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Good morning. I've been scouring this website for a couple of months, and I'm so thankful. I have my Associates Degree from a Community College, but that's it. I've regretted not completing my degree my whole adult life. My questions are what would be the fastest majors & colleges to obtain my bachelor's degree as quick as possible. Also what specific classes should I take at Sophia before I enroll. I'm so confused I would love someone just to make out a course trajectory so I could know what I'm doing lol.
Location: Massachusetts, USA
Age: 45
What degree do you want?
I would like the fast degree possible. I'm leaning towards interdisciplinary studies, psychology or human services only if it doesn't take longer to complete.
Current Regional Accredited Credits:
North Shore Community College, Danvers MA
Associates Degree Completed
Current Regional Accredited Credits:
CMP 101 Composition 1 3 A
FRE 201 Intermediate French 1 3 B
MAT 104 INTERMEDIATE ALGEBRA 4 A-
CMP 104 INTRO TO LITERATURE 3 B
HIS 101 History of Western Civilization 1 3 B+
PSY 102 INTRO GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY 3 A-
SOC 106 INTRO GENERAL SOCIOLOGY 3 A
BIO 101 BIOLOGY 1 4 A
CPS 100 FUNDAMENTALS OF COMPUTER CONCEPTS 3 A-
MAT 151 COLLEGE ALGEBRA 1 3 B-
ART 102 ART HISTORY APPRECIATION 3 C-
LIT 206 WORLD LIT 1 ANC NEOCLASS. 3 A-
PSY 118 HUMAN GROWTH DEVELOP 3 A
ALH 916 LIVING WITH HEALTH 3 A
BIO 102 BIOLOGY 2 4 B
HIS 102 HIST WEST CIV 2 3 A
IDS 106 FOOD NUTRITION LIFESTYLE 3 A
LIT 208 WORLD LIT 2 18th Cen to PRES 3 B+
SSC101 COLLEGE SUCCESS SEMINAR 3 A-
HUS 101 HUMAN SERVICE WORKER 3 A
Total Credits 63
Any certifications or military experience?
Google SEO certification
BUDGET: I really don't have a dedicated budget, but I'll scrape the money up to get this degree. I'm determined to finish this finally. I'm open to hearing the absolute fastest possible ways to earn this degree.
Commitments: My event planning job got paused, so Im trying to take this time to go back to school. I have a son which I drive to school and help with schoolwork.
Dedicated Time to Study: As much as needed. Im not sure if timelines or course trajectory at this time.
Timeline: My dream would be to finish in around six months, however I'm aware that might not be a realistic goal.
Tuition Assistance: None
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Look at the degreeforum wiki for degree plans for UMPI, TESU, WGU etc. They hash out the Sophia equivalents too
Keep in mind UMPI is getting flooded by apps right now and they are having issues with the admissions process (emails not getting answered for weeks, massive grading delays, no degree plans etc). So if patience isn't your thing, other options might be better
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For fastest & cheapest, you're looking at UMPI. UMPI has a Liberal Studies degree or a Psychology degree (and others, but it sounds like you'd be most interested in those two).
For sheer speed/cost, the BLS will be the fastest. With a little help from Sophia, you can probably complete it in 2 or 3 sessions (4-6 months) for $3000-$4500. You might also be able to complete it in a single 2-month session, but that's pretty rarely done.
But if you're really interested in Psychology, it might only take 3 or 4 sessions to complete. Possibly 5. UMPI's BA Psych is a brand new degree, so we don't exactly have much in the way of feedback yet. You'd need to decide if it's worth it to you to spend maybe 2x as long to get a Psych degree vs. a BLS degree. Keeping in mind, of course, that the Psych degree would still be completed in under a year.
It looks like you've got at least 2 Biology w/ lab courses + a French course. That leaves Environmental Science as the "must have" class from Sophia.
Are you fluent in French? I notice you have a 200-level French but no 100-level French classes. If you're fluent, you could take an ACTFL exam (or two) and possibly get some UL credit towards a BLS degree.
Otherwise, start making a spreadsheet and use https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/UM...quivalents to figure out what else you'll need to take in order to meet GEC requirements.
