Zero to Hero Degree Plan

[bjcheung77]

Here are the WIKI pages for the institutions you may want to investigate and also some degrees they offer:
UMPI BAS, BABA: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Category:UMPI
TESU BACS, CIS: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Category:TESU
WGU options: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Category:WGU

[Tonij1249]

Hey Toni!  I am in NEO and a grad of Edinboro myself!  I hope you are able to work out something to get those transcripts!  In the meantime, you can definitely chip away at some credits on Sophia.  Another option to consider are some of the career certificates on Coursera.  There are several that are focused on tech and cyber security.  And many can be transferred to WGU.  A great way to see how well you like it and if it’s something you want to do.  

Not sure if this link will work for you…
https://www.coursera.org/career-academy/...ty-analyst

Thanks so much for the comment! I was there from fall '14- spr 16. I definitely enjoyed my time there and was planning on finishing there, but my original degree is no longer offered (forensic accounting and fraud examination). I wasn't too worried about transfer credits because all of mine are business credits, and could knock out Gen Ed's quickly with sophia and such. But since I don't have experience in tech, the coursera would be really good to get my feet wet and decide before committing to that WGU course.

[Tonij1249]

Hey all!
I've gotten some really great comments and I have some new next steps to look into, so thank you all so much for that. I was wondering if anyone knew how many times I can update my transcripts before enrolling? I know that once I start classes, my transcripts cannot be updated so everything I want to transfer has to be done before then. Since I am now looking at getting my previous transcripts, I am wondering if I can talk to the schools now and have them send transcripts to WGU, then work on sophia and the other alternative credit places to fill in any gaps, and then once I'm finished with that, send that over and enroll? Just trying to avoid spending time/money on sophia courses if I already have Gen Ed's and things that transfer. Thanks!

---

Here are the WIKI pages for the institutions you may want to investigate and also some degrees they offer:
UMPI BAS, BABA: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Category:UMPI
TESU BACS, CIS: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Category:TESU
WGU options: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Category:WGU

Thank you so much, I hadn't even heard of the first one before today!

[karehiro]

It is true that if you want to go to a regionally accredited American university for your Bachelor's, you'll need to provide official transcripts from all institutions attended, even if you wanted a fresh start. However if you cannot work out a plan with those institutions for them to release transcripts, you still have options. Both Ball State University and University of Colorado offer a performance based Masters in Computer Science on Coursera which doesn't require transcripts or even a Bachelor's degree to do; the only drawback is that you cannot use gov't financial aid FAFSA and you'll need to pay out of pocket.

Other options are doing degrees in the UK or Europe in general that are online. You can go into a Master of CS in cyber security at Wrexham University online without a bachelor's degree as well, though I'd recommend taking those Sophia/alt credit courses first to take care of foundational knowledge to fill any gaps if you decide to do so: https://online.wrexham.ac.uk/msc-compute...-security/

You can even do a business masters in many situations without a previous degree if you think it will assist your plan. University of Huddersfield via Coursera offers a Masters of Science in Management and it's AACSB accredited so it'll be recognized in the US: https://www.coursera.org/degrees/msc-man...ddersfield

There's also a list of universities internationally where you can receive US FAFSA aid: https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/fil...ograms.pdf

There are of course also online bachelor's degrees in Europe. Just be sure that if you do decide to go this route that you make sure it has legitimate accreditation that the United States and it's institutions (both your employer and any university) would recognize.

So.while the best bet is to see if you can clear up the situation at your previous universities first in order to go to WGU, you still have other options in case things don't work out as you would like.

[bjcheung77]

Basically, In addition to what was mentioned, there are other Coursera or EdX partners that provide inexpensive Bachelors or Masters programs at a fraction of the price for regular 'butt-in-seat' programs. I would highly recommend looking into those, an example would be the roughly $12K IMSM option from UIUC, in addition to the $10K UT-Austin degree offerings, plus the GT ones as well...

[oraibihm]

Hello! I am getting ready to change careers. I have been researching how to earn a degree in a way that would be agreeable with my needs and that led me down the road of accelerated competency based learning. Coupling this with cheaper alternative ways to earn credits than taking them with the actual University (sophia learning, study.com, etc), I think I am on the right path. I would appreciate anyone's input before I start this undertaking. You can see my stats below. Thank you so much for your time and attention!

Your Location: North East Ohio, United States.
Your Age: 28
What kind of degree do you want?  Information technology. Cyber security is the most interesting to me. But I have no experience in tech, and it seems a lot of people say not to start there. Or at least not to land a Cys position without experience. So I decided to go with a more general approach. I am looking at WGU for their accelerated BS IT/MS IT Mgmt course. I want to eventually be a PMP. I felt like this was the best direction to move, and then with some experience under my belt, transition to Cys, and with some leadership experience under my belt, pursue the PMP.
Current Regional Accredited Credits: n/a
I went to Edinboro University of PA, and have a few credits with Kent State University, but I owe both universities money and cannot access my transcripts. So I will be moving forward without those credits and basically starting over.

Any certifications or military experience? No

Budget: I'd like to go the cheapest route possible, but will consider spending more for easy and fast. I'm looking at around 1.5K for transfer course work and looking to get actual tuition covered elsewhere. I am aware that I might have to come out of pocket for any/all parts and will address that as needed.
 
Commitments: I help take care of my younger brothers, am in a relationship, and have a circle of friends that play games on Saturday's. However, everyone knows I am trying to get an accelerated degree, is on board, and knows that studying is going to come first for me until I complete it.

Dedicated time to study: I can study as much as is needed. This will be a full time job for me and I'm not afraid to put in over time

Timeline: I would like to finish in 1.5 years (18 months) I'm hoping to do the WGU course work in 2 terms, after completing 6 months of transfer credits and pre-studying the rest of the course material.

Tuition assistance/reimbursement: I am working with government aid to use a program called WIOA to have my course work paid for. 

New federal law went into effect on Monday preventing universities from withholding transcripts! Should be able to get them soon - hope it lessons your workload!

[ss20ts]

New federal law went into effect on Monday preventing universities from withholding transcripts! Should be able to get them soon - hope it lessons your workload!

About freaking time!

[bjcheung77]

Just make sure you get as many credits you can transfer from those old transcripts when you apply, if it's favorable, go for one of the recommended institutions that we have a subforum for, and/or ladder these usable credits to a Pierpont BOG AAS, then further ladder that to a BAS/BLS with minors of your choice, unless you're looking for a specific BA/BABA with a concentration.