Fastest/cheapest second bachelor’s degree

[Lingo55]

Good evening all! This forum is a wealth of knowledge, but after reading every post about a second bachelor’s degree I can find, I need some advice from you experts with my particular situation in mind. 

I’m trying to commission in the military as active duty enlisted. I’m looking for the fastest route that will yield me the best GPA. One of the deciding factors for commission is the undergraduate GPA. They consider master’s degrees, but the undergrad degree is a major requirement so it holds more weight.

I have a bachelors of science in biology from a major state university conferred in 2011 with a 2.6 GPA (not competitive).

While in the military I completed:
- a CCAF AA degree in intelligence studies (2019)
- a Defense language institute AA degree in afghan Pashto (2016, 3.2 GPA)
- a Defense language institute AA degree in Modern Standard Arabic (2021, 3.4 GPA)
- 36 LL credits through CLEP/DSST

Things to note: I do not have access to military tuition assistance because I already have a bachelors degree, however, a ton of schools, including the big 3, cap out my tuition cost at $250 per credit hour as active duty.

I am assuming most programs would require me to complete a certain number of upper level requirements, so for reference 15 credits from each language degree are typically considered upper level with 8 being language related and 7 being humanities related, for a total of 30 upper level credit hours related to those language degrees. I can also take any CLEP or DSST test for free that may contribute as an upper level credit and lower my costs.


If you know of any programs that would yield a high GPA (provided I ace the required courses) on a short timeframe, it would really help me out.

[ss20ts]

UMPI would be an option. You would have to complete at least 30 credits at UMPI which wouldn't be a problem since your degree is in biology. The fastest degree you could complete there is the BLS with Management Minor. There are people on here who have completed their UMPI degree in 1 session with is 8 weeks. Most take 2 sessions which is 16 weeks. Each 8 week session is $1400. No fees. No books. You take as many classes as you can complete in those 8 weeks.

https://online.umpi.edu/

[Lingo55]

UMPI would be an option. You would have to complete at least 30 credits at UMPI which wouldn't be a problem since your degree is in biology. The fastest degree you could complete there is the BLS with Management Minor. There are people on here who have completed their UMPI degree in 1 session with is 8 weeks. Most take 2 sessions which is 16 weeks. Each 8 week session is $1400. No fees. No books. You take as many classes as you can complete in those 8 weeks.

https://online.umpi.edu/

How is a GPA calculated this this case? These seem like pass/fail courses.

[rachel83az]

UMPI isn't pass/fail. They're graded courses. You must get at least a B to pass YourPace courses. Many people here get mostly (or entirely) As.

[bjcheung77]

UMPI would also be my first choice recommendation for the Bachelors if you put the energy, time into the assignments and writings, you should be able to score higher grades. As mentioned, many get A's because of their dedication and motivation to finish by following the instructions and rubric on scoring, I would not rush things. Another option would be UMASS Global as they use the same learning system, their pricing is a bit different too, and very affordable as well... If you're OK with for-profits, the only one I would recommend would be Walden's Tempo degrees.

[LevelUP]

UMPI, you submit a draft paper, then the professor will give you corrections. Once the paper is good, you can submit the final.

The minimum grade is a B, so most likely, you will graduate with honors (3.5GPA+) at UMPI.

SNHU lets you redo assignments, and the grading is heavily weighted towards receiving high grades. It's possible to get a 3.9 GPA and graduate with the highest honor (Summa cum laude: 3.9–4.0 GPA)

However, SNHU will cost a lot more and take longer to do since you can only take 2 classes per term.

Purdue I hear is also easy to achieve high grades but the same situation as SNHU will cost more and take longer to do.

[ss20ts]

UMPI would be an option. You would have to complete at least 30 credits at UMPI which wouldn't be a problem since your degree is in biology. The fastest degree you could complete there is the BLS with Management Minor. There are people on here who have completed their UMPI degree in 1 session with is 8 weeks. Most take 2 sessions which is 16 weeks. Each 8 week session is $1400. No fees. No books. You take as many classes as you can complete in those 8 weeks.

https://online.umpi.edu/

How is a GPA calculated this this case? These seem like pass/fail courses.

I have no idea where you got that UMPI is pass/fail. That's how WGU operates. UMPI is not pass/fail. You're given a letter grade for each course. You are required to earn a minimum of a B to pass a class. Your transcripts show letter grades. Your GPA is calculated by the courses you've completed at UMPI and only those courses. They also give Latin Honors.

[dfrecore]

Dumb question but why do you need another degree? Doesn't the military just go through and compile all of your grades into a single GPA? They shouldn't just be looking at 1 school.

So you could look at your current GPA as a whole - every single class you've ever taken compiled into a spreadsheet to see what you have overall, and then figure out how many credits you need to get that bumped up if need be. At that point, another degree MIGHT be needed if you needed a lot of credit - at that point, UMPI would be advisable. But, you might end up with a competitive GPA, or just need 1 or 2 courses, at which point ONU might be a better option.

[Lingo55]

Dumb question but why do you need another degree?  Doesn't the military just go through and compile all of your grades into a single GPA?  They shouldn't just be looking at 1 school.

So you could look at your current GPA as a whole - every single class you've ever taken compiled into a spreadsheet to see what you have overall, and then figure out how many credits you need to get that bumped up if need be.  At that point, another degree MIGHT be needed if you needed a lot of credit - at that point, UMPI would be advisable.  But, you might end up with a competitive GPA, or just need 1 or 2 courses, at which point ONU might be a better option.

The application does have a section where all your credits are compiled, but from what I've seen from other people's applications is that they don't fill it out. Believe me, I'm filling mine out haha. There is also a specific section labelled "Qualifying degree" which must be a bachelor's degree and list the associated GPA for that bachelors. As it stands, my block for this says 2.55, which is above the requirement but not at all competitive. I have several things going for me on my package, like near max test scores and piloting scores, I speak 4 languages and I am already an enlisted aviator with several medals, but I have never applied before, so I don't know how much the GPA will matter just yet. I do know that commission selections have been dwindling year after year due to force draw-downs and competition is extremely thick, so if I don't make it within the next few cycles I may not make it for years, if ever, because I'm older. 

My intention is to apply as-is for this cycle, and start a masters degree and hopefully obtain a better GPA with a second (completed) bachelor's, and complete COMPTIA A+ and/or Net+ certifications before the next package is due in January. 

I've been looking into UMPI more thanks to everyone's recommendations, so if they are providing what I'm looking for I will probably shoot for one of their business administration degrees (specifically the project management one so I can lower my PMP certification requirements) and take a month, or possibly two, of vacation leave to complete as many courses as I can. 

I don't know if I'll get selected this cycle, but in the event I don't I need to start improving my qualifications for next cycle now.

[LevelUP]

Here is the wiki for the UMPI project management and others:
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/UM...egree_Plan