Guidance Requested: Is this right for me?

[Aimed]

Hi, I am an international student from Algeria interested in pursuing a Bachelor's degree abroad. My goal is to pursue a Bachelor's or Master's degree that can help me break into the industry of UX/UI Design, Product Design, Graphic Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or Interaction Design.

After doing some research, it seems that TESU's BA in Computer Science or BA in Communication are good options, with BA in Psychology being a close second. However, I have seen on LinkedIn that two people working in UX/UI design hold a Bachelor's degree in Communication from TESU, but hiring managers often require a BA or BS in Computer Science.
Example:

Your Location: Jijel Algeria
Your Age: 29 years old 
What kind of degree do you want?: UX/UI Design, Product Design, Graphic Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Interaction Design, Computer Science, or Psycology.
Current Regional Accredited Credits: currently I have non I have an education in Algeria in Business Administration.

Google University Total Credits: 10

Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: Nothing yet



Any certifications or military experience? Non

I have a few questions about TESU:

• How difficult is it to pursue a BACS degree for someone without prior knowledge in CS?
  
  
• Is it possible to pursue a double major degree, for example, in Computer Science and Psychology or Computer Science and Communication?
  
  
• Are there any limitations or restrictions for international students compared to US students?
  
• Is TESU the right choice or there are other good options for my career path
  

Thank you guys this forum is a gem

[rachel83az]

• How difficult is it to pursue a BACS degree for someone without prior knowledge in CS?
  

CS Bachelor's degrees are usually aimed at students who don't have a lot of prior knowledge. That said, I would also supplement your learning with OSSU: https://github.com/ossu/computer-science OSSU won't give you the "papers" to prove that you know Comp Sci, in the same way that a degree will, but it will help give you the skills needed to pass technical interviews. IMO, you need both OSSU and a degree.

Almost all Comp Sci degrees will give you foundational knowledge, but not necessarily the skill needed for technical interviews. This isn't a weakness with TESU or with the other schools, it's simply how the university system works. This is why you need to put in additional study outside of classes.

Condensed version: most students find a couple of Computer Science subjects difficult, but completely doable, even if they have little to no background knowledge.

• Is it possible to pursue a double major degree, for example, in Computer Science and Psychology or Computer Science and Communication?
  

At TESU specifically, yes. At other universities, usually not. However, Communication is not a degree that you can get affordably at TESU. Possible degrees and degree plans can be found here: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...ts_Roadmap

For TESU, we often recommend a BSBA CIS + BA Computer Science. It's a good combination that will serve many students well. It's also only slightly more work than a pure Comp Sci degree because there is a lot of overlap between the two degrees.

Computer Science and Psychology have much less overlap, so it will be more work. However, it's not necessarily that much more work. It does require planning ahead of time. If you're set on Psychology, I would strongly suggest the BSBA CIS + BA Computer Science and BA Psychology. This would give you three degrees, but TESU itself only classifies them as two degrees when they are completed simultaneously.

• Are there any limitations or restrictions for international students compared to US students?
  

With few exceptions, international students cannot utilize CLEP or DSST exams to get credit. Fortunately, there are many other options for credit. So, no, you won't be hampered very much if you get a TESU degree.

• Is TESU the right choice or there are other good options for my career path
  

Thank you guys this forum is a gem

TESU is currently the cheapest and easiest way for an international student to get a "regionally accredited" degree in Computer Science.

WGU is only for students in the US and parts of Canada.
University of the People is cheaper, but it's "nationally accredited" and this has limited utility in foreign countries.
SNHU is a good option for some students, but they cost significantly more and take longer than TESU does. I don't believe they allow you to pursue a double degree, either.

[bjcheung77]

@Aimed, Exactly what Rachel83az said... Welcome to the board. That's a very good first post and summary but it's missing most of the required info for anyone here to help you further, you really need to provide us more details by following the template and last post addendum here: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Area-works

You've provided a great introduction and questions/follow up along with concerns, but it's still missing more important information such as your budget, commitments, study habits, previous credits for possible transfer, etc. For the Masters program, are you looking at online degrees in those areas or are you planning for a two/three years at a local institution?

If you haven't already reviewed some threads/posts of how others have done things, I suggest taking some time to review posts and the WIKI for details on plans and how others have gone on from Excelsior, TESU, UMPI, WGU etc, onto graduate school. I believe you're looking for the most economical yet effective/efficient way to get from the Bachelors to the Masters.

With the limited information you provided, my usual suggestion is to work on three things, Certs, Degree, Experience, just like an MBA, you don't need a BSBA to break into that Masters, you just need the prerequisites done. Example: You can do the Coursera/Google Plus certs, UMPI BLS with a couple of minors, get some experience and complete a Masters Applied Computer Science/IT.

[davewill]

I'd recommend taking the first few CS courses in the CS Roadmap and see how you like them. The cost is not a lot, and you will be able to either gain confidence in the path, or find out you REALLY don't want to do CS. Those courses can be used no matter what degree path you finally choose.

Another requirement for CS is Calculus 1, so you need to be ready to take few math courses, especially if your algebra isn't strong.

[Aimed]

I'd recommend taking the first few CS courses in the CS Roadmap and see how you like them. The cost is not a lot, and you will be able to either gain confidence in the path, or find out you REALLY don't want to do CS. Those courses can be used no matter what degree path you finally choose.

Another requirement for CS is Calculus 1, so you need to be ready to take few math courses, especially if your algebra isn't strong.

I think that's an excellent idea! I plan to enroll in a few CS courses and also explore Calculus 1 to assess whether they are a good fit for me and whether I am capable of understanding and performing well on the exams.

---

@Aimed, Exactly what Rachel83az said... Welcome to the board. That's a very good first post and summary but it's missing most of the required info for anyone here to help you further, you really need to provide us more details by following the template and last post addendum here: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Area-works

You've provided a great introduction and questions/follow up along with concerns, but it's still missing more important information such as your budget, commitments, study habits, previous credits for possible transfer, etc.  For the Masters program, are you looking at online degrees in those areas or are you planning for a two/three years at a local institution?

If you haven't already reviewed some threads/posts of how others have done things, I suggest taking some time to review posts and the WIKI for details on plans and how others have gone on from Excelsior, TESU, UMPI, WGU etc, onto graduate school. I believe you're looking for the most economical yet effective/efficient way to get from the Bachelors to the Masters.

With the limited information you provided, my usual suggestion is to work on three things, Certs, Degree, Experience, just like an MBA, you don't need a BSBA to break into that Masters, you just need the prerequisites done.  Example: You can do the Coursera/Google Plus certs, UMPI BLS with a couple of minors, get some experience and complete a Masters Applied Computer Science/IT.

Thank you, I'm thrilled about this opportunity and have made the necessary updates to the post.