BA History (Experienced student)

[grogers14]

Hi all,

STEM background with BS/MS/doctorate and almost a complete MA in Classics/Ancient history. I want a BA in history to round things out.

Couple questions:

1. I am considering other online history programs like SNHU, IU, OSU,  ASU, LSU ect. Is there anything that stands out about UMPI? I get its competency-based, but I don't want to just blow through it to get a degree. I want to learn. I have my career, this is just for personal growth.

2. I reviewed the gen eds and it seems like I am just missing a couple including a language. I have read on here that Sophis is ideal. Is that still the case? I also need a hands-on art class haha. I avoided that one years ago with Art history. Is UMPI better for this?

3. I am assuming all of my credits will transfer. Given that, I have 30 credits I need to take. I prefer HIST over Poly sci. Any classes that people enjoyed? Or is the selection pretty meager? I saw the list and it doesn't seem to change? I am an ancient history guy and I saw there weren't a ton of different offerings.

4. Anything else for me???

Thanks

The UMPI-YourPace BA History & Poli Sci has a wide range of topics, but with the courses being self-paced, theres not really "Lectures" just readings, readings, occasionally YT Videos , and more reading. 

Several of the upper division Hist and Poli Sci courses are kinda, well, brief. I added the social studies minor because I had time, and I will most likely finish all the required coursework this weekend for it. If you want courses that have lectures you can sit and enjoy and a class with a LOT of information to take in , UMPI YourPace may not be the right fit . 

If you just want the BA and want it FAST like within the next 4-6 months, it would be a fit. 

Also , if your MA is in classics and ancient history, the BA History and Poli Sci is more modern , like a majority of courses are 1800s onward , with a few courses on like medieval europe and depending on the term, they have a class on ancient, greece, rome, and early Christianity. UMPI is in the middle of changing over from Strut to Brightpace to manage the YourPace program, so this could change, there could be a whole host of new courses that will come available, but a new catalog hasn't been provided to students yet.

[Duneranger]

Hi all,

STEM background with BS/MS/doctorate and almost a complete MA in Classics/Ancient history. I want a BA in history to round things out.

Couple questions:

1. I am considering other online history programs like SNHU, IU, OSU,  ASU, LSU ect. Is there anything that stands out about UMPI? I get its competency-based, but I don't want to just blow through it to get a degree. I want to learn. I have my career, this is just for personal growth.

2. I reviewed the gen eds and it seems like I am just missing a couple including a language. I have read on here that Sophis is ideal. Is that still the case? I also need a hands-on art class haha. I avoided that one years ago with Art history. Is UMPI better for this?

3. I am assuming all of my credits will transfer. Given that, I have 30 credits I need to take. I prefer HIST over Poly sci. Any classes that people enjoyed? Or is the selection pretty meager? I saw the list and it doesn't seem to change? I am an ancient history guy and I saw there weren't a ton of different offerings.

4. Anything else for me???

Thanks

The UMPI-YourPace BA History & Poli Sci has a wide range of topics, but with the courses being self-paced, theres not really "Lectures" just readings, readings, occasionally YT Videos , and more reading. 

Several of the upper division Hist and Poli Sci courses are kinda, well, brief. I added the social studies minor because I had time, and I will most likely finish all the required coursework this weekend for it. If you want courses that have lectures you can sit and enjoy and a class with a LOT of information to take in , UMPI YourPace may not be the right fit . 

If you just want the BA and want it FAST like within the next 4-6 months, it would be a fit. 

Also , if your MA is in classics and ancient history, the BA History and Poli Sci is more modern , like a majority of courses are 1800s onward , with a few courses on like medieval europe and depending on the term, they have a class on ancient, greece, rome, and early Christianity. UMPI is in the middle of changing over from Strut to Brightpace to manage the YourPace program, so this could change, there could be a whole host of new courses that will come available, but a new catalog hasn't been provided to students yet.

Good to know, thanks! Does Brightspace support more courses or is this just speculation? I am assuming profs at some level build them despite there not being lectures?

