How to get a Bachelors in Business Management by testing out ?

Hi, my name is Andre
I'm new to the forum. I have no previous college credits and very limited knowledge about how college works. I am very interested in getting a degree in Management so I could move into a different position at my current job. I did a lot of research on this site and others and narrowed down the two colleges that seems like a good fit for me. The two are excelsior college and Thomas Edison State College. I have a few questions about the testing out methods I read about on a couple different sites.

1. Do I have to enroll in a college to start taking the CLEP and DSST exams ?
2. If no enrollment is required to start taking the exams how long should I wait before I transfer credits ?
3. How do you transfer the credits from the exams to the school ?
4. What's a good degree plan for a bachelors in businesses management.


I hope you guys can give me some valuable information. Thanks for your time and for reading my post

 

1. No, you don't have to be enrolled in a college to start taking tests.

2. Because Excelsior and TESC have annual enrollment fees, you should wait to enroll when you're almost finished. You don't want to pay for multiple years of enrollment when you don't need them. One can completely avoid the enrollment fee at TESC by opting for the Per Credit Tuition Plan. This particular tuition plan requires 24 credits in residence. The easiest and cheapest way to meet the residency requirement under this tuition plan is to take 24 credits worth of TECEPs. They cost $111 each for non-residents and can be taken at home using ProctorU as long as you are in the U.S. Not only will this allow you to avoid the $3,154 enrollment fee, but it will also have the bonus of replacing the CLEPs and DSSTs you would have taken.

3. When you are enrolled, you put the school's code in when you take the test. Scores will automatically be sent to the school. When you aren't enrolled and don't enter a school code, you will request that your scores be sent from Prometric (DSST) and Collegeboard (CLEP). I think the fees are $20 and $30. IIRC, Prometric allows you to fax your request. Collegeboard says you can fax your request, but they never honor it. You have to call them.

4. I have a test out plan for TESC's BSBA in General Management. I also have a plan that shows you how to complete their BSBA for dirt cheap using the Per Credit Tuition Plan. The fees and tuition have increased a little, but the plan still works the same.

Sanantone's BSBA General Management - Degree Forum Wiki
Sanantone's General Education Options - Degree Forum Wiki
BSBA in General Management Degree Program

Read this whole thread. I made the plan with the technology fee, but students under this tuition plan do not have to pay it.
Even without FEMA, you can still complete the BSBA at TESC for less than $3,000!

 

Do you know how Excelsior enrollment fee is ? The 24 credits for TESC requires me to take at most 8 courses which is $888. I really just want to test out of 95 percent of the degree is that possible with excelsior ?

 

Also, when I send the scores can I send them to both schools ? It shouldn't be more than a $100 right

 

I'll explain in more detail. Under the Per Credit Tuition Plan, one can meet the residency requirement using e-Packs (these are 12-week courses that don't really require any coursework, you just need to pass a test at the end), portfolio assessments, online or guided study courses, or TECEPs. TECEPs are TESC's in-house credit-by-exam. Just like CLEP and DSST, you study on your own and take the test for pass/fail credit. The bonus is that TECEPs can be taken at home with a webcam through ProctorU. You don't need to drive to a college that offers the test like CLEP and DSST.

TECEPs are $111 for non-residents regardless of the tuition plan you choose. Portfolio assessments are $363 for the first 12 credits and $206 for every 6 credits thereafter. Under the Per Credit Tuition Plan, e-Packs and online and guided study courses are $491 per credit hour for non-residents. Under the Enrolled Options Plan, there is no residency requirement and tuition is only $236 per credit hour if you decide to take a course, but you will have to pay a $3,154 enrollment fee. It is much cheaper to spend $888 on TECEPs since you would spend about $800 on CLEPs and DSSTs anyway instead of having to spend over $3,000 for an enrollment fee that will earn you no credits. Plus, you would still have to spend about $800 on CLEP/DSST to fill the 24 credits you could have filled with TECEPs. I don't know if that's confusing.

I'll put it this way. You can fill your degree with CLEP, DSST, Straighterline, etc. and pay the $3,154 enrollment fee so that you don't have to worry about the residency requirement. Or, you can spend a little more money on testing (if your testing center has a $30 testing fee, then CLEP and DSST will cost only $1 less than a TECEP) and replace 8 of those tests/SL courses with TECEPs and save over $3,000 because you won't have to pay the enrollment fee. Look at the TECEP plan I posted that will allow you to complete the whole degree for less than $3,000, if you decide to take nothing but CLEPs and DSSTs instead of TECEPs, that plan will cost you over $3,000 more.

Excelsior has two tuition options. The Excelsior Course Option has no enrollment fee, but has a 12-credit residency requirement. You cannot use the more affordable Uexcels (credit-by-exam) to meet the residency requirement. You have to take Excelsior courses to meet this requirement. Since Excelsior charges $465 per credit hour, meeting that residency requirement, alone, will cost you $5,580. That already puts you way over the total cost of a BSBA at TESC under the Per Credit Tuition Plan, and you've only earned 12 credits toward your degree.

The second tuition option Excelsior has is the Multi-Source Option. This technically has no residency requirement, but you have to take the capstone at Excelsior. Since Excelsior charges $465 per credit hour, that one course will cost $1,395. That's money you could have spent on at least 13 tests for at least 39 credits at TESC. There is also the issue with the required information literacy course at Excelsior. People used to take it for much less at Penn Foster, but I've been hearing rumors that Excelsior is no longer accepting PF to meet this requirement. If that is true, that's another $465 you will have to spend for that on-credit course.

Some other downsides to choosing Excelsior is that they require more upper level credits and accept less tests as upper level than TESC. I doubt anyone could create a plan for Excelsior's business administration degree for less than TESC's under the Per Credit Tuition Plan.

You can request that score reports be sent to each school by fax or telephone. You will have to pay $20 (CLEP) or $30 (DSST) for each one you request. Those were the costs the last time I checked; they might have gone up. If you're already enrolled in a school, you can automatically have the score for the test you're taking sent to one school for free as long as you remember to put in the school code. You can also send scores to any of the Big 3 after you've applied, but haven't yet enrolled. TESC, however, will only hold scores for 6 months for non-enrolled students. After that, you will have to apply again and send your transcripts and score reports again.

 

I forgot to add that the enrollment fee for Excelsior's Multi-Course Option is $1,065. The capstone plus the enrollment fee will cost $2,460. There is no way someone could come up with an Excelsior plan for the business degree that's cheaper than TESC's. You can test out of TESC's Strategic Management capstone with a TECEP for $111 or take it at Penn Foster for $237. Some Excelsior students have joined the Police Officer Association of Georgia for the partnership discount. Under this, you will pay $380 per credit hour, but you will have a 12-credit residency requirement that will cost $4,560.

 

There is a third - Charter Oak State College

 

How long will it take for me to complete the 24 credits required by TESC ?

 

I like the Sanantone's BSBA General Management - Degree Forum Wiki degree plan. Can this one be achieved under $3,000.