Quickest route to a Bachelor's Degree?

[skyfall123]

I'm leaning towards attempting a BA in Natural Sciences/Mathematics with a concentration in math.

Personally I think it is really smart move since it is a substantial degree, yet doable with some effort.

just curious..is it possible to do any kind of a double BA? ex. BA in NS/M AND Foreign Language?

Yes within the BA program you can have two Areas of Study. I think you can have 9 credits overlap in the 33 credit Area of Study and they can't be too similar...i.e. BA Nat Science/Math and BA Mathematics BAD...but BA Nat Science/Math and BA Foreign Language GOOD

There are a few people currently doing the BA Nat Science/Math that will give you some good suggestions

[alleycat]

Geezer how do the two area of study work.

[Yenisei]

nonkoo- as far as I can tell, you do not have any UL credits in science & math, but could earn 3 UL credits from the MIS DSST and the ECE Pathophysiology exams.

If you are interested in more math courses, look at Straighterline for Calculus II, and if you want rigorous courses, consider BYU and/or LSU for Calc III, Diff Eq, Linear Algebra and Probability/Statistics. If you want to test out of some math courses, Ohio U has some possibilities. Other than Calculus II, all of the aforementioned courses should transfer as UL, and you will need more Nat Sci courses for Gen Ed, but those and any other Gen Ed or elective credit can be tested out of.

The best thing to do would be to apply to TESC and get an evaluation, and then post the results in this thread. You'll get more accurate advice if we know what you will have credit for from TESC and will need.

Foreign Language might be a difficult Area of Study to do. It's not clear to me from the TESC website or catalog whether all or most of your credits in that Area of Study have to be in a single foreign language, or if you can have two. It may be difficult to find the UL credits you need.

[skyfall123]

Geezer how do the two area of study work.

Page 179 here http://www.tesc.edu/files/Catalog2011.12.pdf

[burbuja0512]

great info, Thanks Geezer.
I guess everything will be a little easier to comprehend once I settle on a specific degree and apply so I can see what else I have left to take.

I'm leaning towards attempting a BA in Natural Sciences/Mathematics with a concentration in math.

just curious..is it possible to do any kind of a double BA? ex. BA in NS/M AND Foreign Language?

Hi and welcome First of all, let me add my two cents in saying that with the number of credits you have now, it's very possible to finish quickly. Look at my signature for my tests and how long it took me. You're much closer to a degree than I was when I started.

I can't really speak to the TESC BA and I don't know anything about teaching certificates, but I did look into a foreign language option at COSC and found it to be impossible to test out of. Even though I speak fluent Spanish and have excellent Spanish grammar, it's not enough just to speak the language. You have to take a bunch of other types of classes to learn about the literature and culture. My advisor did show me some online options, which I think were with Ohio State (but I really can't remember), so let me know if you want me to dig those up. I just wasn't interested in taking that long to graduate and to be honest, a Spanish degree really wouldn't help my career.

I do have a couple of other comments as well... First of all, if you've never done self-paced learning, it's not quite as easy as it sounds. No you don't have to do assignments, but it can be tough to sit there knowing that you have to learn a topic but have no particular schedule or assignment due dates. Of course I'm going to recommend Instant Cert and everyone here has used a million other study guides in addition to or instead of IC and they'll be happy to help out. However, the trick IMHO isn't which study guide you use (although YES you do need excellent study materials!), it's setting a plan and sticking to it. This usually means slightly different things to different people, but to me it meant setting dates and sticking to them. Once you put together a solid degree plan, together with your TESC evaluation and possibly help from the forum, put everything into a spreadsheet and stay organized. We see so many people with the best of intentions start off wanting to test out because it sounds so simple, but then fade away due to other commitments in their life. It's hard work + self-discipline and you'll get it done in no time!! Trust me, if I can do it in 9 months with a full time job, frequent travel, and five kids and a loving husband, ANYONE can do it!!

Also, one other question: What was the reason that you're moving away from pharmacy and towards teaching? Both can be fulfilling and rewarding careers, but there is a significant income difference. Are you really prepared to make the sacrifice in annual salary to dedicate yourself to your dreams? I know that it may sound really callous to ask that question, but it's something to consider. The good thing about CLEP/DSST is that it can REALLY help you to get the best return on your college investment. If you're positive that you want to be a teacher, it's much better to do the undergraduate part of it for a few thousand than for tens of thousands. Sorry... I know this was NOT what you wanted to hear, but I did want to bring it up. You definitely don't have to respond if you don't want to, but make sure you do think about it.

[gone_anon]

@burbuja,
I was just curious about the possibility of actually doing a double BA, from the sound of it the language focuses might take longer to complete if I decide to do that, the reason why I was curious toward a foreign language is because I figured it would come in handy as a teacher not only for a diverse school but also because I am also interested in becoming an English as a Second Language teacher..or I could teach English in a country that spoke that foreign language. (not that I would need a degree in a language at a normal school but in the case of teaching abroad..it would help ...) No need to dig up anything about Foreign language for me atm, I might ask again when i understand a little more from the catalog Geezer posted about double BA..

I decided to switch from Pre-Pharmacy to Education because I don't think it was ever my dream to be a pharmacist or anything of the medical sort (I honestly entered college without a career goal and randomly picked a medical related profession that would bring in the bucks). I was also volunteering at a community youth center at the time and loved working with tutoring kids. From then on I knew I wanted to become a teacher and help bring up as many youth as possible (sounds cliche but yea..eheh)

Thank you for taking your time to discuss the seriousness of this educational path, I think I will do OK when the education is a little more affordable, I will have no trouble putting in the work and effort

When I first came onto this forum yesterday..It was actually your original post for wanting a degree asap as well as your progress in your sig that inspired me to take this leap.

