Degree Questions

[Farmerboy]

I just applied to TESC for my degree in business and am in the enrollment process but I have couple of questions for those with experience!

When I started I chose a business major because it intrigued me and it seemed like a good "foundation degree" in case I wanted to further my education. The test material has been extremly interesting and I have really enjoyed learning.

However, I always really enjoyed history and have done well on the history tests that I have taken. I would also eventually like to pursue a career in the political arena.(call me weird!) With that being said my parents and I decided to look into getting a double major. When we asked TESC they said that I would have to take 30hrs of coursework to graduate with a double major.

With that backround information I had a few questions,

Is the coursework actual courses or can you test out of most of the requirments?

Is a double major even worth the extra money and effort and would it differentiate myself when I eventually seek a job?

Would it be better to get a BA in history or a BA in political science?

I really would appreciate any input you guys could give me. Hopefully I didn't just ramble. Thanks in advance!

Farmerboy

[cinderly]

Caveats: This is based entirely on my own experience. I am not enrolled at TESC.

If you decide to go to Law School, a degree in history is at least as good, generally speaking, as a degree in political science. Both are more traditional choices than a degree in business.

Employers assume that people who study history are (a) really smart, (b) good at research, and (c) good writers. Employers assume that people who study business are good with numbers.

You'll have to check your catalog to see whether you can use courses or tests to fulfill the additional requirements. I dropped my second major (history) in the interest of time - history courses are fun, but they require more reading and of a type that goes slower than my literature courses. It makes an excellent minor, though!

Excelsior didn't seem to care whether my credits were by exam or by course, so long as they met the requirements of the major. The second major also would have filled a fair number of my elective courses - a two-major degree does not usually require 150 credits to a single-major's 120 (it could happen, though.)

This decision is one place where being young really works to your favor -- you have more time to recover the cost of any education you undertake than those of us who are a year or two older than you. I'd encourage you to follow your passion - expediency becomes a little less of an issue at 18 or 21 than it does later in life. (If I'm mis-remembering and you're not one of the homeschoolers, please forgive my aging brain!) And, if you want to study history, packaging it with a business degree can't hurt you.

A last point of evaluation: if you have plans for grad school or a target employer, ask those folks which scenario presents the rosier picture. For politics, contact your local, state, and federal representatives. You should be making these contacts, anyway if you want to go into that form of public service. People are wonderful in their willingness to share information if you'll only ask, and the legislative types might be happy to have a question to answer that has nothing to do with what they did or did not do in the last session.

[cookderosa]

Originally Posted by Farmerboy

I just applied to TESC for my degree in business and am in the enrollment process but I have couple of questions for those with experience!

When I started I chose a business major because it intrigued me and it seemed like a good "foundation degree" in case I wanted to further my education. The test material has been extremly interesting and I have really enjoyed learning.

However, I always really enjoyed history and have done well on the history tests that I have taken. I would also eventually like to pursue a career in the political arena.(call me weird!) With that being said my parents and I decided to look into getting a double major. When we asked TESC they said that I would have to take 30hrs of coursework to graduate with a double major.

With that backround information I had a few questions,

Is the coursework actual courses or can you test out of most of the requirments?

Is a double major even worth the extra money and effort and would it differentiate myself when I eventually seek a job?

Would it be better to get a BA in history or a BA in political science?

I really would appreciate any input you guys could give me. Hopefully I didn't just ramble. Thanks in advance!

Farmerboy

>>

My own two cents here- the additional 30 credits you will need would be your BA credits because the BS Business core /electives are more than 30. In other words- don't get your BA and add business or your going to do a heck of a lot more than 30 extra.
For your major (BA) only 2 classes can be 100 level- so count up the CLEPs/DSSTs that would count as your requirement. I think (without checking) that there are almost enough history exams to make it- but not political science.
Finally, just my own suggestion- but I had STRONGLY considered a double major at TESC. (every now and again I even get the urge until my husband pulls me back into focus) I spent a lot of time looking into it and how to do so efficiently with minimal overlap. I even did a bit of reading on double majors offered through other colleges. My end decision was to take those 30 credits as part of a master's degree instead of dumping the time and money into an undergrad degree that people may or may not understand. A master's degree is only 32-36 credits- look at it as you would almost be done and you would have a higher degree. Not everyone understands the requirements of a double major- and colleges differ on the requirements- a master's degree is much more easily understood in my opinion. (and fewer people have them) At TESC you have the option of a "Bachelor to Master" program which lets you start taking master classes when you reach 99 credits- this allows you to "double dip" your credits and use them for both degrees. Your whole program from zero to masters would be 99+36 = 135 credits. The way you propose (if you get a masters) is 120 + 30 + 36 = 186 credits.

[Farmerboy]

cookderosa,
In the business section of the college catolog sent to me by TESC they state that, "Once students have earned 99 credits toward a baccalaureate degree, they may apply for provisional admission th the graduare program at TESC. Once accepted, they may earn 9 graduate credits for the undergraduate and graduate degress."

Is the catalog not explaining the whole truth? The idea of a bachelors to masters is really appealing as long as the cost is manageble. Thanks for your help!

Farmerboy