Need a degree in 1 year. A bit confused on how to proceed.

[D93063]

I've been searching on the internet and I think I have it narrowed down to Thomas Edison or WGU. I noticed that most degree holders use services like Straighterline, ALEKS, CLEP, etc. Then I've read something about signing up for ACE to transfer credits.

I work from home and have a fair amount of spare time to spend on the degree. It sounds like the Straighterline courses transfer directly into Thomas Edison and WGU. What I'm not sure about is, do I take a bunch of Straighterline courses before enrolling? Are there other ways to get credits concurrent with Straighterline? Is a year doable?

Any info to help me understand how this works would be greatly appreciated.

[andrewtn]

I've been searching on the internet and I think I have it narrowed down to Thomas Edison or WGU. I noticed that most degree holders use services like Straighterline, ALEKS, CLEP, etc. Then I've read something about signing up for ACE to transfer credits.

I work from home and have a fair amount of spare time to spend on the degree. It sounds like the Straighterline courses transfer directly into Thomas Edison and WGU. What I'm not sure about is, do I take a bunch of Straighterline courses before enrolling? Are there other ways to get credits concurrent with Straighterline? Is a year doable?

Any info to help me understand how this works would be greatly appreciated.

1 year is doable is you are serious. Do you have any specific goals related to this degree? What type of degree are you seeking and is there any reason why 1 year is particularly important? Do you have any college credit earned so far? If so, it would be good to post what you've done to date. There are a lot of options so I think it would be good to get a better understanding of your goals to give you the best direction.

If you want a real fully accredited degree, are okay with online education, and are looking for the fastest path of least resistance you will find no better source than this site.

[D93063]

Thanks for the reply.

I have no prior college. I went High School, to the Military, to the workforce.

The company I work for is in the middle of an MA that will take approximately one year. Im pretty sure my position will be eliminated. As I start my search for a new job I want to have a degree on my resume. If my position is not eliminated, the company we are merging with keeps my department, not having a degree will be troublesome. It's one of those big company requirements regardless of performance.

I would like to achieve a General Business / Business Administration degree. I figure with my background this would be the easiest path. Also it doesn't have to be an American University. A EU based university would be fine as well.

[sanantone]

Sanantone's BSBA General Management - Degree Forum Wiki

The general education requirements at TESC will change on July 1st. Refer to the links below to get an idea of which tests you can use. Most people have gotten an email saying that if they apply before July 1st, they won't have to follow the new requirements. I suggest you get it in writing too if you don't want to wait or the changes because one person was told over the phone that you have to enroll before July 1st in order to lock in the current requirements.

Thomas Edison State College: General Education Electives
General Education Courses
DANTES
CLEP - College-Level Exam Program
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EquivalencySearchResults

[sanantone]

duplicate post

[mrs.b]

I noticed that most degree holders use services like Straighterline, ALEKS, CLEP, etc. Then I've read something about signing up for ACE to transfer credits.

Hello, and welcome! You can do this without an issue. The "how to" can be a bit of a learning curve, but a good place to start is the wiki: Degree Forum Wiki That was put together by a bunch of helpful members of the forum to answer a lot of the general getting-started FAQs.

As for your specific question quoted above, there are a couple ways to earn credit, some of which are traditional, others are legit and approved but not widely known so not often used as much as they should. You'll see different acronyms in advice you'll receive as you put together your degree plan, so to spare some confusion, about halfway down the main wiki page, see Sources of Credit. CLEP, DSST, ECE, and TECEP are forms of CBE (credit-by-exam) and can transfer to any of the Big 3 without a need to use an ACE transcript.

ACE is the American Council on Education, and they offer a service whereby certain professional, semi-academic, or non-accredited academic groups can give college credit for training that otherwise does not meet full college-level accreditation standards. In other words, a school or educational format (like Penn Foster or ALEKS or Straighterline) may not meet college regional accreditation standards in full for their whole organization, but certain courses they offer do qualify, so they'll get those specific courses approved by ACE. If you use one of those formats, you take the course through its original source, then have ACE confirm your completion of their approved course; they place the reference on a transcript generated by ACE and the schools accept the credit based on ACE's recommendation.

Start by going through that Wiki, though, to get a basis for how many of us follow the accelerated accredited degree path. Also, you mentioned you're former military. First, thank you for your service! Second, do you have any aid coming your way from that? Your method of degree completion may differ slightly, as will your costs, and advice would need to be tailored for that.

[D93063]

Can I enroll in Thomas Edison but not enroll in any classes? I would like to focus my attention on alternate credit options first.

[sanantone]

Can I enroll in Thomas Edison but not enroll in any classes? I would like to focus my attention on alternate credit options first.

Yes, you can; but your enrollment is only good for one year before you have to pay again. If you're using military tuition assistance, however, I believe you have to take a certain number of credits at TESC. I think it's 18.

[D93063]

Do ALEKS courses automatically transfer to Thomas Edison? Do I need to get them ACE certified on my own?

[marianne202]

Welcome! Depending on what military MOS and education you have Excelsior may give you credit for that training. I know they are very military friendly and convert a lot of military training into college credits. It might be worth looking into if it gives you a head start in accumulating credits and reaching your goal faster. Although it would depend on the type of degree you are seeking as well as to whether those credits will fit. Good luck!