DESIGN YOUR PLAN, PART 3 - THOMAS EDISON STATE COLLEGE
STANDARD DISCLAIMER: BEFORE FOLLOWING ANY DEGREE PLAN, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE COMPARED IT TO CURRENT DEGREE REQUIREMENTS THROUGH THE SCHOOL. HOMESCHOOL COLLEGE USA CANNOT GUARANTEE ANY PLAN WILL BE ACCEPTED. (Speaking with an Academic Advisor at your school of choice is ALWAYS recommended.)
TESC & LEAP or “Why Did You Have to Make Things so Complicated?”
One of the formerly great things about TESC was their well-balanced approach to general education. You needed the typical 6 credits in English 101 & 102 (of some form), plus 12 credits in humanities, 12 credits in social sciences, 12 credits in natural sciences and mathematics, and 18 electives from these same categories (minus the English part, obviously). Now? In an incomprehensible bid to align themselves with a clearly politically-driven organization*, they've over-complicated a once brilliantly simple system and the end result is the additional need for 9 credits in ethics and diversity, with science and mathematics getting the short shrift. While a student may choose to take more courses in maths and sciences, he is now only required to earn 3 credits in each. A four-year degree with only 6 credits in natural sciences and mathematics is not by any means a balanced degree, especially as that science can be an introductory computer science course, and math can be Applied Liberal Arts Mathematics. Remember, maths and sciences utilize and develop logic and critical thinking skills in ways other courses do not. I highly encourage you to choose some as your electives, even though you don't have to, because you shouldn't shortchange your own education, whether it's “acceptable” or not.
The new LEAP requirements are broken down into “competencies.” These can be met in a variety of ways. In some cases, one course/exam may count toward more than one category, so you will see some repetitions on this list. Just note, even though a certain course or exam could fulfill two requirements, it is still only worth the same amount of credits. (In other words, you can't count the credits twice.)
Oh, and if you do the math, you're going to realize it comes out wrong. Add all the credits required in the following competencies and you come up with 42. However, the TESC website states that students will complete 60 general education credits. It also says this:
“Some of these credits must fulfill specific category requirements and others allow students to tailor their general education experience to their own needs and interests.”
This means the remaining 18 credits can come from any general education category. Just remember, general education credits come from these competencies in some way. Other courses/exams may not apply and would instead be free electives.
*Yes. I know it's the Association of American Colleges and Universities. You would think, then, that they would know better, but apparently not. You can spend a few hours researching the LEAP program and see for yourself that this is a thoroughly biased organization. (In particular, download their PowerPoint presentation and read each slide carefully. It's a real eye-opener.)
The following is not an exhaustive list. For instance, you can choose to take courses through any regionally accredited colleges or universities, online or on campus. You just want to make sure that if you do that they will align with these requirements. Also, until (or if ever) Thomas Edison releases a definitive list of exams to meet the new requirements, there may be some missing from this list.
So grab your pen and notebook, read over this list, and start writing down some exams or courses you might be interested in to fulfill your gen eds. Remember, some of these things will cover more than one category. That's fine. Just make sure you have something written down for each competency's required credits, even if it is a repeat across categories.
One of the formerly great things about TESC was their well-balanced approach to general education. You needed the typical 6 credits in English 101 & 102 (of some form), plus 12 credits in humanities, 12 credits in social sciences, 12 credits in natural sciences and mathematics, and 18 electives from these same categories (minus the English part, obviously). Now? In an incomprehensible bid to align themselves with a clearly politically-driven organization*, they've over-complicated a once brilliantly simple system and the end result is the additional need for 9 credits in ethics and diversity, with science and mathematics getting the short shrift. While a student may choose to take more courses in maths and sciences, he is now only required to earn 3 credits in each. A four-year degree with only 6 credits in natural sciences and mathematics is not by any means a balanced degree, especially as that science can be an introductory computer science course, and math can be Applied Liberal Arts Mathematics. Remember, maths and sciences utilize and develop logic and critical thinking skills in ways other courses do not. I highly encourage you to choose some as your electives, even though you don't have to, because you shouldn't shortchange your own education, whether it's “acceptable” or not.
