Online Degrees and CLEP and DSST Exam Prep Discussion
Lots of RA credits, need more UL credits - need help deciding on which school/degree - Printable Version

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Lots of RA credits, need more UL credits - need help deciding on which school/degree - newlion - 10-01-2021

Hello all,

I know my research and info isn't complete yet. But I've spent several days putting this much together and would love to be more specific and detailed as I continue to work on finding my best options.

Age: 42
Degree wanted: Bachelors in preferred order: Business/BSBA (General MGMT if it's easiest, open to HR MGMT for my career); OR, open to something akin to a BALS if it got the checkbox on the resume at this point. Other options include Org Leadership, etc.
RA Credits: 100+ from like 8 schools and 20 years. Finishing this has been excruciating since I run into longer-term commitment issues
ACE Credits: None!

I'm trying to figure out which school would be the best bang for buck with the following priorities. As mentioned, I am also open to different degree options at this point as I honestly just want something to show for it.


I know I am missing some key business courses, and I am likely short on the UL course side as well.

1. Getting this thing done with the least amount of extra work possible
2. Getting a degree done sooner than later
3. Getting a degree in Business/BSBA versus something more generic
4. Not spending a ton if possible, though I am open to paying some out of pocket (<$2k), and am also open to taking on some more federal student loans for higher amounts

Here are my previous classes in a Google Sheet. I also tried to shoehorn what I had into a TESU BSBA General MGMT degree, though I don't know if that's the most cost/time effective compared to COSC, EC, or even UMPI (or others! though WGU has been tough for me to stay consistent on in the past).

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LslNf75LtbNgxxL8Z4oyB5-nMYszC_M299L6TtWFH6c/edit


I am hoping you'll have some general ideas or thoughts so I am not spinning my wheels in the wrong direction, though I'm happy to continue working on things once I know I'm getting close. Thanks much for looking it over and for any advice!!


RE: Lots of RA credits, need more UL credits - need help deciding on which school/degree - bjcheung77 - 10-01-2021

COSC will be my suggestion, you can take some UL courses at Study.com and be done with it... Because of the number of courses and being competency based, UMPI/WGU may or may not be for you (boils down to amount of courses you can finish per term). For sheer ease, speed to finish, but double the cost, Excelsior/TESU. BTW, the spreadsheet is locked, people need to request access to it. You should just open the file to anyone to view who has the link. People can't update the file, but can view it, just like what I've done for my spreadsheets that I share.


RE: Lots of RA credits, need more UL credits - need help deciding on which school/degree - rachel83az - 10-01-2021

COSC might or might not be easiest, depending on how many UL credits you actually have. COSC requires: 30 RA credits (you have that covered), science-with-a-lab (can't see your Google sheet), 30 UL credits.

But COSC doesn't allow credits from Davar (they have some of the cheapest business credits, available with just an exam) while TESU and Excelsior do. But TESU and Excelsior both cost a bit more money than COSC.

Excelsior also requires 30 UL credits while TESU requires about half that for a BSBA.


RE: Lots of RA credits, need more UL credits - need help deciding on which school/degree - newlion - 10-01-2021

DOH. Thank you two for both of your replies despite having no info. I know better on the Google Sheet side, but I had just flown in from out of state and also had an early morning, so I rushed it. My apologies!

Thanks for the general info above. I will look into it! The link is now open to everyone to be able to see:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LslNf75LtbNgxxL8Z4oyB5-nMYszC_M299L6TtWFH6c/edit?usp=sharing

Also, just in case I've slipped up again here at 6am, I'll copy/paste the list of classes I have so far. I believe I am missing a lot on the UL side, plus several standard business courses (Finance, etc), so I'm guessing trying to look towards those schools that have lower UL requirements there will help. As well as possibly just considering a BALS or similar in case it can be done quicker at this point.