[wildebeest]

Hi all,

STEM background with BS/MS/doctorate and almost a complete MA in Classics/Ancient history. I want a BA in history to round things out.

Couple questions:

1. I am considering other online history programs like SNHU, IU, OSU,  ASU, LSU ect. Is there anything that stands out about UMPI? I get its competency-based, but I don't want to just blow through it to get a degree. I want to learn. I have my career, this is just for personal growth.

2. I reviewed the gen eds and it seems like I am just missing a couple including a language. I have read on here that Sophis is ideal. Is that still the case? I also need a hands-on art class haha. I avoided that one years ago with Art history. Is UMPI better for this?

3. I am assuming all of my credits will transfer. Given that, I have 30 credits I need to take. I prefer HIST over Poly sci. Any classes that people enjoyed? Or is the selection pretty meager? I saw the list and it doesn't seem to change? I am an ancient history guy and I saw there weren't a ton of different offerings.

4. Anything else for me???

Thanks

1. I don't know if there's anything special about it other than its speed and the fact that there are quite a few dual PLS/HST classes, which gives it a bit more range than some history degrees have. It's basically a fairly customizable degree that provides a good foundation if your specializations have left gaps in general knowledge, which is probably what any BA in history will be. I do like both professors in the department quite a bit, however.

2. Gen eds should be forgiven if you have a bachelor's degree from somewhere else. The language classes will not be, however, as they're required of the history degree itself. I did my Spanish II on Study.com and it took me about a month (I already had Spanish I). Others can tell you whether Sophia is good, I don't know, but I've only heard horror stories about UMPI's foreign language classes.

3. You may have to take World Civ I and II. I had already taken Western Civ I and II and they didn't count toward those requirements. You'll also have to take U.S. History I and II if you haven't already. You will have to take two lower level political science classes if you haven't already. Assuming you do the foreign language classes elsewhere, that'll leave you with 6 upper level history classes to take, one of which needs to be pre-modern. I took Medieval Europe for that, which was long, but which I also enjoyed. I also really enjoyed U.S. Environmental History, Arab-Israeli Conflict, and International Relations and Modern Conflict (though that last one is long). I ended up doing 6 credits of independent study, writing a local history about Maine, so I didn't take as many standard classes as I might have, and also transferred in a couple upper level history courses.

[ss20ts]

Good to know, thanks! Does Brightspace support more courses or is this just speculation? I am assuming profs at some level build them despite there not being lectures?

I wouldn't expect the course content to change in the history/poli sci department because those courses weren't created by Strut. UMPI owns those courses so they should be very similar as they are today. I also wouldn't expect more courses on Brightspace. There may be more over time, but definitely not something I'd expect when the change happens in a few weeks. 

Many courses are created by instructional designers and not professors. This takes place at colleges around the country and is very common.

[Duneranger]

Hi all,

STEM background with BS/MS/doctorate and almost a complete MA in Classics/Ancient history. I want a BA in history to round things out.

Couple questions:

1. I am considering other online history programs like SNHU, IU, OSU,  ASU, LSU ect. Is there anything that stands out about UMPI? I get its competency-based, but I don't want to just blow through it to get a degree. I want to learn. I have my career, this is just for personal growth.

2. I reviewed the gen eds and it seems like I am just missing a couple including a language. I have read on here that Sophis is ideal. Is that still the case? I also need a hands-on art class haha. I avoided that one years ago with Art history. Is UMPI better for this?

3. I am assuming all of my credits will transfer. Given that, I have 30 credits I need to take. I prefer HIST over Poly sci. Any classes that people enjoyed? Or is the selection pretty meager? I saw the list and it doesn't seem to change? I am an ancient history guy and I saw there weren't a ton of different offerings.

4. Anything else for me???

Thanks

1. I don't know if there's anything special about it other than its speed and the fact that there are quite a few dual PLS/HST classes, which gives it a bit more range than some history degrees have. It's basically a fairly customizable degree that provides a good foundation if your specializations have left gaps in general knowledge, which is probably what any BA in history will be. I do like both professors in the department quite a bit, however.

