Hello everyone,
I am from Bangladesh and I am planning to complete the TESU BS in Computer Science. I have spent the last three days researching TESU and reading many DegreeForum posts, but I am still struggling to find the best path forward.
I have already completed 54 credits at a university in my home country. Unfortunately, those credits are not RA credits, and because of the transfer evaluation process, I do not think I will be able to use them as ACE credits either.
My current plan is to complete as many credits as possible through Sophia and Study.com because they are affordable. I believe I can earn around 90 ACE credits this way. However, the biggest obstacle for me is the 15 RA credit requirement.
My goal is to finish the degree as quickly and cheaply as possible. Ideally, I would like to complete everything in a single TESU term, or by using the new 4-week accelerated courses.
I have researched alternative sources of RA credit but have not found many good options. I looked into TEL Learning, but it appears they changed their policy. From what I understand, students are limited in how many courses they can take and must follow the semester schedule. I also looked at TECEP exams, but they seem challenging, and I am unsure which ones are realistic for a student studying independently.
My budget is limited. I can probably spend around $1,000-$1,500 to earn the remaining RA credits, but spending significantly more would be difficult because I come from a middle-class family.
I would greatly appreciate advice on the following questions:

1. Is there currently any affordable way to earn 15 RA credits outside of TESU courses?
   
2. Which TECEP exams are generally considered the easiest to pass?
   
3. If I transfer in around 90 credits, is it realistic to complete the TESU BS in Computer Science in a single term if I can study full-time?
   
4. After paying the $50 application fee, can I receive an official evaluation and work with an advisor to map out my remaining credits before enrolling in courses?
   
5. Is there another university that would allow me to complete a Computer Science degree faster or more affordably? I know TESU is considered one of the fastest options, but the 15 RA credit requirement has become a major obstacle for me.
   
6. From my understanding, one TESU term would only allow me to earn about 16 RA credits, and I may still need an additional 4-week accelerated course to meet the requirements. If my goal is to graduate this year, what would be the most realistic and cost-effective strategy? Should I combine one regular TESU term with a 4-week accelerated course, focus on TECEP exams, or pursue another approach?
   

New for 2026-27, Harvard Extension School has renamed and repositioned two Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) programs. Each is largely online with one required three-week course on campus:

• Data Science and Artificial Intelligence field of study replaces Data Science, and
  
• Digital Media Design and Creative AI field of study replaces Digital Media Design.
  

• Artificial Intelligence
  
• Algorithms and Computer Architecture
  
• Creative AI and Digital Experience Design
  
• Generative Media and Creative AI
  
• Cybersecurity Engineering and Ethical Hacking (offered in addition to a separate grad cert in Cybersecurity)
  

• AI in Business
  
• AI in Marketing
  
• Creative AI Foundations
  
• Data Modeling and Ethics
  
• Geographic Information Systems
  
• UX/UI Design
  

Hi everyone,

I transferred 67 credits to UMPI and they accepted all of my general education requirements. I'm starting the BLS program and my advisor told me I have about 18 courses remaining to graduate.

My question is: is it realistically possible to finish 18 courses in a single YourPace session if I have a lot of free time ? I am currenlty unemployed with nothing to hold me back

I'm not asking whether it would be easy, but whether the system itself allows it. Is there any limit on how many courses you can complete in one session, or could someone theoretically finish all 18 if they work fast enough?

Also, since I still need a few credits to reach 120, would you recommend subscribing to Sophia again and completing a few more courses before my UMPI session starts?

I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who has completed a large number of courses in a single session.

Thanks!

I am wrapping up my UIUC MBA, and decided to continue with this Ed.D.

Without getting too detailed on my doctoral search, I will just say that with the criteria I applied, there's a surprisingly limited set of options, and each one has a flaw. The UNC-CH flaw is that it's an Ed.D, and, I primarily work in business, not education.

The reason I picked this one is that, as a NC resident, my total cost is $33K. I pay out of pocket, so the lower, the better. It is an entirely online program, though I live close enough to drive over for special gatherings. And, though it is an Ed.D, it is in Organizational Learning and Leadership. The curriculum looks almost ideal for my work and interests.

Thought I'd mention in case it could be interesting for others. If you do not live in NC, I think total cost is closer to $90K. My own maximum is $50K (I pay out of pocket with no reimbursement), so if I didn't have in-state tuition, I would not choose this program.