The new LEAP requirements are broken down into “competencies.” These can be met in a variety of ways. In some cases, one course/exam may count toward more than one category, so you will see some repetitions on this list. Just note, even though a certain course or exam could fulfill two requirements, it is still only worth the same amount of credits. (In other words, you can't count the credits twice.)
Oh, and if you do the math, you're going to realize it comes out wrong. Add all the credits required in the following competencies and you come up with 42. However, the TESC website states that students will complete 60 general education credits. It also says this:
“Some of these credits must fulfill specific category requirements and others allow students to tailor their general education experience to their own needs and interests.”
This means the remaining 18 credits can come from any general education category. Just remember, general education credits come from these competencies in some way. Other courses/exams may not apply and would instead be free electives.
*Yes. I know it's the Association of American Colleges and Universities. You would think, then, that they would know better, but apparently not. You can spend a few hours researching the LEAP program and see for yourself that this is a thoroughly biased organization. (In particular, download their PowerPoint presentation and read each slide carefully. It's a real eye-opener.)
The following is not an exhaustive list. For instance, you can choose to take courses through any regionally accredited colleges or universities, online or on campus. You just want to make sure that if you do that they will align with these requirements. Also, until (or if ever) Thomas Edison releases a definitive list of exams to meet the new requirements, there may be some missing from this list.
So grab your pen and notebook, read over this list, and start writing down some exams or courses you might be interested in to fulfill your gen eds. Remember, some of these things will cover more than one category. That's fine. Just make sure you have something written down for each competency's required credits, even if it is a repeat across categories.
Competency 1: Intellectual and Practical Skills (15 credits)
Institutional outcomes include: Communication, Information Literacy, Quantitative Literacy, and Technological Competency
Examples of courses include English composition I (ENC-101) and English Composition II, Statistics (STA-201), and Living in the Information Age (SOS-110).
The requirements are:
3 credits of Composition (ENC-101 English Composition I)
3 credits of Writing Intensive Coursework (ENC-102 English Composition II)
3 credits of Math
6 credits of Intellectual and practical skills electives
3 credits of Composition (English Composition 1):
3 credits of Writing Intensive Coursework (English Composition 2):
Mathematics:
6 credits of Competency 1 electives:
Along with any of the above math courses, you can pick up these 6 credits using the following -
Competency 2: Human cultures and the physical and natural world through study in areas including the sciences and mathematics, social sciences, humanities, histories, languages, and the arts (18 credits)
Institutional outcomes include Scientific Reasoning expanded to include Social Sciences Reasoning and Humanities Reasoning
Examples include courses in the sciences, social sciences, humanities including interdisciplinary courses ENS-314 Global Environmental Change, HIS-356 War and American Society and PHI-370 Philosophy of Religion.
The requirements are:
3 credits Social Sciences
3 credits Natural Sciences
3 credits Humanities
9 credits of Human cultures and the physical world electives
Social Sciences (3 credits needed):
Natural Sciences (3 credits needed):
Humanities (3 credits needed):
9 credits of Competency 2 electives:
Choose any 9 credits from Competency 2.
Competency 3: Personal and Social Responsibility (9 credits)
Institutional Outcomes include: Diversity/Global Literacy and Responsible Global Leadership, Lifelong Learning
Examples include courses SOC-322 Cultural Diversity, COM-335 Intercultural Communication, PHI-384 Ethics and the Business Professional
The requirements are:
3 credits Diversity/Global Literacy
3 credits Responsible Ethical Leadership
3 credits of Personal and Social Responsibility electives
Okay, this is the odd-ball category. I say this because there doesn't seem to be a completely clear explanation for what fits here. You can get the general idea, but if you look at the list of online courses that TESC accepts in this competency, you'll see that even Introduction to Sociology applies.
So, for Diversity/Global Literacy (3 credits needed):
** If you want to use this particular exam here, confirm it first with the school. Based on their course list for this category, it certainly seems like this one would fit.
Responsible Ethical Leadership (3 credits needed):
3 credits of Personal and Social Responsibility electives:
Anything from this competency. Just make sure you aren't duplicating any credits.