2. Gen eds should be forgiven if you have a bachelor's degree from somewhere else. The language classes will not be, however, as they're required of the history degree itself. I did my Spanish II on Study.com and it took me about a month (I already had Spanish I). Others can tell you whether Sophia is good, I don't know, but I've only heard horror stories about UMPI's foreign language classes.

3. You may have to take World Civ I and II. I had already taken Western Civ I and II and they didn't count toward those requirements. You'll also have to take U.S. History I and II if you haven't already. You will have to take two lower level political science classes if you haven't already. Assuming you do the foreign language classes elsewhere, that'll leave you with 6 upper level history classes to take, one of which needs to be pre-modern. I took Medieval Europe for that, which was long, but which I also enjoyed. I also really enjoyed U.S. Environmental History, Arab-Israeli Conflict, and International Relations and Modern Conflict (though that last one is long). I ended up doing 6 credits of independent study, writing a local history about Maine, so I didn't take as many standard classes as I might have, and also transferred in a couple upper level history courses.

Yeah I figure that if I have to take 30 credits at UMPI they might as well all be in history/poli sci. Working on Spanish 1 now. Its unfortunate it has to be French or Spanish as I speak German rather well.

I am glad you got something out of Medieval Europe. I will definitely take that. I could use Sophia for US History but I might as well just take them at UMPI.

Did you enjoy the Western Civ classes?

[grogers14]

Hi all,

STEM background with BS/MS/doctorate and almost a complete MA in Classics/Ancient history. I want a BA in history to round things out.

Couple questions:

1. I am considering other online history programs like SNHU, IU, OSU,  ASU, LSU ect. Is there anything that stands out about UMPI? I get its competency-based, but I don't want to just blow through it to get a degree. I want to learn. I have my career, this is just for personal growth.

2. I reviewed the gen eds and it seems like I am just missing a couple including a language. I have read on here that Sophis is ideal. Is that still the case? I also need a hands-on art class haha. I avoided that one years ago with Art history. Is UMPI better for this?

3. I am assuming all of my credits will transfer. Given that, I have 30 credits I need to take. I prefer HIST over Poly sci. Any classes that people enjoyed? Or is the selection pretty meager? I saw the list and it doesn't seem to change? I am an ancient history guy and I saw there weren't a ton of different offerings.

4. Anything else for me???

Thanks

1. I don't know if there's anything special about it other than its speed and the fact that there are quite a few dual PLS/HST classes, which gives it a bit more range than some history degrees have. It's basically a fairly customizable degree that provides a good foundation if your specializations have left gaps in general knowledge, which is probably what any BA in history will be. I do like both professors in the department quite a bit, however.

2. Gen eds should be forgiven if you have a bachelor's degree from somewhere else. The language classes will not be, however, as they're required of the history degree itself. I did my Spanish II on Study.com and it took me about a month (I already had Spanish I). Others can tell you whether Sophia is good, I don't know, but I've only heard horror stories about UMPI's foreign language classes.

3. You may have to take World Civ I and II. I had already taken Western Civ I and II and they didn't count toward those requirements. You'll also have to take U.S. History I and II if you haven't already. You will have to take two lower level political science classes if you haven't already. Assuming you do the foreign language classes elsewhere, that'll leave you with 6 upper level history classes to take, one of which needs to be pre-modern. I took Medieval Europe for that, which was long, but which I also enjoyed. I also really enjoyed U.S. Environmental History, Arab-Israeli Conflict, and International Relations and Modern Conflict (though that last one is long). I ended up doing 6 credits of independent study, writing a local history about Maine, so I didn't take as many standard classes as I might have, and also transferred in a couple upper level history courses.

Yeah I figure that if I have to take 30 credits at UMPI they might as well all be in history/poli sci. Working on Spanish 1 now. Its unfortunate it has to be French or Spanish as I speak German rather well.

I am glad you got something out of Medieval Europe. I will definitely take that. I could use Sophia for US History but I might as well just take them at UMPI.

