TESU: MS Data Science and Analytics

[sanantone]

The 2 degrees look similar at TESU and WGU.  I would guess that the main difference between this and the WGU degree is time - WGU MAY be completed in 6 months, depending on how quickly you can get through a lot of it.  The TESU/Statistics.com degree will be dependent upon the course calendar at Statistics.com, and will probably take a lot longer than 6 months.  If you can't get into the August 2019 capstone because you don't know R or Python well enough to program using them, then you have to do the Feb 2020 capstone.  So the soonest you could graduate would be either 9/20/19 or 3/27/2020.  I'm guessing you could graduate from WGU by either 5/2019 or 11/2019.

With TESU/Statistics.com, you have to choose R or Python, and then take that route the whole time - and then your electives will have to be based on the path you choose (some courses are based on R, some on Python).  That can change the calendar as well, although the capstone is the same timeframe for both.

The one upside of going through TESU: paying for a single course at a time might be a better option for some people ($549ish per course at Statistics.com vs. $3,835 in 1 fell swoop at WGU).

It's also a matter of cost:
TESU 12 courses ~ $6,600 (not sure if you have to pay the residency waiver, it doesn't list it on the Graduate tuition page)
WGU 10 courses ~ $3,835 for 1 term, $7,670 for 2 terms

For someone like the OP who has already done the BS program through Statistics.com/TESU, it may be really comfortable to continue on and get the MS.  And if you already have 4 courses completed, that's an added bonus, and a big price reduction (now only about $4,400).

I think I'd take a closer look at WGU's program to see if you could get by with XLMiner instead of R/Python.  If you can, then with your degree in Data Analytics and Math, it might be a lot faster/easier/cheaper to get through WGU than TESU.

Is there a link that says that this program will only cost $6,600? The Statistics.com FAQ says that TESU will only take a max of 9 transfer credits from ACE. I'm pretty sure TESU has planned to make some money off of this.

[dfrecore]

The 2 degrees look similar at TESU and WGU.  I would guess that the main difference between this and the WGU degree is time - WGU MAY be completed in 6 months, depending on how quickly you can get through a lot of it.  The TESU/Statistics.com degree will be dependent upon the course calendar at Statistics.com, and will probably take a lot longer than 6 months.  If you can't get into the August 2019 capstone because you don't know R or Python well enough to program using them, then you have to do the Feb 2020 capstone.  So the soonest you could graduate would be either 9/20/19 or 3/27/2020.  I'm guessing you could graduate from WGU by either 5/2019 or 11/2019.

With TESU/Statistics.com, you have to choose R or Python, and then take that route the whole time - and then your electives will have to be based on the path you choose (some courses are based on R, some on Python).  That can change the calendar as well, although the capstone is the same timeframe for both.

The one upside of going through TESU: paying for a single course at a time might be a better option for some people ($549ish per course at Statistics.com vs. $3,835 in 1 fell swoop at WGU).

It's also a matter of cost:
TESU 12 courses ~ $6,600 (not sure if you have to pay the residency waiver, it doesn't list it on the Graduate tuition page)
WGU 10 courses ~ $3,835 for 1 term, $7,670 for 2 terms

For someone like the OP who has already done the BS program through Statistics.com/TESU, it may be really comfortable to continue on and get the MS.  And if you already have 4 courses completed, that's an added bonus, and a big price reduction (now only about $4,400).

I think I'd take a closer look at WGU's program to see if you could get by with XLMiner instead of R/Python.  If you can, then with your degree in Data Analytics and Math, it might be a lot faster/easier/cheaper to get through WGU than TESU.

Is there a link that says that this program will only cost $6,600? The Statistics.com FAQ says that TESU will only take a max of 9 transfer credits from ACE. I'm pretty sure TESU has planned to make some money off of this.

For transferring credits, I was going by what the OP said, which was 12cr.

The $6,600 I wrote is for all 12 courses through Statistics.com (~$549/course x 12 courses = $6,588).

The BS degree has you taking zero AOS courses at TESU, not even a capstone (https://www.tesu.edu/heavin/bs/data-science) and it looks like the MS also doesn't do any courses through TESU.  I'm not sure how they're making money on either of these, but apparently they liked the format of the BS enough to add the MS.  

