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I'm back. So much has changed!
#1
I graduated with my AA/BA Liberal Studies from TESC somewhere around 2013...used CLEP and DSST heavily. I've forgotten many details. Went on to nursing school, got my BS Nursing, have been an RN for nearly 3 years.

I'm back for the little sister! She wants to get an AA in something general, something she can test out of as much as possible. Is that still a thing now? I'm overwhelmed by all the changes. She is over 18 unlike myself at that time, so the age thing won't be an issue. Where do I start? I can't figure out the resource threads. I'm so lost. ? i don't even know if i should be posting in a different section.
AA Liberal Studies, Thomas Edison State College-Dec. 2012
BA Liberal Studies, Thomas Edison State College-Sept. 2013
16 CLEPs, 6 DSSTs, 12 FEMAs, and a handful of B&M lab science courses
120/120 credits DONE :hurray:

“He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever.”
[-] The following 2 users Like Snickerdoodle's post:
  • cookderosa, Life Long Learning
#2
Doing an AA is sort of pointless from what I've gathered. The cost to get an entire BA is nearly the same, she'd just need to invest a bit more time.
There's a bunch of free credits available these days and you can get discounts and coupons for some providers.
1. Prep Phase: Hopeless, 15 credits, need a BA fast, never heard of TESU
2. TESU BALS: 121/120 (9 months)

3. RN Paramedic Bridge - Excelsior (9 months + CPNE wait)
4. WGU RN -> BSN
5. BSN -> MSN/FNP
#3
Yeah, she can do that at TESU, Excelsior, or COSC. It seems that Excelsior has a capstone for all associate degrees now. I don't know about COSC. TESU still has a few without capstone, I believe. The general AA and only a few others. I would recommend one without capstone so it's cheaper and quicker.

The general one has so much flexibility, so she can do all the free credits and then take a bunch of Straighterline/Study.com/Saylor and free CLEPs (via Modern States).

The AA would still require the $1800 residency waiver fee (which is expected to increase soon), so it is most of the cost of a general Bachelor's.

#4
It’s easier than ever because there are so many options now. You can do most of it from home with remote webcam proctoring instead of in person CLEP/DSST testing. There are some new quirks and pricing issues (such as all of the Big 3 now require expensive capstone/research projects taken online through their respective schools), but it is much more flexible.

Not only are course alternatives easier to find, but more specific degree programs are available. Little sis won’t have a problem following in your footsteps!
Northwestern California University School of Law
JD Law, 2027 (in progress, currently 2L)

Georgia Tech
MS Cybersecurity (Policy), 2021

Thomas Edison State University
BA Computer Science, 2023
BA Psychology, 2016
AS Business Administration, 2023
Certificate in Operations Management, 2023
Certificate in Computer Information Systems, 2023

Western Governors University
BS IT Security, 2018

Chaffey College
AA Sociology, 2015

Accumulated Credit: Undergrad: 258.50 | Graduate: 32

View all of my credit on my Omni Transcript!
Visit the DegreeForum Community Wiki!
#5
COSC's AA is by far the cheapest from the Big 3.

Here's a degree plan, using CLEP through ModernStates.org for many courses (as you complete each MS course, they will give you a voucher to take a free CLEP exam for that course, and once you're done, you can submit the receipt for the test center fees, and they'll send you a reimbursement check for that).  You may need additional study materials other than just MS though, as it's a test-prep rather than trying to learn the material from scratch.  Then, you'll need to take a course or two from SL/Study.com (Speech for sure, maybe something else).  Shmoop is $88/mo for unlimited courses.  Mixed reviews here, but it's worth at least taking a few courses if she can.


Attached Files
.xlsx   COSC AA.xlsx (Size: 53.24 KB / Downloads: 21)
TESU BSBA/HR 2018 - WVNCC BOG AAS 2017 - GGU Cert in Mgmt 2000
EXAMS: TECEP Tech Wrtg, Comp II, LA Math, PR, Computers  DSST Computers, Pers Fin  CLEP Mgmt, Mktg
COURSES: TESU Capstone  Study.com Pers Fin, Microecon, Stats  Ed4Credit Acct 2  PF Fin Mgmt  ALEKS Int & Coll Alg  Sophia Proj Mgmt The Institutes - Ins Ethics  Kaplan PLA
#6
Does she have any college credit? The Pierpont BOG AAS is the cheapest route, but requires at least 12 RA credits. If she doesn't mind doing some community college it might still be the best route, even if she doesn't have any existing credits.
NanoDegree: Intro to Self-Driving Cars (2019)
Coursera: Stanford Machine Learning (2019)
TESU: BA in Comp Sci (2016)
TECEP:Env Ethics (2015); TESU PLA:Software Eng, Computer Arch, C++, Advanced C++, Data Struct (2015); TESU Courses:Capstone, Database Mngmnt Sys, Op Sys, Artificial Intel, Discrete Math, Intro to Portfolio Dev, Intro PLA (2014-16); DSST:Anthro, Pers Fin, Astronomy (2014); CLEP:Intro to Soc (2014); Saylor.org:Intro to Computers (2014); CC: 69 units (1980-88)