It might be awhile until I sort everything out..so until then Everyone take care, I'll be back with more questions the next time

[burbuja0512]

@burbuja,
I was just curious about the possibility of actually doing a double BA, from the sound of it the language focuses might take longer to complete if I decide to do that, the reason why I was curious toward a foreign language is because I figured it would come in handy as a teacher not only for a diverse school but also because I am also interested in becoming an English as a Second Language teacher..or I could teach English in a country that spoke that foreign language. (not that I would need a degree in a language at a normal school but in the case of teaching abroad..it would help ...) No need to dig up anything about Foreign language for me atm, I might ask again when i understand a little more from the catalog Geezer posted about double BA..

I decided to switch from Pre-Pharmacy to Education because I don't think it was ever my dream to be a pharmacist or anything of the medical sort (I honestly entered college without a career goal and randomly picked a medical related profession that would bring in the bucks). I was also volunteering at a community youth center at the time and loved working with tutoring kids. From then on I knew I wanted to become a teacher and help bring up as many youth as possible (sounds cliche but yea..eheh)

Thank you for taking your time to discuss the seriousness of this educational path, I think I will do OK when the education is a little more affordable, I will have no trouble putting in the work and effort

When I first came onto this forum yesterday..It was actually your original post for wanting a degree asap as well as your progress in your sig that inspired me to take this leap.

It might be awhile until I sort everything out..so until then Everyone take care, I'll be back with more questions the next time

AWWWW you are too sweet

Teaching English in another country is really cool... lots of fun. I dropped out of college and moved to Guadalajara when I was 20. At first I didn't feel qualified to teach, after all, I didn't have a degree. However, when I saw how poorly some of the English teachers there actually spoke English, I figured that even if I wasn't academically qualified, at least I could speak the language.

I have also looked all over the web about other country requirements and from what I can tell, you can get a job teaching English almost anywhere in the world with a bachelor's degree in any subject. If you want to work at a higher level, let's say a university rather than a private school, then you would probably need the English degree. However, in some places, the pay is the same if not better in a private academy.

If pharmacy is not your dream, then it's really good you've figured it out before spending time and TONS of money in pharmacy school. I don't know where you're at, but there are two pharmacy schools here in Colorado and last I checked, they were at least 17k per semester. :eek:

Once you're relatively certain that you want to test out of classes, you don't have to wait until you have a formal degree plan ready to go. If you want, you can choose a CLEP or DSST that won't duplicate the credits you've got and give it a shot!

[Lindagerr]

I mostly agree with everything above, but I still think you should look into what it would take to get your teaching credential in your state.

I have also found my passion for teaching, but it is a long hard road in NJ. I have also looked into teaching in VT, CO, NC, SC, NY and I don't know how many other states all of them have varying requirements including needed testing so it might help you to know what to expect in the future and if you can kill 2 birds with one stone(or test).

I also suggest you look into Western Governors University, it is an all online accredited college with teaching degrees. It still requires student teaching, but only about 15 weeks, you might be able to accomplish that and your remaining credits in a short time and have the degree you really want.

[marianne202]

Welcome! I know Excelsior will allow you to have two majors on your bachelor's degree and I'm sure TESC will too, but you have to be careful to find something that will maximize the credits you already have. I completed a BSLS with a focus in psycology very quickly and easily at Excelsior via transfer credits from CC and testing out. You have a lot of the classes that would be needed, so you may want to look at their program as well. Good luck!

[gone_anon]

I mostly agree with everything above, but I still think you should look into what it would take to get your teaching credential in your state.

I have also found my passion for teaching, but it is a long hard road in NJ. I have also looked into teaching in VT, CO, NC, SC, NY and I don't know how many other states all of them have varying requirements including needed testing so it might help you to know what to expect in the future and if you can kill 2 birds with one stone(or test).

I also suggest you look into Western Governors University, it is an all online accredited college with teaching degrees. It still requires student teaching, but only about 15 weeks, you might be able to accomplish that and your remaining credits in a short time and have the degree you really want.

I looked at the graduate programs in the teacher's college at my current university and it seems they just started offering 3 brand new masters programs in which someone with a bachelor's degree can work towards a Masters of Arts in Elementary Teaching (MAet), Masters of Arts in Science Teaching, 7-12 (MAst), and a Masters of Arts in Math Teaching, 7-12 (MAmt). These programs offer students with bachelor's degrees outside of education (given they had a concentration in undergraduate studies relating to their desired MA) to get an MA AND Teacher's Certification upon graduation. the programs are 14 months long, full time.

I was super excited when I saw these and I hope they stay around long enough :/ since it seems they are only offering it to pump up the numbers of educators..probably because the economy is dying and nobody in their right mind would want to teach

At least now I can have hope, in the mean time I will try to get things in order to finish my bachelor's degree @ TESC in Natural Science/Mathematics ..depending on how eager or pressed I am to pursue the Masters programs I might add a Concentration in Math or Biology (It will definitely help if my goal ended up being 7-12 science/math teaching.)

Once I apply/get Eval and everything I will come back to seek assistance in the best tactics on which tests to take in order patch any holes in my requirements.

Until then, Thanks everyone for helping so far!