Microeconomic Principles          EC 176 3 Stonehill College 1998
Techniques Of Calculus I          MA 121 3 Stonehill College 1998
Introduction To Philosophy       PH 160 3 Stonehill College 1998
Intermediate Spanish              SP 231 3 Stonehill College 1998
Macroeconomic Principles        EC 178 3 Stonehill College 1999
Techniques of Calculus II         MA 122 3 Stonehill College 1999
Western Religious Traditions    RS 150 3 Stonehill College 1999
Intermediate Spanish              SP 232 3 Stonehill College 1999
College Composition               WR 143 3 Stonehill College 1999
Introduction To Computers      BA 105 3 Stonehill College 1999
Interpersonal Communication   CO 105 3 Stonehill College 1999
Business Ethics                       PH 163 3 Stonehill College 1999
Managerial Communication      MGMT 170 4 Clark University 2000
Business Law                         MGMT 178 4 Clark University 2000
Discovering Physics                PHYS 020 4 Clark University 2000
The Skilled Helper                  EDUC 269 4 Clark University 2000
Intro to MIS                           MGMT 104 4 Clark University 2000
US Hist Since 1865                 HIST 012 4 Clark University 2001
Intro to Music                        MUSC 010 4 Clark University 2001
Writing Workshop                  BACP 2050 4 Univ. of Denver UC 2011
Quantitative Reasoning          ST 3050 4 Univ. of Denver UC 2011
Discovering Creative Energies  CA 2011 4 Univ. of Denver UC 2011
Intro To Acctg I                     ACCT 221 3 U Mass Amherst 2013
Fundamentals Of Mktg           MKTG 301 3 U Mass Amherst 2013
Orgizan'l Behavior & Ldrshp    BNC1 3 WGU 2015
Reasoning & Problem Solving  CLC1 3 WGU 2015
Principles of Management       MGC1 3 WGU 2015
English Composition II           TCP1 3 WGU 2015
Introduction to Psychology     C180 3 WGU 2018
Intro to Human Resource Mgmt  C232 3 WGU 2018
Change Management              C721 3 WGU 2018
Marketing Applications            VZT1 3 WGU 2018
Fndmntls of Life Science (w/lab)  BIOL 189 4 Nevada State College 2019


RE: Lots of RA credits, need more UL credits - need help deciding on which school/degree - dfrecore - 10-01-2021

Unfortunately, it's really unclear what's going on with these schools, so it's hard to give you good info. I have questions to ask, that may help:
1) Clark University and U of Denver UC - were either of these quarter-based schools (I ask because of the 4cr courses for everything)
2) for WGU, is there any way to know if these are UL courses??

*The following assumes that VZT1: Marketing Applications, C232: Intro to Human Resource Management, and C721: Change Management from WGU all come in as UL

For TESU, I show that you need the following:
Oral Comm requirement
Diversity
Civic Engagement
Managerial Accounting
Principles of Finance
Int'l Business
Statistics
1 UL business course in either Accounting or Finance
11 total courses

You can do every course through Study.com, or piecemeal it, whichever you decide.

--------------------------------------------------

For EC's BSB, you're even better off. You need:
1 SocSci/History course
Statistics
Managerial Accounting
Principles of Finance (UL)
Int'l Business (UL)
possibly 1 more UL business course
8 total courses (including the 1cr Info Lit course)

You can do every course through Study.com, or piecemeal it, whichever you decide.

Considering that EC is cheaper than TESU, I'd probably just do this one.

Also, contrary to popular belief, EC's BSB degree only requires 21cr of UL in the major, and no UL in the rest of the degree. I got this directly from EC.

--------------------------------------------------

For COSC's BSBA, you need the following:
Oral Communication
Business Statistics (not just plain stats)
Managerial Accounting
Principles of Finance
2 more business electives
and then more UL courses (4-5 I think)
13 total courses (??)
--------------------------------------------

I think the EC degree is going to be the easiest to get.

But I'd apply at all 3 schools and see how they bring everything in, and then decide from there.


RE: Lots of RA credits, need more UL credits - need help deciding on which school/degree - newlion - 10-02-2021

You rock! I will look into some of your questions and dig into your suggestions.

