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Ask HN: 100% Exam DIY BS Computer Science Degree for Less Than $5,000?

5 points by techjacker ↗ HN
I want to do a DIY BS degree in Computer Science. I have 12 years work experience in IT so I am confident I have most of the knowledge already. I just want the piece of paper to prove it.

- I'm not interested in the teaching

- I want to keep this as cheap as possible (under $5,000)

- I'm looking for a 100% exam assessed course

- I want to take the exams at my own pace (ideally complete within 9 months)

According to this website there are at least 3 colleges that offer this: http://www.doityourselfdegree.com/get-started/

- Excelsior: BS in Computer Technologies

- Thomas Edison: BA in Computer Science

- Charter Oak: BS in Computer Science

Questions:

- does anyone have any experience doing a DIY degree?

- does anyone have experience with the 3 colleges listed above?

- can anyone recommend other USA colleges/Universities that offer accredited BS computer science degrees that match the above criteria?

- any other advice/recommendations welcome

4 comments

[ 1082 ms ] story [ 668 ms ] thread
jeffmould
May not fit your exact criteria, but many universities offer life experience courses. For example, University of Maryland University College you can earn credits for various work-based experience. So instead of taking a traditional course, you apply to have your work experience equal credits. This is a huge shortcut to completing a degree if you have real world experience.

Also, a note on accreditation. Even though right now you may not think you are going to pursue other degrees or whatever, you still want to attend a school that is accredited by a nationally recognized organization. The problem you can run into is that if you elect to further your education down the road, some or all of your credits may not be transferable or the school you are applying to may make you take additional testing/courses. So what equals a shortcut not costs you more in the long run.

Long story short, don't go to a school just to get a degree so you can say you have a degree. That, IMO, is the wrong approach and not worth your time or money.

techjacker
There are other reasons I want the degree besides saying I have one. It would give focus to my learning to get tested on these subjects. Plus it helps on visa applications.

Excelsior & Charter Oak have institutional accreditation but not specialised accreditation for Computer Science.

http://www.excelsior.edu/about/accreditations

https://www.msche.org/

https://www.charteroak.edu/aboutus/accreditation.cfm

It would be good to find a 100% exam based course that has specialised accreditation. ABET seems to be the main body for this:

http://main.abet.org/aps/accreditedprogramsearch.aspx

Thanks for the suggestion on Maryland. If I could use this to keep costs down and reduce the number of exams that would be a big bonus.

Another suggestion I've had is to go straight to an MA. I have a BA in English Literature so I might be able to jump straight to a BS masters if I can persuade them I have enough work experience to make up for the lack of a BS degree. Do you know of any colleges in USA/UK/Australia/Canada that offer this?

jeffmould
Unfortunately I am not familiar with anything outside of the Maryland program, but I do know most colleges offer life experience credits.

With that said, also double check the accreditations. Just because they say they are "accredited" you need to research who they are accredited by. The only reason I bring this up is I had a friend who earned a "BS" degree in computer science from what he was told was an "accredited" school. He went to get a Masters later and was told his BS degree was basically useless. The accreditation was essentially a generic accreditation that didn't mean much. That is why come schools you will see warnings that your credits may not transfer. In the end it cost him more. Luckily he was able to convert much life experience and some of the course work into life experience credit at Maryland so that helped.

With life experience courses you still pay for the credits, but it is deeply discounted. I would check in-state programs if you are in the US to further reduce costs.

techjacker
Okay thanks very much for the advice, I'll give them a try