Confused man seeking computer science degree

Hello everyone, I'm looking for some advice, or a point in the right direction with this college stuff. I'm looking to get at least a Bachelors in Computer Science, maybe a masters(I heard University of Illinois online is great for that) But I wanna get an Associates in the same before I go for something higher. Can anyone tell me which schools would be best for this path. I'm basically looking for...

-Regionally Accredited
-Cheap as possible, but not a cheap education
-Credits that will transfer over easily (I hear some schools dont really transfer as well as others)

I've heard a few names tossed around, the big 3, Athabascau, i heard dont even go near UoP for anything. If anyone has any personal experience with this online degree im all ears Thanks in advance

 

http://www.geteducated.com/
This will be a good resource for someone like you searching for accredited online schools offering bachelors/masters degree.

You can get a lot of info on Associstes Degree on this site.

 

Joey,

If I were in your shoes, I would look seriously at my local community colleges. You might be able to cobble credits together easier through one of the Big 3, but you will be hard pressed to find a cheaper route to an A.S. degree than the good ol' Harvard By The Highway. For example, my local CC, Wake Technical Community College runs about $125/class, less than what many other schools charge per credit hour. You can also use CLEP and other credit by exam programs to lower the cost even further. Best of luck!

 

An AS in Computer Science is not all that common amongst RA schools. It is much more common with DETC schools.

With that said, I found one program that may be of interest to you:

SUNY Ulster - AS Computer Science. This degree is taken entirely online. SUNY is a great school and you should have no issue with transferring credits. Tuitition is $260/credit and it looks like many of the Math, Science and CS courses are 4 credits each.

The options open up exponentially when you start looking at online BS Computer Science degrees.


Good Luck!

Tom

 

This is good advice given where you say you are at.

 

Joey,

I recommend the same advice as others but with a caveat. Many Associate degrees are very specialized, computer science could be one of these. What happens is the degrees are meant to be used by themselves to qualify for a trade or employment, so make sure that any asscoiates degree you pursue has an articulation agreement with a 4 year school for transfer, otherwise you might end up having to complete some basic classes that are part of a traditional 4 year program. Better yet, find a 4 year program and ask them what associates school/degree they will accept as transfer. Optimally you want to have the first two years covered in whole. But many schools only take 45 credits or so since the other classes are very specialized.

As an aside San Juan College and Clovis Community College provide low cost options for online classes that should transfer to other regionally accredited schools.

 

SUNY Ulster - AS Computer Science has a curriculum that resembles the traditional first two years of my BCS (Bachelor of Computer Science) degree from a brick-and-mortar university in Canada. The credits from the AS(CS) should transfer into a 4-year BS(CS) degree. However, as pointed out you are advised to determine what credit hours will be remaining in the BS(CS) degree assuming all credit hours from the AS(CS) transfer. As long as you do not have to complete more than 120 credit hours total for the BS(CS) including credit hours from the AS(CS) you will be fine. Take a look as the BS(CS) offered by Troy University to get an idea.

 

Thanks for pointing out this site, definitely helpful, even has the top 10 computer majors I've been wondering what fields are the most popular.

 

I'm also looking into the local community college, but its something of a last resort. Distance learning is much more appealing to me. I never really draw much from class sessions, I learn much better working on my own. But it is still something i'm considering because like you said it can be a very cheap alternative.