For the BA Psych, you can also take some Study.com courses to shave down the UMPI classes to 10-12. https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/UM...egree_Plan
Or see the various BLS plans here: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Category:UMPI
If, for some reason, you think you wouldn't be able to complete UMPI's practicum requirement, but you'd still really like a BA Psych, TESU is also an option. It would likely take about the same amount of time as the UMPI BA Psych, but it doesn't have a practicum. It would also cost a bit more. You've got plenty of RA credits, so you wouldn't have to worry about that aspect of TESU. The Psych courses you'd need to take for a TESU degree are here: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan The gen eds and electives that aren't covered by your prior credits can be taken at Sophia.
In progress:
TESU - BA Computer Science; BSBA CIS; ASNSM Math & CS; ASBA
Completed:
Pierpont - AAS BOG
Sophia (so many), The Institutes (old), Study.com (5 courses)
ASU: Human Origins, Astronomy, Intro Health & Wellness, Western Civilization, Computer Appls & Info Technology, Intro Programming
Strayer: CIS175, CIS111, WRK100, MAT210
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Thanks so much for all this information. I'm not fluent in French at all. I feel like BLS would be the best way to go. I've heard employers don't care that much about the specific undergrad you have? Maybe I'm wrong. I just signed up for Sophia.com, and I'll definitely look at the threads to figure out what other classes I should take. Thank you.
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Whether your employer cares about your degree or not depends both on employer and desired career. For instance, some employers may be looking for "a business degree". If that's the case, Liberal Studies might not work. Or a Psychology degree might be required if you want to work in counseling or social services, etc. There are a lot of variables that go into everything. It's not as simple as saying "Liberal Studies is fine" or "Liberal Studies is bad". I usually advise students to get a subject degree of some kind, whenever possible, because that will generally give the most bang for the buck. But there are definitely times when Liberal Studies is a perfectly acceptable degree.
In progress:
TESU - BA Computer Science; BSBA CIS; ASNSM Math & CS; ASBA
Completed:
Pierpont - AAS BOG
Sophia (so many), The Institutes (old), Study.com (5 courses)
ASU: Human Origins, Astronomy, Intro Health & Wellness, Western Civilization, Computer Appls & Info Technology, Intro Programming
Strayer: CIS175, CIS111, WRK100, MAT210
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(09-28-2023, 10:05 AM)Confusedali Wrote: Thanks so much for all this information. I'm not fluent in French at all. I feel like BLS would be the best way to go. I've heard employers don't care that much about the specific undergrad you have? Maybe I'm wrong. I just signed up for Sophia.com, and I'll definitely look at the threads to figure out what other classes I should take. Thank you. .
Yeah this isn't correct
Many careers and employers definitely care about your specific degree. Many won't even let you pass the first screening process without certain degrees.
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Maybe I should just bite the bullet abs get my psychology degree? Has anyone has any experience at LU? Are they better for a human services/psychology degree or would UMPI still be the best?
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09-28-2023, 10:31 AM
(This post was last modified: 09-28-2023, 10:32 AM by rachel83az.)
LU would be significantly more expensive for a degree than either UMPI or TESU. It would also take a lot longer. Assuming you'd be able to transfer in the same 90 credits as at UMPI, I think Liberty would take at least 2 semesters, maybe 3 or 4 - depending on life, etc. So you're looking at a probable minimum of 1 year, but it could run to 2 years. Both TESU and UMPI will be quicker than that.
In progress:
TESU - BA Computer Science; BSBA CIS; ASNSM Math & CS; ASBA
Completed:
Pierpont - AAS BOG
Sophia (so many), The Institutes (old), Study.com (5 courses)
ASU: Human Origins, Astronomy, Intro Health & Wellness, Western Civilization, Computer Appls & Info Technology, Intro Programming
Strayer: CIS175, CIS111, WRK100, MAT210
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Thanks for all this information. I have so much to think about!
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@Confusedali, Welcome to the board, you're confused and looking for direction. As I mention in previous posts, you'll get advice that will sway you in all directions, you need to decide on the the degree and school, and work on the requirements after you've transferred the max allowable. If I was in your shoes, I would go the Liberal Studies route since you mentioned interdisciplinary studies, you can always go for an additional minor in Psych.
Decide on degree/school: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...#pid404483
Compare institutions: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...#pid404447
Pace yourself: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...#pid404266
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