Did you enjoy the Western Civ classes?

If you have time ,UMPI takes CLEPs and ModernStates has a course for the German 1&2 . If you pass their course, they will cover the cost of your CLEP exam so you could even get the credit for free. Had I not already transferred in 87 credits and already gotten through the Language requirement, I would have done this as I also have prior German exp.

[Duneranger]

Hi all,

STEM background with BS/MS/doctorate and almost a complete MA in Classics/Ancient history. I want a BA in history to round things out.

Couple questions:

1. I am considering other online history programs like SNHU, IU, OSU,  ASU, LSU ect. Is there anything that stands out about UMPI? I get its competency-based, but I don't want to just blow through it to get a degree. I want to learn. I have my career, this is just for personal growth.

2. I reviewed the gen eds and it seems like I am just missing a couple including a language. I have read on here that Sophis is ideal. Is that still the case? I also need a hands-on art class haha. I avoided that one years ago with Art history. Is UMPI better for this?

3. I am assuming all of my credits will transfer. Given that, I have 30 credits I need to take. I prefer HIST over Poly sci. Any classes that people enjoyed? Or is the selection pretty meager? I saw the list and it doesn't seem to change? I am an ancient history guy and I saw there weren't a ton of different offerings.

4. Anything else for me???

Thanks

1. I don't know if there's anything special about it other than its speed and the fact that there are quite a few dual PLS/HST classes, which gives it a bit more range than some history degrees have. It's basically a fairly customizable degree that provides a good foundation if your specializations have left gaps in general knowledge, which is probably what any BA in history will be. I do like both professors in the department quite a bit, however.

2. Gen eds should be forgiven if you have a bachelor's degree from somewhere else. The language classes will not be, however, as they're required of the history degree itself. I did my Spanish II on Study.com and it took me about a month (I already had Spanish I). Others can tell you whether Sophia is good, I don't know, but I've only heard horror stories about UMPI's foreign language classes.

3. You may have to take World Civ I and II. I had already taken Western Civ I and II and they didn't count toward those requirements. You'll also have to take U.S. History I and II if you haven't already. You will have to take two lower level political science classes if you haven't already. Assuming you do the foreign language classes elsewhere, that'll leave you with 6 upper level history classes to take, one of which needs to be pre-modern. I took Medieval Europe for that, which was long, but which I also enjoyed. I also really enjoyed U.S. Environmental History, Arab-Israeli Conflict, and International Relations and Modern Conflict (though that last one is long). I ended up doing 6 credits of independent study, writing a local history about Maine, so I didn't take as many standard classes as I might have, and also transferred in a couple upper level history courses.

Yeah I figure that if I have to take 30 credits at UMPI they might as well all be in history/poli sci. Working on Spanish 1 now. Its unfortunate it has to be French or Spanish as I speak German rather well.

I am glad you got something out of Medieval Europe. I will definitely take that. I could use Sophia for US History but I might as well just take them at UMPI.

Did you enjoy the Western Civ classes?

If you have time ,UMPI takes CLEPs and ModernStates has a course for the German 1&2 . If you pass their course, they will cover the cost of your CLEP exam so you could even get the credit for free. Had I not already transferred in 87 credits and already gotten through the Language requirement, I would have done this as I also have prior German exp.

Will the UMPI history program take German? They specifically mention Spanish/French

[rachel83az]

They mention Spanish/French because that's all they have to offer for YourPace. In-person students can take a few other languages. German should be fine.

An ACTFL exam for German would work, but you need to wait for the ACE renewal to go through.

[xianbd]

Hi all,

STEM background with BS/MS/doctorate and almost a complete MA in Classics/Ancient history. I want a BA in history to round things out.

Couple questions:

1. I am considering other online history programs like SNHU, IU, OSU,  ASU, LSU ect. Is there anything that stands out about UMPI? I get its competency-based, but I don't want to just blow through it to get a degree. I want to learn. I have my career, this is just for personal growth.

