need help designing TESU BALS degree plan

[ece2001biz]

I am relatively new to Degree Forum and I have started my journey back to getting my Bachelor's degree. I am looking at the TESU BALS program and need help to design a degree plan. Also, I am looking at the TESU Bachelor of Business degree. I have designed a UMPI BABA Mgmt and Leadership concentration bachelor's program but I am not sure if the CBE format is for me and I am also thinking I might want to lean towards a program that is more focused on tests/exams than writing papers. 

If I do the TESU program, I am not sure I necessarily want to do Bachelor in Business Degree and thought about a general BALS degree with a concentration in Management. Having a Business degree is not critical. I want to get a Bachelor's degree to check the box of having a degree.

Additionally, I would also prefer to minimize or not have any proctored classes. I know that Sophia does not have proctored classes, but, I believe Study.com and other UL credit sources would have a video, audio, or voice proctor. I don't mind some proctored classes, but, I have heard that some of the proctor software is not very good hence the preference to avoid them.

I looked for some general TESU BALS degree plans as a starting point, but, I am not sure if these are still accurate

I have listed my credits below. Any help or advice would be appreciated.

Your Location: State and Country – Youngstown, Ohio USA
Your Age: 21
What kind of degree do you want?: YourPace self-paced program - Bachelor of Business Administration – concentration in Management and Leadership or Finance if available
Current Regional Accredited Credits:

ANTH 1500 Introduction to Anthropology 3 cr B
REL 2601 Introduction to World Religions 3 cr A
THTR 1500 History of Motion Pictures 3 cr B
ASTR 1504 Descriptive Astronomy 3 cr B
CHMST 1545 Communication Foundations 3 cr B
ENGL 1550 Writing 1 (same as English Composition) 3 cr A
PSYCH 1550 Psychology General 3 cr C
YSU 1500 Student Success Seminar 1 cr A
HIST 2605 US History 1 3 cr D
GEOG 2630 Weather 3 cr C

School Name: Youngstown State University
Total Credits: 28 
Class Name, Credits, Grade
Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: None
Budget: $5-7k max I'd like to go the cheapest route possible, but will consider spending more for easy and fast.  
Commitments: I currently work full time and can work on my studies part time or in the evenings/weekends.
Dedicated time to study: 2 hours a night on weekdays and 10 hours on weekends.
Timeline: Finishing the courses required for the degree as fast as possible would be ideal.  I would like to finish within 1-1.5 years (12-18 months)
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: No. Would pay as I go or scholarship.

ece2001biz

[rachel83az]

The BALS concentrations at TESU can be even more difficult to get than the subject degrees themselves. This is because the concentrations require specific courses, often ones not easily available outside of TESU, while the subject degrees are more generic and typically require "any" courses that apply to the AOS. The management BALS concentrations ones that cannot easily be obtained.

BALS concentrations that can be obtained relatively easily are here: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan Or you can go with just a generic BALS degree. Honestly, though, if your interest is in management, your best career opportunities probably lie in getting a business degree. You might not make it past the automated pre-screening processes otherwise. If you somehow do get hired, you might get passed over for promotions due to the lack of a Business degree.

Coopersmith uses a live proctor, ProctorU, which is terrible. Study.com uses RPNow, a recorded proctor, which poses few issues for most students. Davar allows you to choose between ProctorU, RPNow, or finding your own in-person proctor. (Sometimes, local librarians will do this as a service.) I would honestly suggest giving RPNow a try first before you discount proctoring entirely. You can try taking a course from OnlineDegree before doing more serious planning for TESU. The exam is only $9 and uses RPNow. If it turns out that RPNow really isn't for you, you've spent less than $10. If it works fine, you can start planning more Study.com and/or Davar courses.

[ece2001biz]

The BALS concentrations at TESU can be even more difficult to get than the subject degrees themselves. This is because the concentrations require specific courses, often ones not easily available outside of TESU, while the subject degrees are more generic and typically require "any" courses that apply to the AOS. The management BALS concentrations ones that cannot easily be obtained.

BALS concentrations that can be obtained relatively easily are here: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan Or you can go with just a generic BALS degree. Honestly, though, if your interest is in management, your best career opportunities probably lie in getting a business degree. You might not make it past the automated pre-screening processes otherwise. If you somehow do get hired, you might get passed over for promotions due to the lack of a Business degree.