FTR, U. Denver UC was on the quarter system.

Clark University was on the semester system and most all of their classes were simply 4 credits for some reason.

Thank you again, truly some very helpful info that I figured someone might have a guess on, and I felt dumb that it wasn't me with all the insights since that's usually my role in life! Much gratitude ?


RE: Lots of RA credits, need more UL credits - need help deciding on which school/degree - dfrecore - 10-02-2021

(10-02-2021, 01:53 AM)newlion Wrote: You rock! I will look into some of your questions and dig into your suggestions.

FTR, U. Denver UC was on the quarter system.

Clark University was on the semester system and most all of their classes were simply 4 credits for some reason.

Thank you again, truly some very helpful info that I figured someone might have a guess on, and I felt dumb that it wasn't me with all the insights since that's usually my role in life! Much gratitude ?

Finding out if any of the WGU courses are UL would be the best.  But honestly, applying at all of the Big 3 would be your best bet.


RE: Lots of RA credits, need more UL credits - need help deciding on which school/degree - newlion - 11-09-2021

Since I'm sure you all don't get updates too often on your guesses while helping us figure out our degrees, so I wanted to loop back around to give the latest info (and probably ask another question or three).

You all were spot on in wondering about the UL transfer requirements. I had some health stuff come up that I've been dealing with, so I didn't apply to COSC at the time as it seemed like the least feasible. I wish I had so I could compare now, but ordering all the transcripts to all of the schools was a pain lol.

I've updated my spreadsheet with some of the official transcript reviews, plus a couple unofficial ones using TESU's degree planning link.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LslNf75LtbNgxxL8Z4oyB5-nMYszC_M299L6TtWFH6c/edit?usp=sharing

  1. an actual preliminary review from TESU for a BS in Professional Studies (which I did on a whim as it mentioned being set up for those with lots of credit to transfer in). Due to the lack of UL transfer credits, this was the worst option with 45 credits still to go
  2. an unofficial TESU plan for a BSBA in General Management. Not sure how accurate their tool is, but I show 30 credits outstanding. This may be the best option as I could get a few done on Study.com before the year is out, then start actual classes in January to hit their residency requirement since I'll have to use financial aid to get to the class minimum vs paying the extra fee. I am most bummed that out of 3 writing classes, only 1 made it in to their writing requirements. A consideration for this option is that since I have to take some classes anyway, I could start on my MBA with them as well doing the bachelor's to master's program, which would be much more motivating for me.
  3. an unofficial TESU plan for a BALS with a General Management minor. I show 24 credits remaining here, which isn't that far off from option #2 above. It would help save two classes, so if speed were the biggest priority (which it is, but maybe not for just 6 credits), it'd save a little.
  4. an official review from Excelsior for their Bachelor of Professional Studies in Business Management. It's a little confusing to read their review, but I show I believe 30 (ish) credits remaining. I ran into time-based issues with some of my business classes being over 20 years old, which I believe they won't accept for their other business program. But I show 3 Cornerstone, 6 UL Arts & Sciences, 15 Professional Component (9 of which must/will be UL), 5 any collegiate-level study (which I asked about since I have several classes left over, but I believe these have to be UL since it shows I need 6 UL Additional Credit component, which includes the 1 credit Information Literacy requirement as well). So this is an option too, and I'd be able to start on some Study.com courses here as well, but I don't believe they have the bachelor's to master's acceleration option, which may or may not be necessary.
  5. an official review from Purdue Global for their BS in Professional Studies. They're on the quarter system, and it shows 45 credits remaining, which translates to about 30 semester-hour credits. I asked them about putting together a degree plan for their actual Business Administration degree since they have all my transcripts, but they came back with a hypothetical one that had me re-taking Marketing, Management, Org Behavior, Human Resources, Managerial Communications, Accounting I, Business Law, and Managerial Economics, which seems a bit off honestly since I've taken all of those, some of them relatively recently).