Let me know how students are supposed to take any of these courses through TESU, when I can't see that they offer any of them.  But since the OP said he already had an email about this out to TESU, I was just kind of breaking down how you would analyze which degree to get.  Obviously, if the OP reports back that the courses aren't done entirely through Statistics.com like the BS does, then that changes everything.  But there's no way to know right now what TESU is doing until they clarify.

[sanantone]

The BS is different because only the AOS can be completed at Statistics.com. For the gen ed and free elective requirements, students can either take those courses at TESU or pay the residency waiver. The residency waiver wasn't designed for their graduate programs since there's a transfer credit limit. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

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This is what it says at Statistics.com.

The program is completed via online courses offered by TESU.

https://www.statistics.com/certificate-p...s/tesu-ms/

[poneill]

The statement I made about 12 credits which can apply to both the BS and the MS is from the TESU Bachelor's to Master's program.

https://www.tesu.edu/academics/bachelors...rs-program

The Bachelor's to Master's Program enables undergraduate students to earn up to 12 graduate credits* that will apply to both their bachelor's degree and a master's degree at the University. The program gives undergraduate students who are serious about earning a master's degree the opportunity to earn up to 12 graduate credits at the undergraduate tuition rate.

The program is reliant upon conditional acceptance by the graduate degree program.  Such acceptance is conditional upon completion of the undergraduate degree.  Therefore, all other graduate program requirements apply such as GPA and relevant experience.

It seems that the intended benefit of this program is the following.

1) Up to 12 credits of coursework can be applied to both degrees.
2) For courses conducted by TESU, undergraduate tuition rates apply for those 12 credits.
3) Automatic transition to the graduate program upon certification of the undergraduate degree.

The second item doesn't have any benefit for the BSDSA to MSDSA path but the others do.

It definitely appears that all MS coursework is conducted though Statistics.com as the TESU program page lists DSI-### course numbers for all required and elective courses.  DSI courses are those that come from Statistics.com via ACE.

And yes, the Statistics.com notice of a 9 credit transfer limit to TESU does not apply to their Data Science programs.  They have already awarded me 33 credits of coursework from Statistics.com and as noted, there is no other possible way to fulfill the degree requirements.

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The 2 degrees look similar at TESU and WGU.  I would guess that the main difference between this and the WGU degree is time - WGU MAY be completed in 6 months, depending on how quickly you can get through a lot of it.  The TESU/Statistics.com degree will be dependent upon the course calendar at Statistics.com, and will probably take a lot longer than 6 months.  If you can't get into the August 2019 capstone because you don't know R or Python well enough to program using them, then you have to do the Feb 2020 capstone.  So the soonest you could graduate would be either 9/20/19 or 3/27/2020.  I'm guessing you could graduate from WGU by either 5/2019 or 11/2019.

With TESU/Statistics.com, you have to choose R or Python, and then take that route the whole time - and then your electives will have to be based on the path you choose (some courses are based on R, some on Python).  That can change the calendar as well, although the capstone is the same timeframe for both.

The one upside of going through TESU: paying for a single course at a time might be a better option for some people ($549ish per course at Statistics.com vs. $3,835 in 1 fell swoop at WGU).

It's also a matter of cost:
TESU 12 courses ~ $6,600 (not sure if you have to pay the residency waiver, it doesn't list it on the Graduate tuition page)
WGU 10 courses ~ $3,835 for 1 term, $7,670 for 2 terms

For someone like the OP who has already done the BS program through Statistics.com/TESU, it may be really comfortable to continue on and get the MS.  And if you already have 4 courses completed, that's an added bonus, and a big price reduction (now only about $4,400).

I think I'd take a closer look at WGU's program to see if you could get by with XLMiner instead of R/Python.  If you can, then with your degree in Data Analytics and Math, it might be a lot faster/easier/cheaper to get through WGU than TESU.

These are all very good points.

As for the time to MS degree, that will depend on whether TESU puts a constraint on how many MS courses I can take prior to certification of the BS. 

I have looked at TESU MS course dates and if unconstrained, I could complete the MS coursework by May 2019.  That would delay the BA Math slightly as I don't want to do the BA capstone concurrently with other coursework.  Since opportunities for the capstone come every month but Statistics.com courses do not, delaying that would be the most expedient path.  In that case, the coursework for all 3 degrees would complete at the same time but my impression is that they don't like it to work like that (either for academic or logistic reasons).

