I'm looking to finish my Associates degree....I'm currently enrolled at AIU AABA but the tuition is killing me. Also, I rather earn a degree that relates to computers. I'm looking for something cheap, quick, and RA. I currently have 30 quarter hours from AIU that I would like to transfer and I'm looking for other ways of earning credit. I am looking into TESC ASAST in computer science, but I'm really confused on a lot of things. This degree requires 60sh to complete. I've completed the following courses so far at AIU: English Comp Business and Society Fundamentals of Marketing Computer Applications Contemporary Math (Business Math) International Business What do I need to do now to get additonal credit (independent study, clep,etc...) and which classes do I need to take. I haven't enrolled at TESC yet...I'm not sure if I should enroll first or start IS or cleps...I'm so confused. I really won't to complete this degree in the next few months...hopefully finish by Feb 05 if that's possible. If anyone have any suggestion or advice please help. Thanks in advance.
Hopefully, you've already looked up TESC's program requirements for the degree on their web page. The ASAST doesn't have a lot of space for free electives, so I don't think you would be able to transfer in all those business credits, but in the long run, I think that's fine, because if you decide later to upgrade to a BSAST, that has a lot more free electives space. It looks as though you have a lot of general education electives to fill, stuff under Humanities, Social Sciences, and and so on. If your business courses were more liberal-artsy, they might have fit under those categories. For example, Advertising could conceivably fit under the "communications" category, arguably making it a Humanities elective, but it's harder to make that kind of argument with "Fundamentals of Marketing". You also need to take Precalculus and Calculus I for your ASAST. Business Math would probably fit nicely under the Natural Science electives heading. My impression is that aside from a few credits for the free electives, you're basically starting from scratch, since most of your credits are business, or not technical enough to fit comfortably into the ASAST core requirements. You might want to consider instead a ASM (AS in Management) with a concentration in Computer Information Systems. That's much less techical, and much less mathy than the ASAST in Computer Science. Not that I want do dissuade you from the ASAST if you really like CS, because I think they're very different types of courses. I think that you should start by getting your general education credits out of the way by taking CLEPs. Pick a Humanities CLEP like Humanities, or Analyzing and Interpreting Literature, do CLEP Social Science, or since you seem to have historically been Business oriented, maybe you would be more comfortable filling in your Social Science electives by doing CLEP Microeconomics and CLEP Macroeconomics instead. You probably also want to take CLEP English Composition (I think TESC wants you to take the one with the essay). It may seem redundant, but TESC wants 6 SH of English Composition, and it seems like you may have only 3. You might want to ask TESC about that. You should read TESC's online publications for prospective and current students, especially the ASAST concentrations sheet, and the college catalog, which will give you a better idea of what CLEP, DSST, and other exams map to what courses. Also, since you seem to be in a hurry, keep in mind that even if you complete all your degree requirements by February 2005, you won't officially graduate until sometime in June 2005. I believe TESC's Board of Trustees currently meets quarterly to approve each new batch of graduates.
Excelsior College and Charter Oak are much like Thomas Edison, so you may want to consider them as well.
