CompTIA CSA+, CompTIA CASP, CCNA Security, ISACA CISM, ISACA CISA, ISACA CGEIT, ISC2 CISSP, EC-Council CCISO, GIAC GSEC, GIAC GISF.

Ethics in Technology 3 Met One course, equivalent to 3 units, in ethical issues regarding technology.

Data Structures and Algorithms I 4 Not met A course in Data Structures and/or an advanced course Algorithms.

Software II - Advanced Java Concepts 6 Not met A fourth course in programming or the Oracle Certified Professional Java (SE 7 or 8) Programmer

Software I 6 Met A third course in programming or one of the following: Oracle Certified Professional Java SE 6 Programmer/Sun Certified Java Programmer (SCJP), Oracle Certified Associate (OCA, Java (SE 7 or 8) Programmer, MCPD Windows, MCPD Enterprise, MCPD .NET Framework 2.0 Distributed Applications, MCAD, or MCSD for Microsoft .NET.

Introduction to Humanities 3 Met One course, equivalent to 3 units, in the humanities (i.e. literature, visual and performing arts, music, theatre, philosophy, ethics or religious studies).

Data Management - Applications 4 Not met A second Database Course or one of the following Certifications: CIW Database Specialist/ Database Design Specialist (1D0-441 or 1D0- 541), MCDBA, 70-461 Querying Microsoft SQL Server 2012/2014, MCSEata Platform, MCSE:Business Intelligence, MCITP: Bus Intell Dev, IBM Certified Database Associate, , IBM Certified Application Developer, or IBM Certified Advanced Database Administrator.

Data Management - Foundations 3 Not met One Database Course or one of the following Certifications: CIW Database Specialist/ Database Design Specialist (1D0-441 or 1D0-541) or certification in one of the following areas: MCDBA, 70-461 Querying Microsoft SQL Server 2012/2014 MCSA: SQL Server 2012, MCSEata Platform, MCSE:Bus Intelligence, MCSE: SQL Server 2012, MCITP: Bus Intell Dev, MCITP: Database Dev, MCSA: Database, MTA: 98-364, IBM Cer Database Assoc, IBM Certified App Dev, *C175 can be satisfied by an Associate degree.

Scripting and Programming Applications 4 Met A second course in programming in an object oriented language equivelent to 4 CUs (C++, Java, C#, VB.NET, Objective C, Python, Ruby, Perl). *Scripting and Programming-Foundations must be transferred before Scripting and Programming-Applications may be considered for transfer credit.

Computer Architecture 3 Not met One course in Computer Architecture.

Introduction to Communication 3 Met One additional course in Speech and Communication, equivalent to 3 units.

Natural Science Lab 2 Met One course, equivalent to 2 units, in a Natural Science (Chemistry, Geology, Physics, Astronomy, Biology) lab component.

Calculus I 4 Not met One course in Calculus I or higher. *Course must be taken within the past 5 years.

Web Development Foundations 3 Not met One Course in Web Programming or one of the following Certifications: CIW Site Designer/Web Design Specialist (CIW 1DO-520 or 1DO-420), CIW Web Foundations Associate (CIW 1DO-610), CIW Advanced CIW HTML5 and CSS3 Specialist (CIW 1DO-620), Programming in HTML5 with JavaScript and CSS3 (MCDS 70-480 HTML5 Application Development Fundamentals (MTA 98-375).*C779 can be satisfied by an Associate degree or higher in Information Technology.

Introduction to Geography 3 Met One course in Geography. This requirement may be satisfied by a course in the social sciences (i.e. history, anthropology, sociology, psychology, economics or political science).

Network and Security Foundations 3 Not met One Networks Course or one of the following Certifications: CompTIA Network+ , CompTIA Security+, MCSA (Server 2008/2012/2016), MCITP Enterprise Administrator, MCITP Server Administrator, MTA: Networking Fundamentals (98-366), CCENT, CCDA, CCIE, CCNA, CCNA: Voice, CCNA:Wireless, CCNA:Security, CCDP, CCIP, CCNP, CompTIA DHTI+, CompTIA Convergence +,Sun SCNA, SCSA, Sun Cluster 3.2, Oracle Linux Administrator. *C172 can be satisfied by an Associate degree or higher in IT

Business of IT - Project Management 4 Not met One course in Project Management or one of the following certifications: CompTIA Project+ , PMP, CAPM, MCTS: EnterpriseProject Management (70-633) or MCITP: Enterprise Project Management.

English Composition I 3 Met One course in English composition, equivalent to 3 units, excluding business and technical writing

Scripting and Programming Foundations 3 Met One course in Software Development: Introduction to Algorithms or one of the following certifications: Sun for the Java Platform,Standard Edition 6 (CX-310-065) or Edition 5 (CX-310-055) or Edition 1.4 (CX-310-035),Oracle Certified Associate, Sun Certified Business Component Developer (SCBCD), Sun Certified Developer for Java Web Services (SCDJWS), Sun Certification, SCJD, SCMAD, SCWCD), SCEA. *C173 can be satisfied by an Associate degree or higher in Information Technology.

Integrated Physical Sciences 3 Met One course, equivalent to 3 units, in Physical Science (Chemistry, Geology, Physics, Astronomy).

Discrete Mathematics I 4 Not met One course in Discrete Math

Discrete Mathematics II 4 Not met

Data Structures and Algorithms II 4 Not met

Computer Science Capstone 4 Not met

Total Competency Units in Program 120
General Education Competency Units Awarded 42
Other Transferable Competency Units Awarded 0
Credits Remaining in your Program 78
Percent of program already completed! 35.0%
Transfer GPA 4.00

[dfrecore]

Things I know off the top of my head:

Intro to IT - SL, Study.com
Business of IT-Applications - MIS DSST, Study.com, Ed4Credit
Fund of InfoSec - Cybersecurity DSST
Data Management - Study.com
Calc I - CLEP, Study.com, SL
Network & Security - Saylor, TECEP
Business of IT-Project Management - Study.com, Sophia

[quigongene]

Things I know off the top of my head:

Intro to IT - SL, Study.com
Business of IT-Applications - MIS DSST, Study.com, Ed4Credit
Fund of InfoSec - Cybersecurity DSST
Data Management - Study.com
Calc I - CLEP, Study.com, SL
Network & Security - Saylor, TECEP
Business of IT-Project Management - Study.com, Sophia

To add to this (WGU specific):
Introduction to IT || CLEP Information Systems
Data Management - Foundations || MTA Database Fundamentals (I know it's listed there....but the cert is ridiculously easy)
Web Development Foundations || MTA HTML5 Application Development Fundamentals (see above)
Network and Security Foundations || MTA Networking Fundamentals (I personally finished this "cert" in 11 minutes)

[dfrecore]

To add to this (WGU specific):  
Introduction to IT || CLEP Information Systems
Data Management - Foundations || MTA Database Fundamentals (I know it's listed there....but the cert is ridiculously easy)
Web Development Foundations || MTA HTML5 Application Development Fundamentals (see above)
Network and Security Foundations || MTA Networking Fundamentals (I personally finished this "cert" in 11 minutes)

How much are the MTA exams?