Accounting Degree Plans - WGU vs UMPI?

[cayek1099]

Your Location: Tampa, FL
Your Age: 45
What kind of degree do you want?: Bachelor's and possibly eventually a Master's.
Current Regional Accredited Credits: 70 - AA in Accounting from Palm Beach State College.
Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: None, but I plan on going through Study/Sophia depending on the degree plan chosen.
Any certifications or military experience?: No.
Budget: 12k-16k
Commitments: I work full-time, business hours. Weekends free. I am married, so I'll need to balance studying with nurturing my marriage. 
Dedicated time to study: Evenings and weekends.
Timeline: ASAP, but I'm realistic about how much I can comfortably complete in a session/semester.
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: None

I have 29 years of accounting/ 23 years of managerial experience and I want to increase my employability with a bachelor's degree.  I've put together 3 different degree plans featuring WGU/UMPI.  Based on cost alone, the BS in Accounting from WGU is equal to the BABA in Accounting from UMPI though WGU will take me 3 sessions/1.5 years and UMPI will take 7 sessions/56 weeks. 

It's been 25 year since I've been in college so I'm looking for the "easiest" path toward my bachelor's.  I don't have time to muck about and fail so I'll be dedicated to studying/working, but if anyone has any insight on which might be the "best" path forward, I'll take your feelings/judgement into account 100%!

WGU Cons: I'm worried about what master's programs I'll be able to transfer my degree to in the future if I decide not to continue at WGU for MAcc.

UMPI Cons: I'm not thrilled about having to revisit Spanish I and some other Gen Eds even if I'm doing it through Sophia/Study.  (Spanish was a pre-requisite to getting INTO the community college so I took 2 years of Spanish in High School just to qualify to attend.)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1...sp=sharing

Thank you in advance for reading and weighing in!

Caye

[LevelUP]

Your Location: Tampa, FL
Your Age: 45
What kind of degree do you want?: Bachelor's and possibly eventually a Master's.
Current Regional Accredited Credits: 70 - AA in Accounting from Palm Beach State College.
Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: None, but I plan on going through Study/Sophia depending on the degree plan chosen.
Any certifications or military experience?: No.
Budget: 12k-16k
Commitments: I work full-time, business hours. Weekends free. I am married, so I'll need to balance studying with nurturing my marriage. 
Dedicated time to study: Evenings and weekends.
Timeline: ASAP, but I'm realistic about how much I can comfortably complete in a session/semester.
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: None

I have 29 years of accounting/ 23 years of managerial experience and I want to increase my employability with a bachelor's degree.  I've put together 3 different degree plans featuring WGU/UMPI.  Based on cost alone, the BS in Accounting from WGU is equal to the BABA in Accounting from UMPI though WGU will take me 3 sessions/1.5 years and UMPI will take 7 sessions/56 weeks. 

It's been 25 year since I've been in college so I'm looking for the "easiest" path toward my bachelor's.  I don't have time to muck about and fail so I'll be dedicated to studying/working, but if anyone has any insight on which might be the "best" path forward, I'll take your feelings/judgement into account 100%!

WGU Cons: I'm worried about what master's programs I'll be able to transfer my degree to in the future if I decide not to continue at WGU for MAcc.

UMPI Cons: I'm not thrilled about having to revisit Spanish I and some other Gen Eds even if I'm doing it through Sophia/Study.  (Spanish was a pre-requisite to getting INTO the community college so I took 2 years of Spanish in High School just to qualify to attend.)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1...sp=sharing

Thank you in advance for reading and weighing in!

Caye

WGU and UMPI are solid CBE options if you have a busy life. TESU, especially if you choose the flat-rate term, requires committing to hard deadlines over a three-month period, which can be more demanding.

WGU degrees are typically evaluated at around a B average, so they transfer well into many master’s programs. We have even had WGU graduates accepted into selective schools such as Georgia Tech. One downside to WGU is that they may not accept some transfer credits older than five years.

If you can consistently put in about 10 hours per week, completing UMPI in two to three terms is very realistic. Four terms would be on the high end, and it is unlikely to take anywhere near seven terms unless you are taking extended breaks with little or no progress. For WGU, completing the program in one to two terms is possible if you maximize transfer credits.

If you are learning Spanish from scratch, it can definitely be a mind-bending experience. That said, since you already have two years of high school Spanish, completing Spanish through Sophia should be fairly straightforward. We have also had students with zero Spanish experience complete Sophia’s Spanish course without too many problems. If you can comfortably hear and understand spoken Spanish, you could also consider attempting the CLEP exam.

One of the biggest advantages of the degree-hacking approach discussed here on DegreeForum is that once you have completed the maximum allowable transfer credits for your target school, you are setting yourself up for a 90 percent or higher chance of success. If you decide WGU is not the right fit, you can usually pivot to another option like UMPI or TESU without losing much ground.

To start, the process is relatively low stress. Most alternative credit courses only require a C, or 70 percent, to pass, and those grades do not appear on your final college transcript. This helps you get comfortable with the workload, writing expectations, and time management while risking very little money. By the time you officially enroll and the grades count, you are already well prepared and positioned for success.

Given your 29 years of accounting experience and 23 years in management, you are well positioned to move quickly through CBE coursework, especially at WGU or UMPI.