Need help deciding between TESU and WGU

[nmckenz1]

Hello, long time reader first time poster. I took the plunge and applied to both TESU and WGU. I am currently working as a software engineer for the last four years and am looking to get a bachelors degree in computer science to tick off a box. I am also considering transferring my undergrad to a masters program in either data science or computer science. I am torn between the BA of CS at TESU and the BS of CS at WGU. I have 25 credits that TESU will accept from community college, and I imagine WGU would take a similar amount of credits as well. I have taken around 8-9 Sophia courses as well. I have a couple questions that I am hoping you guys could help me with.

1. Which path would be faster, TESU or WGU for a CS degree.
2. Which path would be most likely to transfer to a masters program at a brick and mortar with some prestige. 
3. Is it possible to get a BA in CS and a BS in Data Science and Analytics at the same time from TESU.
4. Is it worth it for me to get my transcripts evaluated at both schools? I have only done TESU so far for the 25 CC credits not yet for the Sophia classes.

Looking to finish quickly as possible. Cost is not a factor.

What I have finished at Sophia:
Ancient Greek Philosophers
College Algebra
US Government
Introduction to Ethics
Human Biology
Environmental Science
US History I
The Essentials of Managing Conflict (Not sure this will go anywhere)

What I have satisfied by transfer from CC:
Written Communication I (3 credits): The first writing requirement is complete.
Diversity/Intercultural Literacy (3 credits): This civic/global leadership requirement is satisfied.
Social Sciences (3 credits): One of the social sciences courses required under Knowledge of Human Cultures is complete.
Humanities (3 credits): You have a humanities course fulfilled.
Social Sciences/History/Humanities Elective (3 of 6 credits completed): Half of this combined 6‑credit requirement is already covered.
Additional General Education Electives (6 credits): Two general‑education elective slots have been filled.
Area‑of‑Study Electives (4 credits): You have 4 credits applied toward the Computer Science area‑of‑study electives.
Free Electives (6 credits): An additional 6 credits count as free electives.

Thanks!

[bjcheung77]

Welcome to the board, great initial post to get the ball rolling, but you missed the most important part, the addendum and template is missing! All those bits of pieces of info will help those assisting you, you don't need long answers, but with that data, we can answer your questions better. Link: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Area-works

1. Which path would be faster, TESU or WGU for a CS degree.
Tada, what I mentioned above! The addendum and template isn't filled in, with your budget, commitments, classes taken, etc.

2. Which path would be most likely to transfer to a masters program at a brick and mortar with some prestige.
They're the same, it's not coming from an Ivy League institution.

3. Is it possible to get a BA in CS and a BS in Data Science and Analytics at the same time from TESU.
Yes, with resourceful planning and taking the max transfer of credits, you can do both (and two associates as well)

4. Is it worth it for me to get my transcripts evaluated at both schools? I have only done TESU so far for the 25 CC credits not yet for the Sophia classes.
You will need to send in transcripts for them to evaluate and see where you stand.

[nmckenz1]

Hey thanks for the reply. Here's the addendum and template info.
Your Location: Mississippi, USA
Your Age: 35
What kind of degree do you want?: Bachelors in Computer Science or Data Science, preferably both
Current Regional Accredited Credits: 25
Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits:
Any certifications or military experience?:
Budget: 30k
Commitments: I work full time
Dedicated time to study: 6+ hours a day
Timeline: Looking for ASAP
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: I have 4-5k reimbursement / yr available from work

What I have finished at Sophia 24-25 credits:
Introduction to Statistics 3, A
Ancient Greek Philosophers 3, A
College Algebra 3, A
US Government 3, A
Introduction to Ethics 3, A
Human Biology 3, A
Environmental Science 3, A
US History I 3, A
The Essentials of Managing Conflict (Not sure this will go anywhere) 1?, A

Here's a link to my degree progress from TESU without applying the Sophia courses https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DpSgM5b...sp=sharing

[bjcheung77]

With the tuition assistance/reimbursement, you're getting the degree for very close to nothing. The only fees you need are the subscription to Study.com College Starter and then the upgrade to College Saver. I would suggest doing the TESU double degree as you only need the capstone class at TESU, the rest can come into TESU using Coursera, EdX, Study.com and TECEPs for RA. Do the double degree undergrad at TESU, then with the same tuition assistance, do the Masters at WGU instead, two Masters if you wanted, one each year....

[nmckenz1]

OK, thanks again for the reply. Once I finish the Sophia courses I'll make sure to use your Study.com referral.

Is there some info on doing a double degree for a BA in Computer Science and a BS in Data Science and Analytics at TESU?

Would I need to use TECEPs for RA if I have the 25 credits transferring from community college?

Edit:
I have been diving into some more information about the BS in Data Science and Analytics at TESU, seems like there is a third party that provides some of the courses which I don't like the sounds of. I think I would go with this double degree plan here:
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan
with a BACS and then a BSBA Finance Concentration as laid out in the above.

[LevelUP]

OK, thanks again for the reply. Once I finish the Sophia courses I'll make sure to use your Study.com referral.

Is there some info on doing a double degree for a BA in Computer Science and a BS in Data Science and Analytics at TESU?

