Fort Hays Vs WGU

[Zarich]

Not sure if this is the best place for this as I know a lot of people here are looking for cheap fast degrees, but here goes:

I am old. 47 to be exact with an Associates of Applied Science in water quality technology (yeah...). I currently am the Director of Transit for a city. I make a good six figure salary with benefits (though in my area that doesn't mean a ton). I have forever wanted my BS degree for me more than anything (I can tell you not having one and being a director.. you get looked down upon). I have started and stopped so many times. So, I am accepted to WGU and FHSU. WGU interests me most because of it's one class at a time approach. Being a full time bread winner and dad multiple classes at once seems a daunting task.  However, what turned me off was the used car salesmen approach of the enrollment counselor, and all the posts I keep reading about people finishing entire degrees in one term.  The one term thing bothers me because for one I cannot do that (so I guess jealousy or feeling inadequate.. personal problems for sure), and for two it makes me question the validity of something that you can cram through that fast.  I have actually signed up for this term at FHSU in Computer science taking three classes (two generals and one coding).  


I am asking for some brain power because I have never been able to commit to a degree and school. I like too many things. I could easily go to College forever and study all kinds of things without ever finishing anything and do so happily. That being said tech and science have always been my goto because I enjoy them. I have taken many tech and programming classes. I don't work in tech. I have done lots of my own personal tech, but who hasn't anymore (use to be a rare thing now every 12 year old can say that).  However, I am a director and a business degree makes a lot of sense in my current job.. at least to check that box.  I have not chosen to go business because frankly it is boring and everyone has one (yeah I know.. not a good reason). 

So this is why I signed up for Comp science, well that and the fact that FHSU accepted 61 credits and so I only have 63 left to complete in the CS program.  This will take me 2 years 1 term to complete which is slower than I want. Business it is closer to 80 credits to complete and three years.  WGU accepted my generals and left me with 86 to complete in just about all the tech and business programs (varies, 83 to 86).  If I completed one class a month it would take a little over 4 terms (I think I counted 26 or 27 courses in the CS program with business being similar).  Cost wise it appears close to a wash unless I just happen to get WGU done a term faster.  

I don't really love coding, but am good at Math (have taken Calc and Stats with an A). I am not sure I would ever consider a job writing software nor do I do it in my spare time for fun.  The degree would just check the I have a BS box, plus allow me to learn something interesting.  In fact I don't know when I would even leave my current job because it pays well, has all my holidays off and is low stress. But maybe someday I will want to move on up. I have also considered Data Analytics because I enjoy Data, but the WGU degree actually looks like a DBA administrator degree more than anything and I just don't see myself working in that world.  SQL is fun and all, but all day everyday is likely not my thing.  

So I am one week from starting classes at FHSU.. not sure I wanna do it, but also know if I don't get this car moving I will never get anywhere.  I could use some sage advice. 

Thanks!

[Flelm]

I think you really just need to 1) decide on the degree field, and 2) figure out the time/effort/money you want to spend. With 60 credits and an associates degree you have a lot of options, but the "Big 3 (4)" that are this site's go-to (Thomas Edison State University, Charter Oak State College, Excelsior College, and WGU) are all available to you.

Is the degree for you, to check a box, or are you going to have it be known to your peers? If you want a 'useful' degree, a BSBA with a useful concentration like HR, Organizational Behavior, Logistics, or something else might be for you. If you want Data, TESU has a degree partnership with Statistics.com, but I think it's like $8-10k after the residency waiver.

If it's for you, why not consider a liberal arts degree in a field you're interested in?

Sorry I can't be of more help, but I think you just need to really decide why you're getting the degree, and then go based off that.

[dfrecore]

I'm guessing that neither of these is a good option - WGU is too fast, and you don't have the time to dedicate to it, and FHSU is too slow.

A better option may be a degree at one of the Big 3. I'd probably suggest EC, and have you do a BSLA (BS in Liberal Arts) with an AoF (Area of Focus) in business, and possibly a 2nd one in CompSci. Then, you plug in your completed courses, take whatever else you need/want, make sure at least 8 courses are UL, and then enroll and take your final 3 courses at EC (Info Lit, the Cornerstone, and the Capstone). It will cost you $5300 at EC to get this degree; and if you need a couple of UL CompSci courses to complete the AoF for that, then it will only cost $5850 at EC.