Coopersmith uses a live proctor, ProctorU, which is terrible. Study.com uses RPNow, a recorded proctor, which poses few issues for most students. Davar allows you to choose between ProctorU, RPNow, or finding your own in-person proctor. (Sometimes, local librarians will do this as a service.) I would honestly suggest giving RPNow a try first before you discount proctoring entirely. You can try taking a course from OnlineDegree before doing more serious planning for TESU. The exam is only $9 and uses RPNow. If it turns out that RPNow really isn't for you, you've spent less than $10. If it works fine, you can start planning more Study.com and/or Davar courses.

@rachel83az

If I look at the generic TESU BALS degree plan, can I take any of the following courses in the UL list or do they have to be courses in a specific area like History or Psychology? If I am looking for a degree option where I don't have to write a lot of papers and I just need a Bachelor's degree (not necessarily Mgmt), what is the easiest/fastest option from TESU. I am looking at TESU because it seems like it is the least expensive option for not having to write a lot of papers. However, I could be wrong and Excelsior University could also be a good option.

For example, I have to take 15 credits or 5 three credit hour classes in the following areas.  Can I take any one of these courses (or other courses listed like: the following or do they have to be in a specific topic like History or Psychology? I am thinking that since it would be a generic BALS degree, I could take the classes in any area as long it is a 300/400 UL class like the following:

Credits I have already earned from YSU:

ANTH 1500 Introduction to Anthropology 3 cr B
REL 2601 Introduction to World Religions 3 cr A
THTR 1500 History of Motion Pictures 3 cr B
ASTR 1504 Descriptive Astronomy 3 cr B
CHMST 1545 Communication Foundations 3 cr B
ENGL 1550 Writing 1 (same as English Composition) 3 cr A
PSYCH 1550 Psychology General 3 cr C
YSU 1500 Student Success Seminar 1 cr A
HIST 2605 US History 1 3 cr D
GEOG 2630 Weather 3 cr C

Total: 28 credit hours (RA credits already earned)

Potential courses I am looking to take: 

Olivet Nazarene University (ONU)

HIS 379 Latin American History and Politics (RA credit) 3 cr
Olivet Nazarene University
Lib Studies UL
THE 300 Faith and Contemporary Issues (RA credit) 3 cr
Olivet Nazarene University
Lib Studies UL
THE 310 Christianity and Culture (RA credit) Olivet Nazarene University 3 cr

Sociology 305: Sociology of Work 3 cr

Study.com
Lib Studies UL

Substance Abuse Counseling (PSY-320) 3cr

Total: 15 credits


Part B. Liberal Studies[edit]
24 credits required; maximum of 6 credits can be 100-level.


Potential Courses I am looking to take:

Conflict Resolution (200-level), 3 cr
Sophia.org

Lib Studies


Project Management, (200-300 level?) 3 cr
Sophia, Lib Studies

Principles of Finance, (200 level?) 3 cr
Sophia, Lib Studies

Introduction to Ethics (200 level?), 3 cr
Sophia, Lib Studies

TEEX - free credits



Cyber 101 - Cybersecurity for Everyone (4 credits pre-November 2022) (5 credits as of November 2022)
Cyber 201 - Cybersecurity for IT Professionals (3 credits pre-November 2022) (4 credits as of November 2022)
Cyber 301 - Cybersecurity for Business Professionals (3 credits pre-November 2022) (4 credits as of November 2022)





Total: 25 credits

Subtotal: 68 credit hours, 52 credit hours remaining needed to get to 120 credit hours for TESU degree.  If 3 credit hours needs to be TESU Capstone course, I need 49 credit hours or about 17 classes remaining.

Do I need to take remaining General Education and General Elective course credit hours? If so, what do I need to take and do you recommend any Excel spreadsheet TESU BALS (no concentration) or a TESU Business Administration degree plan?

Thanks,

ece2001biz

[davewill]

You might also want to think about whether you'd be happier doing the liberal arts capstone (25+ page research paper) or the business capstone (7 case studies and an analytical report).

[ece2001biz]

Davewill,

I am assuming you mean for either the TESU BALS bachelor's program (capstone = 25+ pg. research paper) or the TESU Business Admin Bachelor's capstone (7 case studies and an analytical report)? If I am at TESU, I would rather write the Business Capstone as it would involve topics that would likely interest me more. If you were me and did not writing papers as much as taking an exam, would you potentially pick the TESU Business Admin Bachelor's degree or the BABA Mgmt and Leadership + Mgmt concentration? It seems like TESU mainly just focuses on having the student write a capstone paper (or case studies) vs. having to write a longer paper for *every* class at UMPI?

ece2001biz

[davewill]

Personally, I'd choose the BSBA hands down. Employers will value that more than the BALS. All of your current credits should work in either degree, so you aren't leaving anything behind. Plus, we understand very well how to use alternate credit sources to get that degree. There's multiple sources for most of the courses you'd need, so you'll have some choice about providers, which should help you find courses you'd be happier with.