Program info:
https://online.unc.edu/online-doctoral-p...eadership/

Happy to answer what questions I can, considering I have not started the program yet and thus can't talk about the coursework in any detail. It ends in a "dissertation in practice," which the capstone classes support. Here are the course names, subject to change:

• Foundations of Leadership 
  
  
• Foundations of Inquiry — Quantitative
  
  
• Foundations of Inquiry — Qualitative
  
  
• Leading Organizations Toward Equitable Practice 
  
  
• Applied Quantitative Methods
  
  
• Organizational Theory
  
  
• Applied Qualitative Methods
  
  
• Change Leadership Across Organizational Systems
  
  
• Program Evaluation
  
  
• Design Thinking for Leaders 
  
  
• Human Resource Management 
  
  
• Data-Informed Decision-Making
  
  
• The Science of Implementation in Organizations
  
  
• Advanced and Applied Leadership Practices 
  
  
• Capstone Seminars I, II & III
  

Coursera is running their 50% off sale right now which makes it $199 for one year access.

https://www.coursera.org/courseraplus

Eastern University is applying, per the MSCHE Accreditation Action of April 23, 2026, to convert its existing online PhD in Professional Practice program into a direct assessment (i.e., competency-based education) format.

Eastern’s PhD in Professional Practice is an interesting creature. It’s housed in the university’s Palmer Theological Seminary division. Students with a prior theology degree may be eligible for advanced standing (via Dustin on DegreeInfo). Eastern is affiliated with American Baptist Churches USA, and Eastern has been described as a relatively progressive-minded “maverick among evangelical colleges.”

At the same time, the PhD in Professional Practice is clearly intended to be relevant to professionals in a wide range of secular positions as well as religious-related ones. There do not appear to be religious tests in admission, unless there’s something in the online application form (account creation required). This degree is not specifically included within Palmer Theological Seminary’s specialized accreditation from the Association of Theological Schools.

Applicants are currently expected to have “10 years as a practitioner in a professional practice, such as minister, lawyer, nurse, etc.”

John Oliver on Last Week Tonight discusses the recent issues surrounding the New College of Florida

https://youtu.be/jFMc07F1UUU?si=KpL-Yluhfi22lIfp

Your Location: California
Your Age: 29
What kind of degree do you want?: Second BA in Spanish and Philosophy from TESU (+AAs)
Current Regional Accredited Credits: Many (5 RA AAs, 1 RA BA in Psychology)
Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: AP credits in European History, English Language and Composition, English Literature and Composition
Any certifications or military experience?: 120-hour TEFL certificate in-progress
Budget: preference for cheapness, like under $10K (Current plan with TESU residency waiver and 6 units comes to ~$12K, which is fine)
Commitments: primarily disabled, no kids
Dedicated time to study: 15-20 hours a week
Timeline: alright with multiple years of community college
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: None

I originally posted asking if anyone had transferred in philosophy courses from Newlane University to TESU. I’m still unsure if people have. However, I am beginning my journey multiple years earlier than expected.

I want to prioritize cheapness and learning Spanish. I am also in California, where about any public community college is $46/unit. As a result, I’ve created a meandering plan based in my many pre-existing RA gen ed credits. I am assuming I only need the Area of Study section for each degree on my timeline/aspiration board. CCCs (California Community Colleges) changed their general ed requirements a bit in 2023, but because I completed my BA at a state school, I covered the new requirements as well (an ETH course). CCCs require a minimum of 12 units of residency to confer a degree, so I optimized my plan to meet those minimums at several schools while learning related topics I'm interested in.

Santa Ana College: 
Spanish 101, 102, 201 [Spanish 1-3]* +SPAN elective +transfer Spanish 4 from El Camino, +petition Social Anthropology (pre-existing) to count for Intro to Cultural Anthropology
Result: 18 units ; AA, Modern Languages
*Santa Ana College's Spanish sequence is 101, 102, 201, 202 for Spanish 1-4, making SPAN 201 = Spanish 3 and SPAN 202 = Spanish 4

El Camino College:
Spanish 4-6 +transfer Spanish 101-201 (Spanish 1-3) from Santa Ana, +petition Social Anthropology (pre-existing) to count for Intro to Cultural Anthropology +SPAN 10
Result: 14 units ; AA, Spanish ; Cert, Spanish for Professionals

Norco College:
Intro to Communication Theory COM 20
Result: 3 units ; No degree sought

Monterey Peninsula College:
1 Communications elective +transfer Spanish 101-201 (Spanish 1-2) from Santa Ana, +LING 10 +LING 15 +LING elective
Result: 12 units ; AA, Linguistics

Southwestern College:
Program core (ANTH 112 +ENG 271 +ENG 272 +MAS 141 +MAS 142), +transfer Spanish 101-102 (Spanish 1-2) from Santa Ana
Result: 15 units ; AA, Mexican-American Studies