My main concern is getting something done pretty much as soon as possible (though other factors always come into play). So I see above that TESU/Excelsior could be the right option in that area. But, for instance, I've read on here that TESU can take a couple months to actually confer the degree. Do you have any opinions or suggestions on how to get something done sooner? Are one school's classes/finals/projects simpler than others? I am pretty good at taking tests, though papers will take me longer (I do well on them still, they just take more time).

I've even looked into some very random things like Framingham State's Interdisciplinary Bachelor's program (which only requires 8 credits to be taken at their school), but it's hard to get an idea of what their deal is. But if there are any other similar programs that just accept a truckload of credit for a generic degree that would get me down from 30 credits to finish to more like 10-15, I'm all ears. If not, I think one of the above will work. Though again, if you happen to know a tip for a specific degree, or one more school to try (COSC), lmk.

I hope this helps some people in the future! For the record, I could only really get info from Excelsior and a couple from TESU on which WGU classes were UL since the others don't break it down, they just show you what you're still missing. Here's the list from my list of classes that were UL:

Excelsior:

- BNC1 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR AND LEADERSHIP
- C721 CHANGE MANAGEMENT

TESU:

- VZT1 Marketing Applications (TESU MAR-479)
- C721 Change Management (TESU MAN-415)


RE: Lots of RA credits, need more UL credits - need help deciding on which school/degree - bjcheung77 - 11-10-2021

COSC/UMPI: Have you applied to them? You have the RA, so if you want to go the COSC route, it should work out to being the closest one. You can go for a BSBA or a BSGS with a concentration if you would like. You just need 6 credits residency, everything remaining can come from ACE (Sophia & Study.com)... And for UMPI, they may be a very good contender as you would only need to get the remaining credits through them, just one semester or two terms and you're done. It should be similar, but cheaper, easier, faster than WGU in the long run... I would think about these two options before you decide on TESU.

If you're wanting to do the Bachelors to Masters, TESU is a great option for that as you'll be paying undergrad tuition for graduate credits. When TESU had the comprehensive tuition, I've recommended people to get their double associates/double bachelors with those credits as one technically can get up to 36 credits using that payment plan. However, since the tuition structure has changed, I haven't recommended that option for a while now... getting a Masters from a Competency Based offering would be much cheaper, easier, faster than at any of the Big 3. I would recommend go for the WGU MBA/MSML combo instead!


RE: Lots of RA credits, need more UL credits - need help deciding on which school/degree - newlion - 11-10-2021

(11-10-2021, 12:25 AM)bjcheung77 Wrote: COSC/UMPI: Have you applied to them?  You have the RA, so if you want to go the COSC route, it should work out to being the closest one.  You can go for a BSBA or a BSGS with a concentration if you would like.  You just need 6 credits residency, everything remaining can come from ACE (Sophia & Study.com)...  And for UMPI, they may be a very good contender as you would only need to get the remaining credits through them, just one semester or two terms and you're done.  It should be similar, but cheaper, easier, faster than WGU in the long run...  I would think about these two options before you decide on TESU.

If you're wanting to do the Bachelors to Masters, TESU is a great option for that as you'll be paying undergrad tuition for graduate credits.  When TESU had the comprehensive tuition, I've recommended people to get their double associates/double bachelors with those credits as one technically can get up to 36 credits using that payment plan.  However, since the tuition structure has changed, I haven't recommended that option for a while now... getting a Masters from a Competency Based offering would be much cheaper, easier, faster than at any of the Big 3.   I would recommend go for the WGU MBA/MSML combo instead!

Yes, I actually did apply to UMPI, just a little later. They have everything on hand in terms of transcripts, but when I talked to them yesterday morning, the application part still wasn't showing up in their system. I'll be interested to see how things shake out there.

And since I have time, I went ahead and got the process started at COSC as well just to have that last comparison.

Thanks for the tips! And for the notes on the MBA options. Definitely very handy and helpful to have it all figured out and ready to just put into action when the time comes.