If they insist on certification of the BS degree before taking more than 12 graduate credits towards the MS degree, that would delay things considerably.  I could submit the BS DSA degree for graduation right away to eliminate that obstacle, but then I lose numerous shared credits between the BS DSA and BA Math degrees.

So, I'll need to wait to see how TESU handles this before making a specific plan.

Regarding ML technologies, I actually prefer Python or R.  They are used much more extensively in the field than XLMiner and I already know both R and Python.  I took the XLMiner courses to get exposure to that tool set but I would rather use Python or R for further studies. XLMiner is nice but most people tend to use Python, R, or one of the expensive applications suites like SAS or SPSS.

If I can share 12 credits between the BS and MS, I think I will need 8 more courses for the MS.  The price drops further if you are taking a large enough course load to qualify as a full time student (which I have and will through the end of the BA Math degree). 

You then get another 15-20% off Statistics.com tuition.  That would drop the cost down to about $3900 plus books and TESU application and graduation fees.  Since I'm familiar with how courses work at Statistics.com and interacting with TESU, and I prefer R/Python, I think the TESU MS probably makes the most sense for me.  Especially if I can get started on the MS coursework now rather than waiting.  With WGU wouldn't I have to wait until I finish both TESU undergrad degrees to apply and get started?

Of course, this all assumes that TESU already has the process for that degree up and running and well defined.  If they just announced the degree but are still ironing out details, that could change things.

Hopefully, despite the short work week with Thanksgiving, they'll get back to me with some details this week.

[sanantone]

The 9-credit transfer limit is for the MS, not the BS.

[poneill]

Understood.  I'm apologize for the confusion.

As for where TESU makes revenue from the arrangement, I don't know.  

There could be an incentive for having such a degree on offer, Statistics.com is sharing a portion of the tuition revenue with TESU, or a number of other explanations.


Regarding the excerpt below, I think this is either a typo or a terminology issue where "offered" is distinct from "conducted".

The program is completed via online courses offered by TESU.

I have contacted Statistics.com to seek additional clarification from their side.

[monroe18]

I have an email out to TESU about this as well. I'm currently enrolled in the BS Data Science and Analytics degree. I've completed 3 credits through Statistics.com and am currently enrolled in 2 courses. Almost all of the AOS study courses for the BS are the same as the MS, it's kind of strange. I don't want to keep taking courses for my BS if they could potentially count toward a MS, unless I can dual enroll. I'll update when I hear back.

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I received a response stating "Unfortunately, we do not currently have a bachelor's to master's program for this program".

I'm really confused by this whole thing. I don't want to potentially miss getting a Masters degree by getting the Bachelors degree taking the same courses. I emailed them back asking specifically if I confer with a BS in Data Science and Analytics, then I enroll in the MS Data Science and Analytics, would any of the courses transfer, or would I have to (or even be able to) take them all again? I'm wondering if I need to switch my bachelor's major so that I can use the Statistics.com courses for the Masters.

[poneill]

Thank you very much for posting the update.  I still haven't received a response from them yet but I just wrote them on Saturday.  At least now I know what to expect in their reply and can prepare accordingly.

That is a bit disappointing.  Maybe they just don't have the process in place yet for that degree path or maybe because it relies upon coursework from an external provider, it is not compatible with their existing B2M process.

It will still be important to hear how they handle MS courses already taken for, and granted credit for, an undergraduate degree.

The way Statistics.com handles it for their graduate certificate programs is if you have already taken a required course, you don't have to take it again but must take another elective course to make up the same number of credits. 

I'd guess it would be something similar for the MS degree.   There aren't really that many course options though.

[MNomadic]

This looks very interesting.

"Transfer your Statistics.com course to TESU

Thomas Edison State University accepts up to 9 graduate credit recommendations from the American Council on Education (ACE) CREDIT.

Register online at Statistics.com for the courses in this program and verify that it is at a GRADUATE level

When the course begins, you will specify your marking preference- choose "I will be seeking academic credit recommendation through ACE and I am a student at TESU.""

I didn't see any of statistics.com's courses have graduate credit recommendations on ace(maybe there were a few I missed but the majority are definitely considered undergrad), so maybe it's a special partnership only with TESU. I wonder how different it will be to take the graduate credit versions of those classes.

[mysonx3]

Quite a chunk of Statistics.com classes are ACE recommended for graduate. Certainly most are still undergrad, but there are some graduate through ACE