(Optional: Santiago Canyon College:
Transfer Spanish 101 from Santa Ana +SPAN 115 +SPAN 125
Result: 6 units ; Cert, Spanish for the Professions)

Newlane University:
Many Philosophy Courses, 5 UL courses, 4 LL courses
Result: 27 units ; No conferral, only PHIL credits

Thomas Edison State University, AA Communications:
Requirement Fulfilled
Communication Theory Norco COMM 20
Interpersonal Communication UL TESU
Elective LAHC Speech 101
Elective MPC COMM elective
Elective LAHC COMM 151

TESU, BA: Foreign Language/Spanish + Philosophy

Requirements, BA Spanish major Fulfilled
Intermediate Language I SAC Spanish 201 (Spanish 3)
Intermediate Language II El Camino Spanish 4
Advanced Language I El Camino Spanish 5
Advanced Language II El Camino Spanish 6
History of Civilization Southwestern MAS 141
Major Writers/Masterpieces of Lit Southwestern ENGL 271, ENGL 272
Elective El Camino SPAN 10
UL Elective ACTFL 3 UL
(getting ACTFL 3 UL means 3 UL + 6 LL, reducing electives)
(optional elective Santiago SPAN 115
optional elective Santiago SPAN 125)

Humanities 12 UL credits Newlane 4 PHIL UL courses

Liberal Arts Capstone UL TESU


Requirements, BA Philosophy major Fulfilled
Intro to Philosophy Newlane PHIL 101
Logic Newlane PHIL 203
Ethics Newlane PHIL 102
Major Field (6 credits) Newlane PHIL 304 Advanced Ethics 
+pre-existing PHI 122 Moral Philosophy
Major Philosophers Newlane PHIL 309 Descartes
History of Philosophy Newlane PHIL 202

Philosophy Elective Newlane PHIL 315
Philosophy Elective Newlane PHIL 317
Philosophy Elective Newlane PHIL 314

Humanities 12 credits Spanish coursework

Liberal Arts Capstone UL TESU


Result: UL TESU COMM + UL TESU LA Capstone ; 6 units ; AA Communications + BA, Spanish + Philosophy

Notes: without ACTFL, I am 3 UL Spanish credits short. Being at the level of 3 UL means also being awarded 6 LL, which is why I put the Santiago Canyon College Spanish cert as optional. I plan to do a little AA coursework, a little grad school coursework concurrently. (Grad school plans not pictured.)

I will be getting AAs along the way to a PhD, is the long-term goal. I will not begin Newlane University until after PhD conferral, to meet the 24 new credits since last degree rule. I will need 9 Philosophy courses post-PhD, 4 named requirements courses and 5 UL courses, to meet the 18 credit UL area of study rule and 24 new credits rule. Newlane Philosophy carries the UL weight, and makes the Spanish dual-major possible. Because this is a second BA I am exempt from the TESU general ed requirements.

Am I missing anything? Is this a pipe-dream, or theoretically possible? I acknowledge my goal of inexpensive actual coursework is very different from the usual testing-out, fastest-possible-degree goal, but we share a passion for cheapness and degree-hacking.

Sophia E. Alcacer and Jen L. Phan in The Harvard Crimson Wrote:The Harvard Kennedy School [the graduate school of government of Harvard University] on Wednesday unveiled a 10-year strategic plan […]

Among the plan’s most concrete commitments, HKS said it would substantially increase financial aid through new merit- and need-based scholarships, and explore part-time, non-residential, and online degree and certificate options aimed at reaching public servants who may never come to Cambridge. […]

The vision arrives at a fraught moment for the school, as the narrowing of the federal hiring pipeline has pushed many students toward state, local, and private sector roles, and as Harvard remains under pressure from the Trump administration.

HKS currently reaches roughly 1,000 degree students and 5,000 executive education participants each year — a fraction, [Dean Jeremy M.] Weinstein argued, of those it could serve.

“Together, we will bring meaning to this vision, fleshing out additional initiatives and programs that deliver on the aspirations I heard loudly and clearly from people across the School,” he said Wednesday.

Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, Oklahoma is launching an online Doctor of Community Health (DCH).

Quote:The Doctor of Community Health (DCH) at SWOSU delivers doctoral-level education equivalent to traditional Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) and Doctor of Population Health Management programs, while pioneering an innovative curriculum that uniquely integrates entrepreneurial leadership, healthcare innovation, and system transformation. […]

• 100% online format with evening courses
  
• One 8-week course at a time for work-life balance
  
• 3-year completion timeline for efficient doctoral training
  

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