How quickly can I complete my bachelors degree, I was 13 hrs away?

I had to quit school with only 13 hrs left for a BS in Geography, I know, I know.....
Going back there is not an option, I have to work, but need to finish
whats the fastest completion program?
its been years, but I attended Baylor and Texas A&M, have 24 hrs language abroad
Need to figure this out affordably

 

Does your degree specifically have to be in geography? What do you mean when you say you "have 24 hrs language abroad?" Did you take 24 hours of a foreign language through a college/university? Did you complete a military language training program? Is the 24 hours of language in addition to the your previous coursework at Texas A&M and Baylor?

 

I second AV8R's questions. Many members here at Degree Info recommend TESC or Excelsior College for degree completion issues. They both liberally accept transfer credits. The problem is that it is unlikely that either offers a degree in Geography.

Do you have specific career goals linked to Geography?

 

Hmmmm or CHARTER OAK STATE COLLEGE!

 

More questions...

How old are your credits? Are you still in Texas?

Next question after the age of the credits are is to find out which online program will accept older credits...I think there might be but I'm not well-versed in that area. Perhaps someone here will answer. Or you could post a separate question asking specifically "What university takes credits >X years old?"

If none of those work, then you can go the time-honored "testing-out" route via the Big Three (TESC, Charter Oak SC and Excelsior) In fact, they may be the most likely places to take older credits too. It would likely be the quickest route too. Look at the BAin4weeks site too for more ideas.

Did you call either Baylor or Texas A&M to find out if they will apply any of these credits toward a BA? (Texas A&M seems more likely to work with you but neither TAMU nor Baylor have any online undergrad classes/degrees.) This would only work if you are able to take in person classes. TAMU refers students to this resource for online undergrad classes:
Texas Electronic campus

Another option is Western Governor's University, which does a competency-based model. Presumably they would accept prior classes and work with you on a plan to complete a degree. Online University | Online Degree Programs, Accredited Bachelor's and Master's

Good luck!

 

If possible I would inquire as to whether you could take the necessary credits at some accredited school and transfer them to your original school. If it was me I'd like to finish in the school where I started. If that's not possible then you're looking at transferring all those credits to another school (like one of the big 3) and add the necessary credits for their degree.

 

Kizmet said it better than I but that was my recommendation too. Especially if you're in Texas - TAMU looks better than TESC.

 

+1 on this. You can absolutely without a doubt transfer everything to TESC, they only "age out" your business courses, nothing else. However, you have to cross your fingers that what you've completed aligns with the new credit distribution.

I'd see what you're deficient in for your Texas degree- find online options for those 13 credits (I'd bet you twenty-five cents we could find them in an afternoon) and then enroll-complete-transfer back into your old school. Of course if your old school won't accept the final 13 in transfer (some require your final credits to be done in residency) then the big 3 will work for you.

 

+2 on this - I would try to see if you could transfer the final 13 credits in to your original school.

If the answer is no, then apply to ALL of the Big 3, Excelsior, Charter oak, Thomas Edison State College and see which school provides the fastest path.

Good luck!

Shawn

 

You might even find that the missing 13 credits can be completed via CLEP/DSST...depends on what they are and the acceptance of CBE at your original school.

 

If you are a Texas resident –you may want to consider Tarleton State University:

TSU offers several (10) fully online baccalaureate completion programs (although not in Geography). Tarleton, with its main (Stephenville) campus along with several satellite campuses (Fort Worth, Waco and Navarro College in Midlothian) as well offer degree completions in F2F and/or blended format.

Undergraduate Programs - Tarleton State University

 

Another option (if you're unable to complete and transfer 13 credits from another school to your original school AND you do not like the idea of going with one of the "Big 3" schools) would be to transfer up to 90 credits to another B&M school in Texas that has a strong online presence. I've read somewhere that most, if not all credits earned in a Texas university will transfer to another Texas school. Might be worth looking into.

To start, I would get yourself over to the Texas Electronic campus and search for Texas degree programs with a 100% online option. I didn't see Geography listed as a subject area, but you might find another subject of interest.

Best of luck.

 

Fort Hays State University: online B.G.S. with concentration in Geography /GIS (Tuition: $178.30 per credit hour)
General Studies Geography GIS Degree - Fort Hays State University

 

Follow up

The 24 hrs are Spanish language, accredited, in addition to Baylor and TAMU
Literally was at midterms in last semester when had to drop out, which was 1992
Am back in Texas after 10 yrs in Chicago,
Was hoping to not have to take 30 hrs to complete degree.
No specific need for geography

 

If you have 45+ credits at the junior/senior level and 90 credits overall, check out Athabasca - you could probably get their BGS degree by simply sending them your transcripts and the application/registration fees (last time I checked, about $180 CAN).

General Studies : Undergraduate Programs : Undergraduate Calendar 2012|13 : Athabasca University

Pros:
It's a degree from a legit, albeit Canadian, school.
It's REALLY, REALLY cheap.
Did I mention it was cheap?

Cons:
It's a three-year bachelors, not a four-year.
You have to have 45 credit hours at the 300/400 level. Many four-year degrees don't require that.
You might have difficulty getting into a US grad school with a three year undergrad from Canada.

If you're just looking to add a degree to your resume and tick a box on an application, this is probably the fastest/most cost effective way to go, assuming you have the 45 300/400 credits. Good luck, and please come back and let us know what you end up doing!

 

COSC has a concentration in geography
Charter Oak State College - Geography