PLA Tips Thread - TESU: What is in a Portfolio?
#7
She does not have any college credit at this time and is basically only interested in testing out. She probably doesn't want to do a capstone. I am hoping that we can first shoot for an AA and perhaps she could be convinced to finish out a BA if she chooses down the line. Are there degree plans for the AA gen ed at TESU? Thanks for all the help!
AA Liberal Studies, Thomas Edison State College-Dec. 2012
BA Liberal Studies, Thomas Edison State College-Sept. 2013
16 CLEPs, 6 DSSTs, 12 FEMAs, and a handful of B&M lab science courses
120/120 credits DONE :hurray:

“He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever.”
#8
The TESU AA is more expensive than the COSC AA, but here is a plan.

Just know that the Residency Waiver is going to be going up on 7/1, although by how much we don't know. It's currently $2,500, but discounted to $1800 with Study.com affiliate membership. BUT, that will be expiring on 6/30, and then not only will the regular price probably go up (I'm guessing to $3,000), but the discounted amount will go down (I'm guessing to $2,700). The grad fee will also go up a little. So add another $1000 to the cost of the degree after 6/30.

You can use many of the same courses as from the COSC plan, so if she opts to use MS/CLEP, then those will all be free. The only course she'd actually have to pay for is Speech (DSST). So you can deduct $1800 from the cost of the degree.

I'm guessing $3500 or so for TESU. $2100 for COSC.

BTW - COSC's cornerstone is NOT the capstone course - that's for the BA/BS. So it's not going to be nearly as difficult.
TESU BSBA/HR 2018 - WVNCC BOG AAS 2017 - GGU Cert in Mgmt 2000
EXAMS: TECEP Tech Wrtg, Comp II, LA Math, PR, Computers  DSST Computers, Pers Fin  CLEP Mgmt, Mktg
COURSES: TESU Capstone  Study.com Pers Fin, Microecon, Stats  Ed4Credit Acct 2  PF Fin Mgmt  ALEKS Int & Coll Alg  Sophia Proj Mgmt The Institutes - Ins Ethics  Kaplan PLA
#9
Thanks everyone! I don't recall doing a capstone for my degrees. Which school's capstone is the easiest?
AA Liberal Studies, Thomas Edison State College-Dec. 2012
BA Liberal Studies, Thomas Edison State College-Sept. 2013
16 CLEPs, 6 DSSTs, 12 FEMAs, and a handful of B&M lab science courses
120/120 credits DONE :hurray:

“He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever.”
#10
TESU is expensive for an Associates Degree due to the residency wavier cost; however for the increase they do offer a few options other than just a general degree (COSC only has the General at the Associates level).  None of these require a Capstone, can be tested out and the business associates easily could be transitioned later into a BSBA.

I don't know what your sister is looking to do for work, but if she is looking for an office job an Associate in Science in Business Administration will look better than any general studies degree. The same would apply if she was looking to work in a technical field, something such as an entry level support job could be gained with an ASNSM in Computer Science. Does she have interest in working in the medical field - even medical billing or record keeping (a booming e-industry) an ASNSM in Biology would show a sincere interest and indicate she has some much needed terminology knowledge. These other options would put her ahead of the other General Ed CC graduates in these areas - and these are just a few examples. If she is going to spend the money anyway, get the most bang for the buck long term.

Associate in Arts (This is the General Associates)
Associate in Science in Business Administration
ASNSM in Mathematics
ASNSM in Computer Science
ASNSM in Biology (possible test out)

Information on the TESU site: https://www.tesu.edu/academics/online-degrees
Amberton University
- MS Human Relations and Business - 2022
Thomas Edison State University (TESU)
- BSBA General Management - 2018
- ASNSM Computer Science -2018



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