Competency 4: Integrative and Applied Learning, including synthesis and advanced accomplishment across general and specialized studies (integrated throughout general education and capstone courses)
Institutional outcomes include Critical Analysis and Reasoning
This competency will be demonstrated across interdisciplinary general education courses as well as in the area of study and capstone courses.
(In other words, you don't really have to concern yourself with Competency 4.)
All right. Now that you've chosen the courses/exams you will use to meet all the competencies, you need to total up how many credits you have so far. Subtract that from 60, then go back and look at all those options above and decide what other courses/exams you'll take in order to have the 60-credit total for your general education requirements.
Institutional outcomes include: Communication, Information Literacy, Quantitative Literacy, and Technological Competency
Examples of courses include English composition I (ENC-101) and English Composition II, Statistics (STA-201), and Living in the Information Age (SOS-110).
The requirements are:
3 credits of Composition (ENC-101 English Composition I)
3 credits of Writing Intensive Coursework (ENC-102 English Composition II)
3 credits of Math
6 credits of Intellectual and practical skills electives
3 credits of Composition (English Composition 1):
- CLEP College Composition (6 credits; also covers English Composition 2)
- ECE English Composition, Essay Format (6 credits; also covers English Composition 2)
- TECEP English Composition 1
- AP English Language and Composition (6 credits; also covers English Composition 2)
- StraighterLine English Composition 1
- Penn Foster English Composition
3 credits of Writing Intensive Coursework (English Composition 2):
- Any of the above exams that already cover this area
- TECEP English Composition 2
- StraighterLine English Composition 2
Mathematics:
- ALEKS Intermediate Algebra
- ALEKS College Algebra
- ALEKS PreCalculus
- ALEKS Statistics
- CLEP College Mathematics (6 credits)
- CLEP College Algebra
- CLEP PreCalculus
- CLEP Calculus
- DSST Fundamentals of College Algebra
- DSST Principles of Statistics
- AP Calculus AB
- AP Calculus BC (6 credits)
- AP Statistics
- ECE/UExcel Calculus
- ECE/UExcel Statistics
- Udacity Introduction to Statistics
- TECEP Applied Liberal Arts Mathematics
- TECEP College Algebra
- TECEP Statistics
- StraighterLine College Algebra
- StraighterLine PreCalculus
- StraighterLine General Calculus 1
- StraighterLine General Calculus 2
- StraighterLine Business Statistics
6 credits of Competency 1 electives:
Along with any of the above math courses, you can pick up these 6 credits using the following -
- DSST Public Speaking
- DSST Technical Writing
- DSST Introduction to Computing
- DSST Management Information Systems
- TECEP Public Relations & Practice
- TECEP Technical Writing
- TECEP Introduction to News Reporting
- TECEP Network Technology
- TECEP Marketing Communications
- CLEP Information Systems & Computer Applications
- ECE Workplace Communication with Computers
- ECE Interpersonal Communication
- AP Computer Science A
- Udacity Introduction to Computer Science
- Udacity Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
- StraighterLine Business Communications
- StraighterLine Introduction to Communications
- Saylor Corporate Communications
Competency 2: Human cultures and the physical and natural world through study in areas including the sciences and mathematics, social sciences, humanities, histories, languages, and the arts (18 credits)
Institutional outcomes include Scientific Reasoning expanded to include Social Sciences Reasoning and Humanities Reasoning
Examples include courses in the sciences, social sciences, humanities including interdisciplinary courses ENS-314 Global Environmental Change, HIS-356 War and American Society and PHI-370 Philosophy of Religion.
