Constructive criticism and suggestions needed!

Hello all knowing Degreeinfo Forum ,
First time poster, weekly lurker here!

I need your insight and guidance, if possible. I've been doing a lot of research but would like some constructive criticism and words of wisdom.

I honestly want to get my Bachelors finished and out of the way as soon as possible. If I can get it done before the year is out I would be so happy and relieved! The ultimate goal is a Masters in HCI.

I took most of yesterday to find all my transcript from over the years and compile it into one doc, so I can share it with you all. It wasn't easy but I managed to figure out old passwords and logins. Where there is a will there is a way!

Here you go!
Courses and Total Credits Earned

I would truly appreciate it if you all can look over the classes and credits I've earned; (I believe I have about 122 credits in total) and let me know which of the BIG 3(TESC, COSC, EC) or online or whatever other college you have in mind would be the quickest, easiest and cheapest route to take. I say cheapest because the amount of debt I have accrued in loans is absolutely horrific! I have 15 more credits to get my degree at my most recent B&M but I would have to take out over $10,000 in loans to do this. I prefer to not do so but do let me know what you think.

A little background:
I work in IT in UX and plan to pursue my Masters in any Human Computer Interaction aka UX degree program willing to accept me especially with a scholarship (fingers crossed). I also have interest in Psychology as well.

I really don't care which major I go into. My focus is just to get my Bachelors so I can start pursuing my Master's degree.

Also did any of you transfer in 'D' grades?

Since I have 122 credits can I just transfer in all my credits and get my bachelors (this is in reference to the Big 3 that have little to no residency requirements)?

If you suggest testing out which college would you suggest I check out based on the courses I've taken and wanting to finish sooner than later?

What is the quickest you think I could finish?

What route would you take?

Which college do I suggest I attend?

You all have been a great help so far!
Thanks you!

 

I'd suggest contacting all of the Big3 and see who will accept the most credits, and see where you may be closest to completion.k:

 

I have heard that Excelsior College is one of the most accommodating with transfer credits, but BobbyJim probably has the right idea. Better to get the info straight from the sources.

Bad news: I think that very few schools will accept "D" grades for transfer. But it never hurts to ask, I could be wrong.

 

When I did my research I found COSC to be most accommodating (every situation is different). Contact me all and see what happens. You can also look at the degree requirements from each and kind of figure it out to some extent.

 

Charter Oak will take at least two semesters because they require a Cornerstone course and a Capstone course that have to be taken in different semesters.

 

Doesn't COSC have 8 week terms as well; so you could do the Cornerstone 1 term and the Capstone the next?

I concur with Bobby Jim, apply to all 3 of the Big 3 and see what the quickest path is. Good luck!

Shawn

 

It seems your current credits cover a broad range of topics. I don't think TESC, COSC or EC offer graphic design degrees. I suspect you will be more like 30 credits away from a degree at these schools. More for any computer related degree. I'm no expert so I would apply to all three then you can use their student tools to see how close you are to various degrees. How much would it cost you to finish at your current school? You said you would have to take out $10k in loans but what is the total cost?

I just completed a BA in Computer Science from TESC. They took my transfer courses in which I got D grades. They were applied to my general education requirements. TESC will not allow them to be used in your area of study (your major). TESC took all my CLEP, DSST, ACE, Aleks, FEMA and IT certifications. I thought they were very good at accepting transfer credits.

I like Clark Howard's advice on student loans. Don't take out more loans then your expected first year starting salary. The starting salary for graphic designers is about $36k.

 

I actually have taken really similar classes, although my English classes were mostly in technical writing. For me, there were several degrees at all three colleges that I could have gotten by taking only a few courses (art, humanities, psychology, liberal studies, or communication). My heart wanted to go with the degree in art, but I decided to go with communication at COSC because I thought that a "degree in communication" would sound best for my long term goals. Aside from the capstone course, I didn't need to take any courses in communication but did need to take two random upper level courses in any subject. I think that TESC has a more liberal policy toward what counts as an upper level course, so they may be a better option if you're in a similar situation. I only chose COSC because I thought their customer service was more responsive.

Since your credits are so similar to mine, you might want to pull up the requirements for some of the same programs (art, humanities, psychology, liberal studies), plus any others that you think might work, and just plug your credits in to see which programs look like they would work the best. When you apply to the colleges, I think you have to apply for a specific program for the evaluation, and from my experience, they don't tell you if they think another program would work better for you, even though it sounds like they would from the application information.

 

You have quite a few professional credits (perhaps 29) so take a look at the EC BSLS - you can accumulate up to 59 pro credits. You could pick up some UP credit via DSST exams.

You are required to take 4-units of courses from EC. And you also require a minimum number of Upper Division credit.

https://my.excelsior.edu/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=f9efcdb6-2dad-4c83-b2e0-43725d335e94&groupId=78666