You get your remaining courses through a provider like Sophia or Study.com (they have the UL), and boom - done. Oh, and the good thing is that with this option, not only do you go at your own pace, you get to choose which 7 business courses you want to take. That is a ton better than having to take that business "core" component that a business degree requires. And the AoF is listed on your transcript.

Just my thoughts, others will have more for you.

[Alpha]

Not sure if this is the best place for this as I know a lot of people here are looking for cheap fast degrees, but here goes . . .Thanks!

One thing that you might want to consider is that WGU is often referred to as a "competency based" school and this has some possible flexibility as to how credits are earn. FHSU tends to be more of a "take the course" school.  Personally I sometimes prefer to take the course but I know that other people might have other opinions.

[ss20ts]

There's a difference between WGU and FHSU. FHSU will provide a great deal of structure which some people really need. WGU doesn't provide a great deal of structure. There is support but it's not an actual professor in your class whom you build a relationship with over the semester. FHSU is on an actual semester schedule so you will get breaks around holidays. WGU doesn't have breaks, but it's a 6 month term and you come and go as you please. It's definitely not for everyone.

If you're still considering a bachelor's degree, I'd look at UMPI. It's a competency based program where you work on one course at a time, but you have an actual professor. In addition to having an actual professor for each course, you have an academic advisor and an academic success coach. You move at your own pace so you can complete as many courses as you want during a class. They offer a bachelor's degree in business with a few concentrations. They also have a bachelor's degree in liberal studies where there are minors available in management information system and project management. The link for UMPI is in my signature. Feel free to send me a pm if you have any questions about UMPI. I've been enrolled there since August and will be graduating in March.

[bjcheung77]

There are a few schools that have a Computer Science degree, FHSU, TESU, WGU, etc. Your associates should transfer some credits to them. Do you have tuition assistance/reimbursement from work? I mean if you do, then take your time either way, it's all paid for, it won't really matter if you take 1 term or two, just get it done. My suggestion though is, since you're unsure if you want to go for a BSBA or a Comp Sci degree, just get the general education components done for say FHSU or TESU, get them all completed first. Then decide which would be more applicable to you, a BSBA or Comp Sci, continue taking courses from alternative providers that can go into the degree until you hit the max at FHSU.

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Update: Actually, I recommend taking alternative courses towards a TESU BA Comp Sci and a TESU BSBA CIS! You have the 24 RA credits and you can work towards both and be done within the 1 year time frame. There will be 24+ credits difference in both degrees. Apply and transfer the credits in for an evaluation, you just need to take 3 courses from TESU.

[Zarich]

I have looked at TESC and Charter oak in the past and at least my understanding was there was a lot of go get the education somewhere else and then come back and we will give you college credit for it. I may be wrong. I am really more in need of something fully contained. I hate this about myself, but I am not the best when it comes to self motivation.

[dfrecore]

I have looked at TESC and Charter oak in the past and at least my understanding was there was a lot of go get the education somewhere else and then come back and we will give you college credit for it. I may be wrong. I am really more in need of something fully contained.  I hate this about myself, but I am not the best when it comes to self motivation.

If this is the case, then you definitely don't want a competency-based degree like WGU or UMPI.  Those both require you to be extremely self-motivated.

The thing with the Big 3 is that you don't necessarily have to be self-motivated if you have a good plan, and can sit down and dedicate yourself to a certain number of hours each day to complete your work.  Honestly, the worst thing that happens is that...nothing happens.  The best thing is that you clear a bunch of credit that you need.

Also, you may be motivated by money - and when you're using a monthly-membership-based course provider like Sophia or Study.com, you may be motivated to get the minimum number of courses completed just because you don't want to waste your money.

I would probably map out a plan at one of the Big 3 schools, and start.  We can give you a plan here.  You just look at the courses you need to complete, and begin.  Every day (or whatever time you set), you sit down and work on the courses you need.  As you knock out credits, you will probably start to get some momentum.

If you find that you aren't progressing at the rate you want, you can always stop and go to FHSU.  But I wouldn't sign up for a 2 ½ year plan somewhere thinking you're going to be MORE motivated by their plan than by one you set yourself.  I wouldn't be (and I was a college student who dropped courses like crazy when life happened and I didn't have time to go to class or get the work done or whatever).  At least if you have a plan and start, you're not dropping a lot of money like FHSU will cost.

[Zarich]

Okay how would I do something like this:

https://www.tesu.edu/heavin/bs/data-science

[Flelm]

https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...-Analytics