Computers Science School for My friend

My friend is leaving a B&M ABET Electrical Engineering school (University of Tennessee) to pursue an online degree because his full time work at the age of 27 is not compatible with going to a B&M school. The schedule is literally not going to be possible; he would have to go without sleep 2 days straight each week to fit in the schedule with his 3rd shift job.

So I am trying to help him, but he is nervous. He of course wanted RA accreditation and an ABET Certified EE program. I told him there is only one ABET RA EE program and it requires a residency to Dakota for the labs (I think I got that right). He cannot do this, not possible.

So he is fine with switching to an RA Computer Science program online as he wanted to do Software engineering anyways, he just knew he would have more clout with an EE degree down the line.

So I extensively searched Degree info. Found the Top 3 schools listed by you guys.

1. Florida State University
2. Troy University
3. Touro International University

So Florida State University is ranked #1 by you guys and is RA. Troy and Touro are also RA. Do these school's Computer Science Programs have any special accreditations (ABET certifies CS also, but even the University of Tennessee does not have an ABET certified CS program)? Do they have a Quarterly system, or 2 semesters with a summer semester??

Do I need to know anything else about these schools that I have not found in other posts? Proctored exams? If so how do you find a proctor? Any Trips required to the schools? Is Florida State the #1 school because it carries the most clout to an employer in an interview? Or is it the best due to the program Content?

You guys are the best and I just really want to get solid facts for my friend who is nervous to start this, but has no choice anymore.

 

Do you guys know anything about these other CS schools? Are they in your top 3 or 5 ranks?

Degree Title: Bachelor of Computer Science

College: Baker College Online

Description: The Bachelor of Computer Science program is designed to work in conjunction with the associate degree choice of the student to gain entry or increase his/her opportunity for promotion in his/her field. Some of this programs core courses include: Introduction to Operating System Concepts, Computer Architecture, Database Administration, Introduction to Programming, Object Oriented Programming with C++, Java Programming, HTML Programming, and Web Server Administration. Students will acquire skills in software development, Internet communications, network administration and database administration, as well as foundational knowledge in the field of computer science.

Accreditation: North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Delivery Format: Online

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Degree Title: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

College: Regis University

Description: The online Bachelor of Science in Computer Science degree will prepare you for a career in systems analysis and design, computer programming, project management, or management information systems. As a student, you will develop skills and knowledge in the areas of computer architecture, object-oriented analysis and design, software engineering, workflow analysis, and business processes. A total of 128 credit hours are required to earn a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science. ($340 per credit hour)

Accreditation: Regis University is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA).

Delivery Format: Available entirely online. Asynchronous communication: web-based classrooms, e-mail, chat rooms and forums, and bulletin boards. Course material may be supplemented with VHS, CD-ROMs, and DVDs.

____________________________________________________


Degree Title: Bachelor of Science - Computer Science

College: Franklin University

Description: Perhaps nothing has revolutionized the way business is done more than computer systems. Tasks that once took weeks to accomplish now can be done with the push of a button. Today’s businesses need computer science professionals with the know-how to design, implement and manage complex computer systems. As an online Computer Science student at Franklin University, you will explore mathematical, scientific and logical concepts needed to structure computer systems, design, write and test software and prepare software documentation. Through your courses you will gain a foundation in programming, algorithm development, computer architecture, operating systems and networks.

Accreditation: North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Delivery Format: Online. This program incorporates sophisticated multiple distance learning technologies (discussion boards, chat forums, e-mail) with traditional instruction such as text readings, lectures, quizzes, tests, discussions, and assignments.

 

Actually I believe if he wants to be a software engineer he will have less clout with a EE degree than he would a MS in software engineering. Too many EEs think they are great coders and aren't.

Florida is highest rated by Joanne on these forums, but they are insanely expensive if you don't live in florida.

Also check out University of Illinois springfield. Good price, but on the cohort system which is not very flexible.

Regis is a very excellent program, but even more insanely expensive.

The other programs you meantion are not as good though I would give a nod to baker and franklin as being decent programs. Also look at limestone college.

 

FSU CS Department Accreditation

The undergraduate program with major in Computer Science is accredited by the Computer Science Accreditation Commission (CSAC) of the Computing Sciences Accreditation Board (CSAB), a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council on Post secondary Accreditation (COPA) and the United States Department of Education.