[dfrecore]

Davewill,

I am assuming you mean for either the TESU BALS bachelor's program (capstone = 25+ pg. research paper) or the TESU Business Admin Bachelor's capstone (7 case studies and an analytical report)? If I am at TESU, I would rather write the Business Capstone as it would involve topics that would likely interest me more. If you were me and did not writing papers as much as taking an exam, would you potentially pick the TESU Business Admin Bachelor's degree or the BABA Mgmt and Leadership + Mgmt concentration? It seems like TESU mainly just focuses on having the student write a capstone paper (or case studies) vs. having to write a longer paper for *every* class at UMPI?

ece2001biz

UMPI is writing more but shorter papers - usually 1 paper per course (so roughly 10 papers).  TESU is going to be a LOT of writing for the capstone: I did the BSBA capstone, and it required FIVE 1-2 page papers equaling roughly what you'd write in posts if you do the online course; SEVEN 3-4 page case studies; and ONE final paper that is 25+ pages long.  All in a 12-week term.  It's a lot.  I enjoyed it (mostly), but I don't think it's easier than UMPI.

[ece2001biz]

Davewill,

I am assuming you mean for either the TESU BALS bachelor's program (capstone = 25+ pg. research paper) or the TESU Business Admin Bachelor's capstone (7 case studies and an analytical report)? If I am at TESU, I would rather write the Business Capstone as it would involve topics that would likely interest me more. If you were me and did not writing papers as much as taking an exam, would you potentially pick the TESU Business Admin Bachelor's degree or the BABA Mgmt and Leadership + Mgmt concentration? It seems like TESU mainly just focuses on having the student write a capstone paper (or case studies) vs. having to write a longer paper for *every* class at UMPI?

ece2001biz

UMPI is writing more but shorter papers - usually 1 paper per course (so roughly 10 papers).  TESU is going to be a LOT of writing for the capstone: I did the BSBA capstone, and it required FIVE 1-2 page papers equaling roughly what you'd write in posts if you do the online course; SEVEN 3-4 page case studies; and ONE final paper that is 25+ pages long.  All in a 12-week term.  It's a lot.  I enjoyed it (mostly), but I don't think it's easier than UMPI.

@dfrecore

I realize that every student's experience can be different in writing papers and the difficulty will be based on the individual's writing ability, but, I greatly appreciate you sharing your experience. It sounds like the papers are more frequent, but, spread out more evenly among courses? If the cost is significantly less, then I think UMPI can be the better option.

Thanks,

ecebiz2001

[dfrecore]

Davewill,

I am assuming you mean for either the TESU BALS bachelor's program (capstone = 25+ pg. research paper) or the TESU Business Admin Bachelor's capstone (7 case studies and an analytical report)? If I am at TESU, I would rather write the Business Capstone as it would involve topics that would likely interest me more. If you were me and did not writing papers as much as taking an exam, would you potentially pick the TESU Business Admin Bachelor's degree or the BABA Mgmt and Leadership + Mgmt concentration? It seems like TESU mainly just focuses on having the student write a capstone paper (or case studies) vs. having to write a longer paper for *every* class at UMPI?

ece2001biz

UMPI is writing more but shorter papers - usually 1 paper per course (so roughly 10 papers).  TESU is going to be a LOT of writing for the capstone: I did the BSBA capstone, and it required FIVE 1-2 page papers equaling roughly what you'd write in posts if you do the online course; SEVEN 3-4 page case studies; and ONE final paper that is 25+ pages long.  All in a 12-week term.  It's a lot.  I enjoyed it (mostly), but I don't think it's easier than UMPI.

@dfrecore

I realize that every student's experience can be different in writing papers and the difficulty will be based on the individual's writing ability, but, I greatly appreciate you sharing your experience. It sounds like the papers are more frequent, but, spread out more evenly among courses? If the cost is significantly less, then I think UMPI can be the better option.

Thanks,

ecebiz2001

I think it may end up being the same amount of writing, whether you're at TESU or UMPI (don't forget that at TESU, you also take the cornerstone, which requires writing as well).  Especially considering that at TESU, you're writing for 1-2 courses over 12 weeks, while at UMPI you're writing for 10+ courses over 8 or 16 weeks, it sounds roughly the same to me.