2. I reviewed the gen eds and it seems like I am just missing a couple including a language. I have read on here that Sophis is ideal. Is that still the case? I also need a hands-on art class haha. I avoided that one years ago with Art history. Is UMPI better for this?

3. I am assuming all of my credits will transfer. Given that, I have 30 credits I need to take. I prefer HIST over Poly sci. Any classes that people enjoyed? Or is the selection pretty meager? I saw the list and it doesn't seem to change? I am an ancient history guy and I saw there weren't a ton of different offerings.

4. Anything else for me???

Thanks

HI Duneranger,

I have a pretty similar background and demands. I obtained two bachelor's and two master's degrees in Economics and Computer Sciences, and am intrigued with history recently so I am trying to pursue a BA in History online. I did some research on online history programs and I would like to share some of my findings here since most of the threads here are talking about TESU and UMPI. Basically, I am not very sensitive to the tuition and more care about the academic reputation and student support.

Other than SNHU, IU, OSU,  ASU, and LSU, there are U of Arizona, PSU, Liberty U, and Open U of UK, which also provide a BA in History program.

I. Regional colleges: 

1. UMPI Your-pace:
Definitely the one if you have much time devoted and can finish the courses within one or two sessions. No match for it. I enrolled in BA in History and Pol Sci in summer session 2 and finished 4 courses. But honestly just as @grogers14 mentioned earlier, HTY courses are nothing more than super-long readings and essays, which personally thought may not be solid enough for laying a strong foundation if you are serious about an academic career in the field of History. And this is the reason I look for others.

2. SNHU:
If you can have 90 credits transferred in (which is not difficult if you have several degrees), SNHU charges $320/credit, which makes a total tuition of $9600 for a degree. 
Pros: generous credit transfer policy, extremely student-friendly assessment rubric, 30 credits residency requirement, brick-mortar college.
Cons: Not self-paced, small-size regional college with only thousands of enrollments.  


II. Large public universities:

1. IU online:
IU online operates as an integrated implement. Tuitions for out-of-state students are $350 per credit. The application system of IU online is simple and user-friendly. You will be reached very soon by an advisor who is kind, helpful, and professional. 
Cons: IU system's flagship Bloomington campus does not participate in BA in History program. Although your diploma may read only Indiana University as its title, it mentions "awarded at the city of XXX". XXX refers to your home campus - in this case, you only have the options of IUPUI, IU East, IU Kokomo, IU Northwest, IU South Bend, and IU Southeast. I am afraid neither of these campuses matches the reputation of Bloomington and thus see no significant differences with SNHU or UMPI (Do correct me if I am wrong). Should the flagship in, it would definitely be the best choice of all, in terms of a balance of price, transfer policy, and academic reputation. Also, it is not self-paced.

2. Oregon SU:
It runs a quarter-term thing so you need 180 credits toward a bachelor's degree. However, the registrar will automatically translate your credits by multiplying them by 1.667. Although the tuition($350 per credit) looks the same as IU, if you take that quarter system into account, the total cost will also be 1.667 times higher than IU. Nevertheless, it is worth considering since OSU has a good academic reputation and provides a wide range of history courses. 

3. ASU and U of Arizona Online: 
They are top public universities in Arizona (ASU is twice bigger as UA ) with the same tuition (circa $550). They both run online degree programs that are perfectly integrated with their on-campus counterparts. I cannot tell which one is better but I enrolled with U of Arizona. Till now the experience is quite positive - I have full access to library services and IT support immediately when I took the offer and an academic advisor was there to aid (each college hires its own advisor for online students). I am waiting for the results of the transfer evaluation and will be taking classes this fall. If anyone is interested in what it will be like, I can keep you updated later.
Cons: they are good at concentrations of Latin American History but in terms of history overall, they rank much lower than other STEM programs such as physics, engineering or geography.    