The requirements are:
3 credits Social Sciences
3 credits Natural Sciences
3 credits Humanities
9 credits of Human cultures and the physical world electives
Social Sciences (3 credits needed):
- CLEP Principles of Macroeconomics
- CLEP Principles of Microeconomics
- CLEP Western Civilization I: Ancient Near East to 1648
- CLEP Western Civilization II: 1648 to the Present
- CLEP History of the United States I: Early Colonization to 1877
- CLEP History of the United States II: 1865 to the Present
- CLEP American Government
- CLEP Introductory Psychology
- CLEP Human Growth and Development
- CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology
- CLEP Introductory Sociology
- CLEP Social Sciences and History (6 credits)
- DSST General Anthropology
- DSST Money and Banking
- DSST Human/Cultural Geography
- DSST Western Europe since 1945
- DSST The Civil War and Reconstruction
- DSST An Introduction to the Modern Middle East
- DSST A History of the Vietnam War
- DSST Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union
- DSST Lifespan Developmental Psychology
- DSST Organizational Behavior
- DSST Substance Abuse
- TECEP Introduction to Political Science
- TECEP Psychology of Women
- TECEP Marriage and the Family
- AP Macroeconomics
- AP Microeconomics
- AP Human Geography
- AP European History (6 credits)
- AP US History (6 credits)
- AP World History (6 credits)
- AP Comparative Government and Politics
- AP US Government and Politics
- AP Psychology
- ECE Introduction to Macroeconomics
- ECE Introduction to Microeconomics
- ECE/UExcel Political Science
- ECE Abnormal Psychology
- ECE/UExcel Introduction to Psychology
- ECE Lifespan Developmental Psychology
- ECE Psychology of Adulthood and Aging
- ECE Research Methods in Psychology
- ECE Social Psychology
- ECE Cultural Diversity
- ECE Juvenile Delinquency
- ECE World Conflicts Since 1900
- ECE World Populations
- StraighterLine US History 1
- StraighterLine US History 2
- StraighterLine Cultural Anthropology
- StraighterLine Western Civilization 1
- StraighterLine Western Civilization 2
- StraighterLine Introduction to Psychology
- StraighterLine Introduction to Sociology
- StraighterLine American Government
- Saylor Introduction to Western Political Thought
Natural Sciences (3 credits needed):
- CLEP Biology (6 credits)
- CLEP Chemistry (6 credits)
- CLEP Natural Sciences (6 credits)
- CLEP Information Systems & Computer Applications
- DSST Astronomy
- DSST Environment and Humanity: Race to Save the Planet
- DSST Physical Geology
- DSST Principles of Physical Science 1
- DSST Introduction to Computing
- DSST Management Information Systems
- AP Environmental Science
- AP Biology (6 credits)
- AP Chemistry (6 credits)
- AP Physics B (6 credits)
- AP Physics C/Electricity & Magnetism
- AP Physics C/Mechanics
- AP Computer Science A
- ECE Earth Science
- ECE/UExcel Physics (6 credits)
- TECEP The Science of Nutrition
- Udacity Introduction to Physics
- StraighterLine Biology
- StraighterLine Biology with Lab (4 credits)
- StraighterLine General Chemistry 1
- StraighterLine General Chemistry 1 with Lab (4 credits)
- StraighterLine General Physics 1
- StraighterLine General Physics 1 with Lab (4 credits)
- StraighterLine General Physics 2
- StraighterLine General Physics 2 with Lab (4 credits)
- StraighterLine Environmental Science
Humanities (3 credits needed):
- CLEP French (6 – 12 credits)
- CLEP Spanish (6 – 12 credits)
- CLEP German (6 – 12 credits)
- CLEP English Literature (6 credits)
- CLEP American Literature (6 credits)
- CLEP Analyzing and Interpreting Literature (6 credits)
- CLEP Humanities (6 credits)
- DSST Art of the Western World
- DSST Principles of Public Speaking
- DSST Technical Writing
- DSST Ethics in America
- DSST Business Ethics and Society
- DSST Introduction to World Religions
- AP Art History (6 credits)
- AP Chinese Language (6 credits)
- AP French Language (6 credits)
- AP German Language (6 credits)
- AP Italian Language (6 credits)
- AP Japanese Language (6 credits)
- AP Latin (6 credits)
- AP Spanish (6 credits)
- AP English Literature and Composition (6 credits)
- AP Music Theory
- TECEP Public Relations & Practice
- TECEP Technical Writing
- TECEP Introduction to News Reporting
- TECEP Marketing Communications
- ECE Introduction to Music
- ECE Introduction to Philosophy
- ECE Ethics Theory and Practice
- ECE Bio-Ethics: Philosophical Issues
- ECE Business Ethics
- ECE Interpersonal Communications
- Saylor Corporate Communications
- Saylor Business Law and Ethics
- StraighterLine Introduction to Philosophy
- StraighterLine Introduction to Religion
- StraighterLine Spanish 1
- StraighterLine Spanish 2
- StraighterLine Business Communications
- StraighterLine Introduction to Communications
- Penn Foster Art Appreciation
- Penn Foster Music Appreciation
9 credits of Competency 2 electives:
Choose any 9 credits from Competency 2.
