I've been looking and plenty of sites out there - so many in fact that I am now more confused than ever.. I'm in Canada and am working on a B.Sc. in Computing and Info Systems through Athabasca U - problem is, to complete that degree will take me many years ( 120 credits need, each course 3 credits, each course costs $633 CDN - a mere $80k!).. I am looking for an accredited University where I can complete a BS in CS online in an acceptable time frame ( 2 - 4 years would be ideal ) and I won't have to sell a Lung to afford it... I am looking at Excelsior at this point.. I am sure there are plenty of board members who could lend a thought or a link or two to help me out? PS: Would an AA be a good stepping stone as well? I am not sure whether AA Degrees are accepted in .ca .. Thanks All! BM
If you're attending Athabasca currently you probably understand the fee structure better than myself, but I come up with (120 credits)*($633/3 credits) = $25,320, not $80K. There are many discussions about Excelsior on the I.T. discussion forum. In a nutshell, you'll likely still end up taking a few classes at Athabasca but you can also use CLEP tests and Microsoft certifications to satisfy part of the degree requirements. Neither of those are free but you can same time and money going that route. Thomas Edison State College has a somewhat more flexible B.A. with a concentration in computer science that might also warrant your consideration. Good luck, Mark
..don't ask what I was thinking when I posted the cost - brainfreeze... My main area of concern is time as I would like to complete a degree within 2 - 3 years... I am looking @ Regis, Troy, AIU & Excelsior ...any thoughts? Tnx
BLueMason, Can you clarify which sort of degree you seek? BSCS = Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. What you describe, however, is more like an information systems or information technology degree. The last I knew Excelsior was not offering a computer science degree but IS and IT degrees. Some of those degrees are 124 credits. In addition to the BA in Computer Science degree mentioned by Mark Sykes, Thomas Edison has a similar degree in their BSAST(?) offerings.
If you're looking for a BS in CS (computer science), the following universities may be a good fit: Regis University - (http://www.regisonline.org) Thomas Edison State College - (http://www.tesc.edu) Touro University International - (http://www.tourou.edu) Troy State University - Florida Region - (http://fwr.troy.edu) Troy State University - Fort Benning - (http://www.tsufb.edu)
Thanks for the replies... I mention BSc IS (Info Systems) as that's the only CompSci related degree Athabasca offers... I would like a B.Sc in CS... Regis & Troy seem to be RA schools which will help me get to where I want.. and Troy @ $150/cr seems Troy is the better choice ( combining edu & cost ).. Any thoughts? Thanks BM
Wouldn't CLEP, CompTIA, and/or vendor certifications cut down cost and time? see https://www.excelsior.edu/portal/page?_pageid=57,192968&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL
Hi All & tnx for the replies.. I'll be contacting AU tomorrow re getting credit for current Certs ( ..never gave it much thought until I perused this website today.. most of toda at that) to try and cut down the time... Thank all!
I can't figure how you can see troy as a good choice when it is not really all that close to an actual BSCS. There are other options in addition to some that have already been meantioned check out: Franklin University: www.franklin.edu (offers a BSCS fully online) Limestone College: http://www.limestone.edu/sfs/virtual/index.htm (also a full BSCS online) Baker College: www.Baker.edu (fully online) If you already have an associates look at schools such as : Florida State University : www.fsu.edu (horribly expensive, but rather good) University of Springfield Illinios: www. uis.edu There are lots of other options. I think I have looked over just about all the US has to offer over and over and over again. True CS degrees are hard to find. Franklin and Regis are close, but both lack the amount of math and physics most onsite programs require. Florida is right on, but you need your lower division stuff already. Baker is more of a Bachelors of applied CS. And as I meantioned earlier... troy state doesn't even come close.