4. Penn State World Campus: 
It charges much higher than others - $671 per credit if you have over 60 or more credits. At the same time, it has the most strict transfer policy of all: does not accept credits earned 5 years ago, and requires at least 36 credits out of the recent 60 done in PSU. So if a few credits of your prior degree could not be transferred in, you need to take more courses at PSU, which significantly balloons your total cost for a degree. 
I am not sure about this (I hope I am wrong) but I was told that you have to follow a time schedule for classes, that is, you are expected to attend classes on time as full-time students do, an arrangement so that on-site students may also take online courses of World Campus to accelerate. While this may be an assurance of academic quality and a positive signal of online-onsite integration, it causes conflicts for adult learners who have other promises during the daytime.
In addition, PSU offers more courses in European history such as Middle Ages, British/French/Germanic, Ancient Greece and Roman Empire, and ranks higher in history overall than other universities with online degrees. 
Last but not least, the admission officials are not helpful at all. Although I applied as a TRANSFER STUDENT WITH 4 DEGREES, they insisted on an official transcript sent by my high school, which I graduated from a dozen years ago and do not provide such services anymore, and refused my request for waiver again and again.


III. Other online choices
1. TESU
2. Liberty
3. Open UK

[wildebeest]

Hi all,

STEM background with BS/MS/doctorate and almost a complete MA in Classics/Ancient history. I want a BA in history to round things out.

Couple questions:

1. I am considering other online history programs like SNHU, IU, OSU,  ASU, LSU ect. Is there anything that stands out about UMPI? I get its competency-based, but I don't want to just blow through it to get a degree. I want to learn. I have my career, this is just for personal growth.

2. I reviewed the gen eds and it seems like I am just missing a couple including a language. I have read on here that Sophis is ideal. Is that still the case? I also need a hands-on art class haha. I avoided that one years ago with Art history. Is UMPI better for this?

3. I am assuming all of my credits will transfer. Given that, I have 30 credits I need to take. I prefer HIST over Poly sci. Any classes that people enjoyed? Or is the selection pretty meager? I saw the list and it doesn't seem to change? I am an ancient history guy and I saw there weren't a ton of different offerings.

4. Anything else for me???

Thanks

1. I don't know if there's anything special about it other than its speed and the fact that there are quite a few dual PLS/HST classes, which gives it a bit more range than some history degrees have. It's basically a fairly customizable degree that provides a good foundation if your specializations have left gaps in general knowledge, which is probably what any BA in history will be. I do like both professors in the department quite a bit, however.

2. Gen eds should be forgiven if you have a bachelor's degree from somewhere else. The language classes will not be, however, as they're required of the history degree itself. I did my Spanish II on Study.com and it took me about a month (I already had Spanish I). Others can tell you whether Sophia is good, I don't know, but I've only heard horror stories about UMPI's foreign language classes.

3. You may have to take World Civ I and II. I had already taken Western Civ I and II and they didn't count toward those requirements. You'll also have to take U.S. History I and II if you haven't already. You will have to take two lower level political science classes if you haven't already. Assuming you do the foreign language classes elsewhere, that'll leave you with 6 upper level history classes to take, one of which needs to be pre-modern. I took Medieval Europe for that, which was long, but which I also enjoyed. I also really enjoyed U.S. Environmental History, Arab-Israeli Conflict, and International Relations and Modern Conflict (though that last one is long). I ended up doing 6 credits of independent study, writing a local history about Maine, so I didn't take as many standard classes as I might have, and also transferred in a couple upper level history courses.

Yeah I figure that if I have to take 30 credits at UMPI they might as well all be in history/poli sci. Working on Spanish 1 now. Its unfortunate it has to be French or Spanish as I speak German rather well.

I am glad you got something out of Medieval Europe. I will definitely take that. I could use Sophia for US History but I might as well just take them at UMPI.

Did you enjoy the Western Civ classes?

Honestly, the World Civ classes were broadly similar to the Western Civ classes I'd already taken, so while I didn't mind the refresher, that's all they were. Basic foundational knowledge that would have been very enjoyable were I not pretty familiar with all the material already. 

Someone else might know better, but you might be able to test out of foreign language classes with your knowledge of German. You can only take French or Spanish at UMPI; I believe other languages will meet the requirements, however, if they're transferred in.