Competency 3: Personal and Social Responsibility (9 credits)
Institutional Outcomes include: Diversity/Global Literacy and Responsible Global Leadership, Lifelong Learning
Examples include courses SOC-322 Cultural Diversity, COM-335 Intercultural Communication, PHI-384 Ethics and the Business Professional
The requirements are:
3 credits Diversity/Global Literacy
3 credits Responsible Ethical Leadership
3 credits of Personal and Social Responsibility electives
Okay, this is the odd-ball category. I say this because there doesn't seem to be a completely clear explanation for what fits here. You can get the general idea, but if you look at the list of online courses that TESC accepts in this competency, you'll see that even Introduction to Sociology applies.
So, for Diversity/Global Literacy (3 credits needed):
- CLEP Introduction to Sociology
- DSST Introduction to the Modern Middle East
- DSST General Anthropology
- DSST Human/Cultural Geography
- DSST Introduction to World Religions
- DSST Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union**
- TECEP Marriage and Family
- ECE Cultural Diversity
- ECE World Populations
- StraighterLine Introduction to Religion
- StraighterLine Cultural Anthropology
- StraighterLine Introduction to Sociology
** If you want to use this particular exam here, confirm it first with the school. Based on their course list for this category, it certainly seems like this one would fit.
Responsible Ethical Leadership (3 credits needed):
- DSST Business Ethics & Society
- DSST Ethics in America
- ECE Business Ethics
- ECE Ethics Theory and Practice
- ECE Bio-Ethics: Philosophical Issues
- Saylor Business Law and Ethics
3 credits of Personal and Social Responsibility electives:
Anything from this competency. Just make sure you aren't duplicating any credits.
Competency 4: Integrative and Applied Learning, including synthesis and advanced accomplishment across general and specialized studies (integrated throughout general education and capstone courses)
Institutional outcomes include Critical Analysis and Reasoning
This competency will be demonstrated across interdisciplinary general education courses as well as in the area of study and capstone courses.
(In other words, you don't really have to concern yourself with Competency 4.)
All right. Now that you've chosen the courses/exams you will use to meet all the competencies, you need to total up how many credits you have so far. Subtract that from 60, then go back and look at all those options above and decide what other courses/exams you'll take in order to have the 60-credit total for your general education requirements.
Next, let's look at Free Electives. Free electives are just what you would think. Pretty much anything goes here. If it's a course taken through a regionally accredited school, an exam from an approved company/college, or an ACE-approved class, you can apply it here, even if it's one, like the DSST Here's to Your Health exam, that isn't considered a liberal arts course and so won't go anywhere in the general education category. You need 27 credits in all here and you can knock out the bulk of them with FEMA courses, if you like. Beyond FEMA, you can look at the CLEP and DSST exam pages on the TESC website to get some ideas for your options. Don't forget about StraighterLine, too.
Jot down your ideas for your 27 free elective credits, with maybe a few alternatives, in case you change your mind.
This brings us to determining your actual area of study. With some exceptions (most notably in the business degrees), you are going to need 33 credits, 18 of which should be upper-level. The required capstone takes care of 3 upper-level credits, so what you need to work out is 30 credits, half of which must be upper-level. Also note that in many cases, only 2 courses in your area of study can be on the 100 level.
So, just like with COSC, let's put together a sample degree plan. In this case, we'll be looking at a BA in Liberal Studies.
Jot down your ideas for your 27 free elective credits, with maybe a few alternatives, in case you change your mind.
This brings us to determining your actual area of study. With some exceptions (most notably in the business degrees), you are going to need 33 credits, 18 of which should be upper-level. The required capstone takes care of 3 upper-level credits, so what you need to work out is 30 credits, half of which must be upper-level. Also note that in many cases, only 2 courses in your area of study can be on the 100 level.