From www.csab.org
CSAB serves as a participating body of ABET with two members on the ABET Board of Directors. CSAB is the lead society within ABET for accreditation of programs in computer science, information systems, and software engineering, and is a cooperating society for accreditation of computer engineering. In this capacity, CSAB has responsibility for the development of accreditation criteria and for the selection and training program evaluators. Accreditation activities previously conducted by the Computer Science Accreditation Commission (CSAC) are now conducted by the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) of ABET. Within ABET, the Computing Accreditation Commission is responsible for the accreditation of programs in computer science and information systems, while the Engineering Accreditation Commission is responsible for the accreditation of programs in software engineering and computer engineering.

 

FSU's program is accredited by CSAB which is part of ABET.

FSU is on the semester system. The summer semester comes in three flavors: A, B and C. Both the A and B semesters are essentially an entire semester over the span of 6-8 weeks. The A semester occurs before the B semester. The C semester spans the entire summer semester and lasts 12 weeks (abbreviated from the regular 15 weeks.)

FSU offers both a BS in Computer Science and a BS in Software Engineering. In truth both majors are the same but the student has the option to select what major appears on their transcript. The reason for this is that the elective courses provided for SE majors are actually required for CS majors and visa versa.

All exams require a proctor.

No trips are required to the school.

I find FSU's program to be better that most other programs probably because they are CSAB accredited and they follow the curriculum suggested by the ACM and IEEE very closely. Therefore, I would say they address the fundamentals better than other programs. Of course, having the FSU name on your resume is simply better than having the name of a smaller, lesser known school (especially in the southeast.)

 

My friend is considering Troy University greatly. Could you guys give me an opinion on Troy? What is the cost difference between Troy and Florida State University?

So what is the 2nd best CS distance degree next to Florida State University?

 

Ok.......
___________________________________________
Computer and Information Science, Information Studies, and Interdisciplinary Social Science
Leon, Gadsden, or Wakulla County Residents
Florida resident: $164.23 per credit hour
Non-Florida resident: $539.42 per credit hour

Other
Florida resident: $150.31 per credit hour
Non-Florida resident: $525.50 per credit hour

____________________________________________


190 credit hours would be 102,489.80$.....

Do online students have to pay the out of state tuition????

OK, what is 2nd best Online Computer Science BS Degree?

 

where do you get 190 hours? FSU is on the semester system so it would be 120 hours so your only talking about $64k for and out of state resident. You must have missed the part where I said insanely expensive.

Troys degree is only a Applied Computer Science degree, but it is also cheap.

 

So who is the 2nd best Online Computer Science School?

 

Other good schools

Another good school that offers a DL option to complete a BSCS is Old Dominion University. This is another well established B&M University that offers a great program. They have special tuition rates for students living outside the commonwealth of Virginia. At $221 per credit hour it is a bargain.

My advice before entering this or FSU's program is to complete a well rounded AA degree somewhere else before entering either program. FSU will let you in if you are bringing in 60+ hours, but believe me you want the AA degree. I don't believe either program offers the breadth of courses online to compensate for not having an AA degree.

 

My friend has over 100 credit hours. I should tell him to apply for a TESC, COSC, or Exelsior Associates before entering the CS degree program I guess.

If he has so many credits, does he really have to get an associates first for either of these schools?

So I guess the Pecking order so far for Totally Online RA BS CS degrees is:

1. Florida State University
2. Old Dominion University
3. University of Illinois Springfield
3. Everyone Else (Troy, Touro International, Baker College, Regis College, etc)

Soooooooo Am I right with that ranking listed above?

You have have been so helpful, but my friend REALLY wants to be sure before he settles for a program as this is really nearve racking for him (I have already taken the DL plunge). He was pretty set on Florida State University, but the price is WAY too much for him, he will not even consider it now. THANKS GUYS!!

 

There is no requirement to earn an associate degree before earning a bachelor degree. Many people choose that route solely for the purpose of earning a credential in a shorter period of time or to allow themselves more time to decide what they really want to pursue for the bachelor degree with the general education courses out of the way.

With 100 credit hours (100 semester hours?) your friend can enroll in a bachelor degree and potentially have only 20 credit hours (7 courses) to complete. With TESC, for example, it is possible to transfer in all 120 credit hours assuming they are applicable to the degree requirements and graduate within weeks.

 

Yea I will definetly tell my friend about maybe going the route through TESC, COSC and Exelsior. The problem is that once you have a bachelors degree, it is harder to transfer your credits into another bachelors program rather than if they were credits free of a degree ( I may be wrong about this, but this is what a school told me)

My friend really wants a Computer Science degree from an RA school WAAAAAY over getting an IT or CIS degree. He sees more utility in it for where he wants to go in life.

Do you guys think Troy is a good university? or should he instead go with Old Dominion University or The university of Illinois - Springfield instead??

