ok i have been searching and reading on these forums and the internet for quite awhile but havent found exactly what im looking for. let me tell you my story. i have an associate of applied science degree in information technology as well as several certifications including mcse, mcdba, a+, net+, mcsa and possible ccna in the near future. i am looking to finish my bachelors in a computer/information science field, doesnt really matter the exact title. i am looking for the quickest and cheapest way to do so. i am 19 and just received the aas. accordingly i do not have any life experience credit, etc and really do not wish to take any clep/dantes tests. i am looking for a school that will accept my aas for the gen ed portion, or around 60 semester hours credit if not. also i know there are schools that take credit for certifications which is almost a mandatory requirement as well as being completely online. I know some schools advertise that they take certs (bellevue, excelsior) and some dont advertise but still accept. like i said i have been doing a lot of research and here are a few programs on my short list: bellevue, fort hayes state, excelsior, tesc, cosc, troy state bellevue has one of the most understandable straight forward sites around. why cant they all be like that? i hate the way some of these dls nickel and dime you to death with all these little fees. all i want is a bottom line cost without having to waste my time and money applying to get that. anyone else feel my pain? i know im being silly as credits and degrees all transfer differently. ok now for my actual question, based on the info i have given you which school do you recommend? please explain your recommendation along with length of time and cost, based on a transferred aas, if possible. i would like to hear everyones opinion and experience with the above schools and any that may be good that i didnt list. sorry for the long post and thanks for all your help, this site is a great resource.
Fastest is undoubtedly Excelsior. You will be able to start with a few more credits (only college I know of that will give you credit for the Microsoft and COMPTIA certifications). Additionally, you will be able to take a test for almost all of the required courses (the exceptions being the newer requirements of data structures and discrete math). Bottom line, you could finish an Excelsior degree in a few months if you push yourself.
I hate to hijack your thread, but does that school require the certs to be current? I was MCSE for NT 4.0..just curious.
Rwillman, You do not wish to sit CLEP/DSST/Etc. tests to get credit for general ed and ask if a school would accept your gen ed from your AAS for credit? What type of general ed classes do you have in your AAS? AAS's (normally) have less liberal arts classes than the AS or AA (it is more occupational in nature). For example, an AAS in Technical studies in the Excelsior engineering catalog consists of 20 credits liberal arts, 20 applied professional credits, and the rest being electives. This tends to limit the transferability of the degree considering you could have less liberal arts (credits that transfer easy) than your applied professional (which sometimes, because of the specific nature of these courses, are less transferable). All this aside, I am sure Excelsior would fit your AAS in IT pretty well into their BSIS program (which ever IT courses that did not fall into the IS major would probably fall in to the CIS or professional electives). Excelsior Technology Catalog (refer to page 42 for the BSIS degree plan) As for the nickel and diming, I feel Excelsior does the least of this (TESC and COSC have numerous fees and have different fees for residents vs. nonresidents). If you play your cards right (do all the course work before actually enrolling) you could just pay the enrollment fee and shortly after, the graduation fee. Hope this helps! Best Regards, Bill
I'm sure your AAS will transfer over, but most colleges have "general education" requirements that must be met, either by taking the class or by testing-out of it. Most of the general education requirements are pretty universal e.g. English 101, English 102, Speech, et al. If you are lacking in some of the general education requirements, then you will either have to take the class or "test out" of it.
Page 30 of http://www.excelsior.edu/pdf/cat_assg.pdf lists credits for various Microsoft cert tests. It does indicate that the NT tests are retired, but still ists these. Definitely ask if these are still accepted for credit for new students.
I agree with what everyone else has said. You will need more general ed credits, as your AAS is not likely to have covered these requirements (that's what an AA is generally designed to cover, while an AAS is mostly technical). Excelsior is probably your best bet, but if you really don't want to take CLEP, DANTES, ECE, or TECEP exams then there are probably better options for you, since you'd be taking quite a few courses anyway. However, I'd urge you to reconsider taking these exams since for the most part they are much easier (my opinion), cheaper, and quicker than taking the equivalent courses, and you seem to be good at taking tests (you've already collected quite a few industry certifications).
I completed my BS from COSC. I started with an AA and my MCSE, MCP+I, MCSA, A+, N+. They give credit for all the certs including my MCSE NT4.0. COSC gives the same number of credits as Excelsior but COSC considers them all Intermediate Level. I was able to complete 51 credits in 6 weeks using CLEP and DANTES exams. The COSC program cost about $1,000. COSC staff was GREAT; couldn't have asked for more. Why don't you want to take CLEPS and DANTES? Also, Touro University International has a BS-ITM and a BS-CS program you might want to look at. I have only heard good things about them and I just enrolled in the MS-ITM Program.
wow, i really appreciate all the quick responses. based on what ive heard im kinda leaning toward bellevue. let me explain. cost wise it is not the cheapest overall, but i guess that depends on how you look at it. they have an accelerated program, bachelor of science in isst (internet systems and software technology) transfering with an associates satisfies the gen ed req and leaving only 9 credit hours of what they call the kirkpatrick series, which looking at the 3 courses in it seems to be mostly history/civics type courses. they will give me 16 credit hours for my mcse. leaving an accelerated 36 hour major to be complete in one year. and 6 elective hours to take. heres the breakdown. 127 total semester hours required. 60 for my aas. 16 for my mcse. 36 hour major. 9 hour kirkpatrick series. 6 hour electives. cost would be 9765 total for the 36 hour major, which comes to about 265/credit hour. plus the 9 kirkpatrick at 180 (gen eds are less) then the electives she said i could take at a community college or similar. total not including electives = 11385 + enrollment fee, graduation fee, and any learning material (books, media, etc.) so lets just say 12000 for the sake of argument. i could have my bachelors in 15 months without taking all the gen ed classes i missed on my aas. this is primarily the reason i am looking into dl, as the local university-nebraska in lincoln-basicly told me that id be taking mostly gen ed classes that i didnt get from my aas, and that it would be 3-3.5 years. screw that i want to get in and get out as cheaply and quickly as possible. i do like the idea of just taking courses online without enrolling as that may significantly lower the cost. well based on what ive told you what do you think of bellevue? how does excelsior compare cost wise? it was kinda hard to figure out what i would be paying as they dont list the tuition. (correct me if im wrong, ive been looking at a lot of schools) i also may consider on testing out of some of these courses. how tough are they? are they just basic knowledge courses? i dont really feel like studying for a test out as my schedule is pretty busy as it is. how much do these usually run? if i could just walk in, test, walk out i would be all for it. fort hayes was very cheap, 102.50 per credit hour and just enrollment, graduation, and media fees. if they gave me 60 hours for my aas that would leave 60 and put me at around 7k. cheaper however, like others have said i may be taking mostly gen eds, plus the time factor. based on the research i have done it seems most schools will give you 60 credit hours for an associates. since i dont have a lot of gen ed classes will most of these be going to my upper level major classes? also do any of these schools have any other start dates besides spring summer fall? bellevue i could start in march. finally, how about scholarships? i carried a 3.75 with my aas. any of these schools give decent money for good grades? once again i appreciate all your help.
