Editing TESU General Education Requirements Roadmap (section)

= Information =
As of 2021, TESU is requiring that students have at least 30 [[Accreditation|RA credits]] on their degree plan in order to be able to obtain their degree. The least expensive way to do this is by fulfilling General Education requirements via RA sources. The reason for this is that AOS courses from RA sources tend to be costly. The "right" way to fulfill these requirements will be different for every student. For instance, students who are weak in math may wish to avoid taking an intensive RA math class and might, instead, prefer to take an RA English Composition class. Students who are weak at writing but strong in math might prefer the reverse. 

As a result, as many RA options are given as possible. This will allow students to choose the options that are best for them and their particular situation. A few things to keep in mind while creating your individual plan:
* 6 RA credits will come from TESU in the form of the capstone and cornerstone.
* The remaining 24 RA credits may come from anywhere as long as they are RA or RA-equivalent. They do not need to come from the same source; you are allowed to use a combination of sources to get to 24. 
* The absolute cheapest way to get actual RA credit is by taking LL TECEPs. If you want, you can simply choose 8 TECEPs from [https://www.tesu.edu/degree-completion/earning-tecep-credit this list at TESU] and then fill in the remaining slots from ACE/NCCRs sources. But since not everyone is willing or able to take 8 TECEPs, other options are listed where available.
* If you didn't find this page until after finishing off your general education requirements with ACE/NCCRS sources, don't despair! RA credits will override or "push out" credits from alternative providers. You may wind up spending more on general education credits (and having to redo some courses) but the cost will still be lower than if you were to attempt to seek UL credits for your AOS from RA sources.
* Courses listed below are ranked roughly in order of cost for a given section. Thus, [[TEL Learning]] will always appear first above other options, when available. 

== Non-American University Credits ==
For TESU's purposes, credits from any properly accredited/authorized foreign university will count as "RA-credits" as long as those credits have been evaluated by a recognized evaluation company. For students who do not have prior university credit, credits from [[Finnish Universities|Finnish universities]] can be a low-cost way to meet this requirement. Depending on the university and the course(s) chosen, a student may be able to get a few dozen credits for free and only pay the evaluation fee (approximately $200). 

== New Gen Ed Requirements ==

Unlike prior catalogs, the general education requirements are slightly different for different degrees. Some differences from previous catalogs and between individual degrees include:
* If you use any 1 or 2 credit course to satisfy Gen Ed requirements, you will be required to bring in an extra Gen Ed class (or two) in order to ensure that your Gen Ed credits total at least 30 or 45 (depending on degree).
* Associate degrees no longer have an Oral Communication or American Government/Civic Engagement requirement. Bachelor's degrees still do.
* History is no longer considered part of Social Sciences but can now satisfy Humanities requirements.
* Some degrees have a specific Social Sciences requirement. Other degrees only have Social Sciences and/or History and/or Humanities as a combined requirement.
* Most degrees now have more "free electives" that allow students to take any course they feel like.
* Some of the Gen Ed elective slots have now moved to additional AOS electives. These additional AOS electives will need to come from specific Gen Ed areas. Check your degree plan for details.