This is my degree plan, exactly how I filled the requirements for a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts at Thomas Edison State University. You can no longer follow my plan exactly since FEMA courses are no longer accepted. But, as far as I know, everything else in my plan is still good: the CLEPs, DSSTs, and the ALEKS course I used to fill my math requirement. School policy does constantly change so it would be worthwhile to confirm with Thomas Edison, especially any other school, before getting carried away in your test taking. But no matter what, you still have to complete your general requirements. Where you need to be more detail oriented is when filling upper level requirements. Exams that were once worth upper level credit may no longer be.
Nothing beats a liberal arts degree in flexibility. You don’t have to do a lot of specialization in one area, so you can draw upon several different exams to fill requirements. Other degrees I know of, such as history, business management, and psychology, require tests or actual courses outside of CLEP and DSST exams. I was informed, when finishing my remaining tests, that I was eligible for a degree in social science. But changing my degree plan would have required me to pay more and take a capstone course, a requirement that was enacted not long after enrolling and choosing my major at Thomas Edison. So I stuck to liberal arts. At first I regretted this, thinking a degree with “science” in it would appear more respectable, but now I don’t give a damn, nor has it made a difference in my life.
Do what’s best for you, though. My plan for the future only required that I had a degree, a check mark I could place on my resume and get me a working visa in Japan. If you want more information on degree plans, search “history degree plan degreeforum,” or any other degree. That’s what I did when putting together mine.
Liberal Arts Outline
I. General Education Requirements 60
A. English Composition 6
CLEP College Composition General (6)
B. Humanities 12
CLEP Analyzing and Interpreting Literature (6)
C. Social Sciences (2 subject areas) 12
CLEP Social Sciences and History (6)
CLEP Introductory Psychology (3)
CLEP History of the United States I (3)
D. Natural Sciences and Mathematics 12
DSST Environment and Humanity: Race to Save the Planet (3)
ALEKS Intermediate Algebra (3)
E. General Education Electives 18
DSST Introduction to Computing (3)
CLEP Western Civilization I: Ancient Near East to 1648 (3)
CLEP Western Civilization II: 1648 to the Present (3)
CLEP Introductory Sociology (3)
CLEP History of the United States II (3)
II. Area of Study: Liberal Studies 33
A. Maximum 6 credits at 100 level
CLEP Human Growth and Development (3)
B. Between 9 and 15 credits at 200 level
CLEP The Civil War and Reconstruction (3)
CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology (3)
DSST Here’s to Your Health (3)
C. Minimum 18 credits at 300 & 400 level
DSST Introduction to World Religions (3)
DSST Introduction to the Modern Middle East (3)
DSST A History of the Vietnam War (3)
DSST Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union (3)
DSST Drug & Alcohol / Substance Abuse (3)
DSST Organizational Behavior (3)
III. Free Electives 27
A. FEMA courses…………………….(22)