Would I need to use TECEPs for RA if I have the 25 credits transferring from community college?

Edit:
I have been diving into some more information about the BS in Data Science and Analytics at TESU, seems like there is a third party that provides some of the courses which I don't like the sounds of. I think I would go with this double degree plan here:
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan
with a BACS and then a BSBA Finance Concentration as laid out in the above.

You can do a double degree in Computer Science and Data Science, but I wouldn’t advise it. Since this is more of a check-the-box degree for you with your software engineering experience, the extra time and effort likely aren’t worth it. You would need to take several Statistics.com courses, and I haven’t heard particularly good things about them, though they may be fine. It would probably be a better idea to get Data Science certificates from Coursera instead.

I wrote the double degree plan for the BACS and BSBA on the wiki, so feel free to ask if you have any questions.

If you already have 25 RA credits, then you would only need the cornerstone and capstone to meet the 30 RA credit requirement.

[nmckenz1]

OK, thanks again for the reply. Once I finish the Sophia courses I'll make sure to use your Study.com referral.

Is there some info on doing a double degree for a BA in Computer Science and a BS in Data Science and Analytics at TESU?

Would I need to use TECEPs for RA if I have the 25 credits transferring from community college?

Edit:
I have been diving into some more information about the BS in Data Science and Analytics at TESU, seems like there is a third party that provides some of the courses which I don't like the sounds of. I think I would go with this double degree plan here:
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan
with a BACS and then a BSBA Finance Concentration as laid out in the above.

You can do a double degree in Computer Science and Data Science, but I wouldn’t advise it. Since this is more of a check-the-box degree for you with your software engineering experience, the extra time and effort likely aren’t worth it. You would need to take several Statistics.com courses, and I haven’t heard particularly good things about them, though they may be fine. It would probably be a better idea to get Data Science certificates from Coursera instead.

I wrote the double degree plan for the BACS and BSBA on the wiki, so feel free to ask if you have any questions.

If you already have 25 RA credits, then you would only need the cornerstone and capstone to meet the 30 RA credit requirement.

Thanks for the reply sir. I had figured that was the case after reading about those Statitics.com courses. I am thinking I will go the BACS and BSBA Finance Concentration route, I saw your plan on the wiki. Thanks for writing it and offering the help. I am currently blasting through the Sophia courses and will start the Study.com ones probably next week. If any questions come up I'll reach out to you.

I did have one question in the meantime. I am considering doing nearly all of the courses for both BACS and BSBA at study.com/sophia/coursera and just doing the cornerstone and the capstones at TESU like you had mentioned. 
Option 1 would be to pay the non-resident fee for taking less than 15 credits and just have those 3 classes in one term
Option 2 would be to add in a couple of easy supplemental courses at TESU to get to the 15 credits (I would be at 9 already) this would remove the non-resident fee and pad my transcript at TESU
Any thoughts on those two options or is it just dealer's choice?

[LevelUP]

OK, thanks again for the reply. Once I finish the Sophia courses I'll make sure to use your Study.com referral.

Is there some info on doing a double degree for a BA in Computer Science and a BS in Data Science and Analytics at TESU?

Would I need to use TECEPs for RA if I have the 25 credits transferring from community college?

Edit:
I have been diving into some more information about the BS in Data Science and Analytics at TESU, seems like there is a third party that provides some of the courses which I don't like the sounds of. I think I would go with this double degree plan here:
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan
with a BACS and then a BSBA Finance Concentration as laid out in the above.

You can do a double degree in Computer Science and Data Science, but I wouldn’t advise it. Since this is more of a check-the-box degree for you with your software engineering experience, the extra time and effort likely aren’t worth it. You would need to take several Statistics.com courses, and I haven’t heard particularly good things about them, though they may be fine. It would probably be a better idea to get Data Science certificates from Coursera instead.

I wrote the double degree plan for the BACS and BSBA on the wiki, so feel free to ask if you have any questions.

If you already have 25 RA credits, then you would only need the cornerstone and capstone to meet the 30 RA credit requirement.

Thanks for the reply sir. I had figured that was the case after reading about those Statitics.com courses. I am thinking I will go the BACS and BSBA Finance Concentration route, I saw your plan on the wiki. Thanks for writing it and offering the help. I am currently blasting through the Sophia courses and will start the Study.com ones probably next week. If any questions come up I'll reach out to you.

I did have one question in the meantime. I am considering doing nearly all of the courses for both BACS and BSBA at study.com/sophia/coursera and just doing the cornerstone and the capstones at TESU like you had mentioned. 
Option 1 would be to pay the non-resident fee for taking less than 15 credits and just have those 3 classes in one term
Option 2 would be to add in a couple of easy supplemental courses at TESU to get to the 15 credits (I would be at 9 already) this would remove the non-resident fee and pad my transcript at TESU
Any thoughts on those two options or is it just dealer's choice?

Usually, for those 2 degrees you would do:
1. Business Capstone
2. Liberal Arts Capstone (for CS majors)
3. Cornerstone
4. Software Engineering (for UL credit)
5. Networking or AI (for UL credit)

That's a full course load for a flat-rate term.