Online classes to apply to university

I have a unique question. I am in the military with about 2.5 years left on my enlistment. When I get out I would like to attend the University of Tenn-Knoxville's nuclear engineering program. I would like to complete as much of the required gen eds and core classes as I can by that time but my only option is distant learning. I am currently attending Columbia College who has a satelite campus on base for a majority of those courses. Not all the classes I would like to complete are offered by columbia and my plan is attend other schools that do offer them. Examples are Calculus I and II from TESC and Physics w/ lab I and II. I plan on also taking 2 or 3 clep exams. My question is will the mulitple sources of credit present any problems or hinder my approval for admission? Also may attend a couple of the nuclear core classes such as Thermodynamic, etc. Do credits like these from TESC and EC transfer easily to major universities? Any input would be much appreciated.

 

I really don't think you'll have a problem as long as the classes you are taking are (a) regionally accredited and (b) part of the degree requirements of the program you intend to pursue.

Also, be sure to check UT's CLEP policy to make sure all of the exams you are taking will be accepted. Each college or university has its own unique policy on which exams it will accept and what scores you will need to target.

 

The ultimate authority on this is the U of T and so anything you learn here should be double-checked with them. Theoretically you should be able to earn half your credits through an alternate source. This would be similar to earning an Associates degree and then transferring to a 4 year school. However, no one here can tell you with certainty that if you take Calculus I at XYZ online college that U of T will accept those credits from that school. Your best bet - take as many online credits as possible from Tennessee state colleges. Credits generally transfer easiest within a state college system.

 

I agree with Kizmet. Each school seems to have a slightly different policy on what they will accept and how many transfer credits they will accept, so checking with the school is the best idea. One quick phone call to the school will answer your transfer questions better than many opinions from members here.

 

What Kizmet and SurfDoctor said.

Here's the layout for course requirements for Nuclear Engineering at UTK - http://www.engr.utk.edu/nuclear/ugstud/FlowSheet11.pdf - along with course descriptions - Course Descriptions

Your problem isn't transferring courses per se; it's making sure that the transfers count as the particular courses you need for your engineering degree. In your example of first year calculus, you need Math 141-142. If you took calculus from TESC, you'd take MAT-231 and MAT-232. Based on the syllabus at TESC, I'm guessing UTK would probably count those as 141 and 142, but I wouldn't bet big on it.

I personally think you'd be safer doing your math at University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (Military Personnel | NetMath at the University of Illinois). UIUC is an outstanding engineering school with a great online program, and I'd be very surprised if UTK had a problem accepting their transfers as first year calculus. As Kizmet pointed out, an even safer route would be to find a Tennessee school with online classes that have already been established as equivalent to Math 141 and 142. You can find the list of transfer equivalencies here - UT Knoxville | Transfer T

For calculus-based physics with labs, you need courses that will transfer as PH 231 and PH 232. These are a little more dangerous than calculus. Take a look at the transfer equivalencies for other Tennessee schools above and notice how few classes come in as 231 and 232. If I were you, I'd look at AMU for physics (AMU Course: SCIN233 - Physics I with Lab and AMU Course: SCIN234 - Physics II with Lab), but I'd also check with UTK to make sure those are likely to count as the courses you need.

The bottom line is that you have to be more careful than most in choosing your online classes because you need them not only to transfer, but to be accepted as the specific courses required by UTK's engineering school.

Oh, and you should definitely knock out any of the relevant CLEPs listed here - AP, CLEP, and IB Credit | UT Knoxville Undergraduate Admissions - but notice that UTK doesn't award credit for DANTES exams.

 

North Carolina State University is another option for calculus-based physics online (NC State Department of Physics), but again, you should check with UT Knoxville to see whether NCSU courses are likely to transfer as PH 231 and 232.

 

Perhaps the U of Mass Lowell has some classes that might be of interest to you (CAD, etc):
UMass Lowell Current Semester Online Courses
When I took several courses there (in seat) they offered degrees in nuclear engineering and had a reactor on site. I do not see any such courses in this listing however.

UND offers several ABET engineering degrees and you may be able to take individual courses there:
Online & Distance Education