 

Admission Policy for the Online Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree

1. Students will submit all application materials to the Office of Admissions and Records, who will evaluate the applications to determine whether the application is complete and whether the student has met the requirements for admission to UIS and the Computer Science program. The student’s file will then be forwarded to the Computer Science department which will determine admission into the online Computer Science enrollment option.

2. Students will be admitted in groups of 20 each fall and spring semester.

3. Review of applications for fall will begin on March 15. The admissions office will be notified of the program’s decision by April 1. For spring, application review will begin September 15, with notification to admissions by October 1. If the 20 slots are not filled in the initial review, the review of applications will continue until the class is full.

4. Admitted students will be required to register within two weeks of notification of admission to confirm their status. A wait list will be used to assure that full enrollment is maintained.

5. In order to apply, students will be required to submit the materials and fees required by the campus as well as:

a) A statement of purpose for the pursuing of this degree and a discussion of any related educational/work experiences (two page 10 point font maximum).

b) A sample of Java code that they have written for a prior course or related work project.

These materials will provide the student the opportunity to demonstrate their interest in and qualification for study. They will be reviewed for content, writing and programming ability. Beyond the requirements for admission into the Computer Science program, students entering the online enrollment option will be required to have completed two semesters of Java programming or equivalent and one semester of discrete or finite mathematics.




For further information regarding our program, please direct all inquiries to [email protected].


E-TUITION:

UIS has a special tuition rate that applies only to online courses. This rate is termed "electronic tuition," or simply "E-tuition." The following students will qualify for E-tuition:

All Illinois residents who have applied and been admitted as a degree-seeking student in an online program and take only online courses.

All non-residents of Illinois who have applied and been admitted as a degree-seeking student in an online program and take only online courses.

Non-residents of Illinois who do not meet the criteria itemized in (2) above are charged out-of-state tuition rates when they enroll in online courses. For the Fall 2006 semester, the E-tuition rates are:

Undergraduate (Continuing): $172.75 per credit hour
Undergraduate (SM04, FL04, SP05): $133.50 per credit hour
Undergraduate (SM05, FL05, SP06): $160.00 per credit hour
Undergraduate (SM06, FL06, SP07): $201.00 per credit hour
Graduate: $217.75 per credit hour

 

Above info is for University of Illinois-springfield

 

Your friend doesn't need to have an AA first, just remember that some of these programs (like FSU) are actually degree completion programs and don't offer any of the lower level breadth courses online.

I would rate the online BSCS programs as follows (this is purely subjective):

Top
California State University, Chico
Florida State University
Mercy College
Old Dominion University
University of Illinois, Springfield

Middle
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Regis University
Troy University
Utah State University

Lower
Franklin University
Limestone College
National University
Touro University International
(everyone else generally discussed here)

 

With over 100 credit hours already, don't get an undergraduate CS degree!. Get a quick and cheap TESC, COSC, or Excelsior degree (in anything) and then get a CS masters. While there are few inexpensive undergraduate DL CS degrees, there are a lot of quality graduate CS degrees, and many are inexpensive. At most undergraduate programs, he'll probably have to earn a minimum of 45 hours to get the CS degree anyway (since his 100 hours wprobably won't fit into the proper buckets - which isn't a problem at Excelsior/TESC/COSC). Why not get the quickie undergrad and then spend your 30 to 36 credit hours of tuition on a masters degree? I see no downside to this plan.

 

Jeff, you recommended the same thing to me several years ago (pre-2002) and I am still happy I went the path I did (I had 87 credit hours when I enrolled at FSU.) A masters degree, while indepth, doesn't have nearly the breadth of a undergrad degree. Without this sort of breadth, you are at a disadvantage both in your on-the-job confidence and in your preparation for graduate school. I know you chose the other way and have been very successful; however, saying you can be a Computer Scientist with just a masters degree in computer science is very akin to saying you can be an Electrical Engineer with just a masters degree.

Of course, after having said that, I do think firstmode's friend needs to be aware of your suggested path so he can better decide for himself where he stands and where he wants to go. And of course, you're most certainly the man who can certainly steer him the right way.

 

Wow, thanks guys! I do not think I have anymore questions at this time. I will look over all of the informtion you have provided and let my friend see it all.

I hope this thread becomes the definitive Computer Science Info Thread on here, I searched all of the archives and they did not have all of this info.

Thanks!

 

Joanne I cannot believe you put troys BS in applied CS above bakers. That really supprised me.


I would also like to add that Utahs isn't really distance learning as such since you have to GO to the satelite station in utah to attend class. Unless that has changed.

I forgot about mercy.. they have an incredible software engineering program. Also insanely expensive though. But very very good.

For old dominion your gonna need two years of foreign language. Some get that my state doesn't have that as a requirement for an AA so I never got that.