Not sure if it is one of UNISA's programs because you might have to go to South Africa to do labs. If not them, probably Thomas Edison's BA in Natural Science and Mathematics or Excelsior's BS in Biology or Charter Oak's concentration in Biology. Be aware that with the latter three schools, you will have to take courses from more than one school to meet the degree requirements. If it does not have to be a degree in a scientific discipline, but can include numerous science courses, Excelsior's BA in Liberal Arts is probably your least expensive option.
NA usually isn't less expensive than testing out or the least expensive RA options. Science is a lot more difficult to do via DL than a basic Liberal Arts or Business degree.
Well yes and no, places like Aspen and AJU can make NA cheaper. Let’s not forget those test can run over 100 for lower level and 200 for upper level, plus enrollment fee's. That's still cheap but there are other options, we just don't need to push credits by exams down everyone’s throats. When someone asks about a degree that’s the first thing people tell them, there is nothing wrong with telling them about them but not everyone likes to do it that way.
As much as I like DL, consider the possibility of maximum testing (CLEP/DSST/Etc) combined with a local option to DL only. In some cases the total cost and time may be less with a local option. Of course many local brick & mortor options include DL courses.
Aspen is currently running a $100 per credit hour special, which is great if you can nab it. They have Business Admin and General Studies undergrad degrees, which I assume would equate to Excelsior's General Business and Liberal Arts degrees. What I don't know is what sort of acceptance policy Aspen has regarding all of the GRE, CLEP/DSST, ALEKS, NYU/BYU language exams, etc. options available to students going for an Excelsior degree, and that information greatly impacts any side-by-side comparison. With bachelor's degrees typically being 120 semester hours, credit by exam should be your first priority, especially when you start thinking about opportunity costs as well as accounting costs. 120 credits at even the great price of $100 per credit hour equates to $12,000. And that's before books. I think most members of this board would tell you that the additional time and money spent by those distance learners who forego credit by exam would be better spent on a grad program. Another great RA BSBA option is the University of Wyoming. Nothing against Aspen, but without knowing their acceptance policies for CLEP and other credit by exam options, I can't recommend it to someone looking for the least expensive degree. Regarding the OP's query, AFAIK, neither Aspen nor AJU offers a hard science degree anyway.
You could also call AJU and see if you could sweet talk them into letting you take it on sponsored tuition... But Apsen is a good school and a good deal as well. It has a better chance of going RA.
I'm very impressed with Aspen as well. If I wanted a MBA, their current offer would get serious consideration from me. They also have a BS in Alternative Energy, which looks interesting for someone who already has Gen Ed and electives knocked out.
The lowest cost science degree I seen are these geology degrees: Geology - undergraduate courses, 2010/2011 entry (part-time study) - Birkbeck, University of London Next I would say Excelsior, COSC and TESC - although the cost is highly dependant on where you take all the courses or challenge exams. AMU/APU has this BS degree in Space Studies AMU Degree Program: Bachelor of Science in Space Studies Thompson Rivers has a biology degree Bachelor of Science, Major Program, Thompson Rivers University, Open Learning, Distance and Online Education, British Columbia, Canada If you select a USA degree then I recommend pursuing an RA degree. How about a math degree? There are some of those around.
Birkbeck looks pricey for non-EUers, although they have some interesting programs. US community colleges are a good, low-cost option for LL science courses that require labs.
You are correct - now around $30K - cost has risen significantly since I looked at these degrees seriously several years ago.
Looks like it may be possible to earn a BS in Astronomy from the University of Central Lancanshire: Distance Learning Courses in Astronomy, Cosmology and Astrobiology, Education, Study, Studies and University Degrees for under 10K at current exchange rates.