So, just like with COSC, let's put together a sample degree plan. In this case, we'll be looking at a BA in Liberal Studies.
THOMAS EDISON - BA IN LIBERAL STUDIES PLAN
General Education Credits (60)
Free Electives (27)
AREA OF STUDY (33)
There we go. A TESC BA in Liberal Studies plan. You've got 4 ALEKS courses, 3 Saylor courses, 24 credits in FEMA courses, 18 CLEP/DSST exams, and your TESC capstone. If you paid for a year of ALEKS (many people can finish faster than that) upfront, that's $180. If you pay the $25 fee to have your Saylor finals proctored online, that's $75. If you budget $120 per CLEP/DSST exam, for cost of exam, testing center fee, and some money to pay for a prep book per subject, that's $2160. The various fees and costs of TESC, including application, graduation, and out-of-state tuition for the capstone works out to about $4100. Your total is $6515. Because I like to estimate conservatively, since fees and things seem to rise every year, I would budget closer to $8000 for this particular degree plan. If that seems like a lot, break it down this way. $225 a month for 3 years would pay for this degree, without scholarships, discounts, grants or any kind of loan. A student who plans to take 4 years to finish his degree could live and study at home, and work part time, saving up enough money over three years to be able to pay for everything.
Most other degrees will cost more, because you will need to use other methods of getting your area of study credits, including online courses and Prior Learning Assessments. In any case, you can follow the above steps to putting together your own degree plan, and get started even if you haven't decided on an actual major yet.
General Education Credits (60)
- CLEP College Composition (6 credits)
- ALEKS Intermediate Algebra (3 credits)
- ALEKS College Algebra (3 credits)
- Saylor Corporate Communications (3 credits)
- CLEP Social Sciences and History (6 credits)
- CLEP Humanities (6 credits)
- CLEP Biology (6 credits)
- CLEP Introductory Sociology (3 credits)
- DSST General Anthropology (3 credits)
- Saylor Business Law and Ethics (3 credits)
- ALEKS PreCalculus (3 credits)
- ALEKS Statistics (3 credits)
- Saylor Introduction to Western Political Thought (3 credits)
- CLEP Introductory Psychology (3 credits)
- DSST Introduction to Computing (3 credits)
- DSST Human/Cultural Geography (3 credits)
Free Electives (27)
- FEMA Independent Study Courses (24 credits)
- DSST Here's to Your Health (3 credits)
AREA OF STUDY (33)
- CLEP Analyzing & Interpreting Literature (6 credits)
- CLEP Natural Sciences (6 credits)
- CLEP Human Growth and Development (3 credits)
- DSST Organizational Behavior (3 upper-level credits)
- DSST Substance Abuse (3 upper-level credits)
- DSST An Introduction to the Modern Middle East (3 upper-level credits)
- DSST A History of the Vietnam War (3 upper-level credits)
- DSST Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union (3 upper-level credits)
- TESC Liberal Arts Capstone (3 upper-level credits)
There we go. A TESC BA in Liberal Studies plan. You've got 4 ALEKS courses, 3 Saylor courses, 24 credits in FEMA courses, 18 CLEP/DSST exams, and your TESC capstone. If you paid for a year of ALEKS (many people can finish faster than that) upfront, that's $180. If you pay the $25 fee to have your Saylor finals proctored online, that's $75. If you budget $120 per CLEP/DSST exam, for cost of exam, testing center fee, and some money to pay for a prep book per subject, that's $2160. The various fees and costs of TESC, including application, graduation, and out-of-state tuition for the capstone works out to about $4100. Your total is $6515. Because I like to estimate conservatively, since fees and things seem to rise every year, I would budget closer to $8000 for this particular degree plan. If that seems like a lot, break it down this way. $225 a month for 3 years would pay for this degree, without scholarships, discounts, grants or any kind of loan. A student who plans to take 4 years to finish his degree could live and study at home, and work part time, saving up enough money over three years to be able to pay for everything.
Most other degrees will cost more, because you will need to use other methods of getting your area of study credits, including online courses and Prior Learning Assessments. In any case, you can follow the above steps to putting together your own degree plan, and get started even if you haven't decided on an actual major yet.
