Bachelor's Options from UoP

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Telsiph, Mar 6, 2015.

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  1. Telsiph

    Telsiph New Member

    Good morning,

    About 3 years ago I received my Associates in IT from the University of Phoenix, and it is something that has never instilled much pride in me. I work as an administrator for a Virtual and Cloud server company, but I feel a bit behind my colleagues. I have completed a few certificate training programs since then, but lately I've been debating about looking into online options for completing a bachelor's program while I still work for this company as it is a fantasy company to juggle work and school with.

    My primary issue at the moment is the money, I spent an absolute ton of money at UoP. I do not know why I never went online or just spoke to someone about alternatives, but my manager at the time graduated from UoP and my girlfriend's parents went there so those 2 little facts were enough to motivate me into thinking "Well this is likely a good idea, and they are so motivated to have me! I feel so loved!". Now years later, after doing the research I can see how incredibly overpriced and how inefficient they are (which should have been obvious as I never made below an A in any class).

    I am curious if there are any recommendations for online programs that A. Accept UoP transfer credits and B. Would not double my student loans. That second bit may be impossible, but I've always regretted not asking for more information before UoP so this will be a good opportunity to correct that. If there are no strong options then I will likely start focusing more on certification training, but it kills me that I have a 20k piece of paper in there that I refuse to even tell anyone that I have. It's just "An Associates". I make over 30k a year so I know there are no grant programs that apply to me, and I've already taken a few swings at scholarship programs with no luck (but I've only tried a few and 2 were specific to UoP.)

    Either way I appreciate any time that you can dedicate to this matter!
     
  2. Neuhaus

    Neuhaus Well-Known Member

    UofP, for all of its criticisms, is still regionally accredited. The credit transfer issue shouldn't be too pronounced.

    Depending upon your certifications, you might consider TESC and Excelsior. Both offer a portfolio review and could potentially offer you credits for the certs you already have. Many Microsoft certs are ACE recommended for college credit so the aforementioned link might give you an idea of what sort of credits you're looking at (if your certifications are Microsoft). For non-Microsoft certs, you can check ACE as that would be the easiest pathway to college credit. Otherwise, you might still be able to swing a few credits through PLA. It just depends upon what certifications you have.

    Combine CLEP with that and you might be able to close the gap between your Associates and your Bachelors pretty quickly (and with minimal expense).

    Part of the issue is also going to be what type of degree you want to earn. Are you looking for a B.S. in CS? Business administration/tech management? Liberal Arts?

    Look at the degree requirements for a few different paths at TESC, for example and compare what you already earned at UofP. You may find that you need far fewer courses for a B.A. in Liberal Studies.

    Were I in your position, my focus would be getting a B.S./B.A. in the easiest manner even if it was in Liberal Arts. You can always tack on a Masters later. My reasoning would be simply that your certifications, experience and skill are what have you employed right now.

    But if you are looking at a lot of job opportunities that specify you need a B.S. in CS, IT or a related field, you might have to adjust accordingly (you know your personal situation better than any of us).

    But Thomas Edison State College would be a good place to start looking. The more you can test out of and get credit for in your PLA, the fewer classes you have to pay for.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 6, 2015
  3. rebel100

    rebel100 New Member

    I like everything Neuhaus said above.

    I would add Charter Oak State College to the list as well, perhaps, as Western Governors University. There are those with bias against UofP, I'm one of them, but as mentioned it is a regionally accredited university and the credential is valid...I would mention it with pride in the accomplishment.

    These are the courses that are a bit more difficult to come by for the IS degree concentration at COSC Information Systems Studies - Charter Oak State College you could probably find them at the upper level at any number of colleges, transfer them back to COSC, add a good bit of credit via FEMA (free of cost) and finish up any missing general eds and call it a done. A liberal studies degree would be even easier and allow more credit by exam to fill your degree requirements.

    None of the schools mentioned would double your loans if your careful and flexible with the credit requirements.
     
  4. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    I agree. I would add COSC to the list. Excelsior and COSC are more liberal in awarding credits for IT certifications than TESC. WGU is also liberal in awarding credits for IT certifications. I would go with WGU if you're not comfortable with testing out of courses or taking courses through something like Straighterline because Charter Oak State College and Excelsior don't have the cheapest tuition rates. I would even say that Excelsior is kind of on the expensive side. Those two schools are best for people transferring in almost all of their credits. WGU will cost you a flat $2,850 more or less per six months for as many credits as you can complete. The faster you work, the more money you save. They also accept CLEP, DSST, and Straighterline for general education requirements; but, you have to have all of your transfer credits completed before you enroll. TESC's Comprehensive Tuition Plan is competitive if you're interested in mostly taking courses, but their courses can require a lot of busy work.

    Some other cheap schools with IT-related programs you might want to look into:

    Northern Arizona University personalized-learning programs - self-paced at $2,500 per 6 months
    Brandman University - $2,400 per 6 months and they might even accept credits from Saylor's free computer science courses through their partnership ($25 proctor fee per course)
    Mount Washington College (for-profit) - $2,400 per 20-week term for up to 15 credits
    Fort Hays State University - $186.50 per credit hour
    Chadron State College (business administration with business information systems concentration) - $225 per credit hour
    Peru State College - $225 per credit hour
     
  5. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    Because this page wouldn't load, I couldn't get to my post in time to add Hodges University. Their UPower self-paced programs are $2,000 per month for an unlimited number of courses.
     
  6. Telsiph

    Telsiph New Member

    I am going to explore these options much more thoroughly this evening as there is a lot of information to process here!

    The actual specifics of what I would like to pursue I haven't nailed down yet as I wanted to decide if it was even an option first before really researching anything. Though it appears as though I need to make that decision first before seeing if it is an option. My certs are primarily generalized certs like A+ and networking certs such as Network+ and CCNA, my other certs are specific to my job such as PBA which likely would not assist with college credits.

    I would likely be looking for something in liberal studies because, as you mentioned, it would require far less to complete with the current courses I've completed. I originally went to the University of South Carolina many years ago, and the math credits I took there transferred to UoP and phased out my need for math there. Due to that, it has been a very long time since I have taken part in a high level math course. I'm sure I could learn it all again if I absolutely had to, and I'm completely prepared to if necessary to accomplish this goal, but I'd certainly like to minimize it as much as possible.

    I absolutely love my current job and would love to continue doing server administration, or put some of these network administration certs to use, so I will likely explore degree paths that will assist me with that. I will likely shy away from a B.S. in a CSE related degree and find something with a B.A.

    Thanks again for these recommendations, many of the numbers I'm seeing here are quite doable (especially compared to Phoenix). Can you elaborate a bit more on the self-paced courses? How demanding would you say they are? Currently I do not have any kids and this position is a remote at home position, so I have more available study time than the average individual at my age, however I'm also concerned about taking on to much at once. I would not want to burn myself out by stating "To make this $2k per month wort it, I need to complete X amount of work" and just destroy myself. With the additional information I've given here, is there an option that you would recommend above others at this point?

    I once again appreciate all the time you guys have given on this issue. I'll happily look back on my time and money spent at UoP as long as it eventually applies towards something in my career, at the moment the only thing it has done for me was provide a raise that was just enough to pay for my student loans :p .
     

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