Besides courses in the degree plan do you have to take courses at UMPI like capstone?

[whiverem]

Do you need to do a capstone course or any courses that require writing and citing much at UMPI itself? For the bachelor's degree from UMPI that's mentioned in this guide here: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Pi...egree_Plan.

After you do courses in the guide do you have to do any other courses, either at UMPI or anywhere else, or are you all set to get a bachelor's degree?

I might do the minimum required courses to get an associate degree that are mentioned here: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Pierpont_C%26TC. Then I might do the courses in the above guide, I know this might seem like overkill but I want to first make sure/guarantee to myself I can get an associate degree in the easiest way possible first, then once I have more motivation and confidence in myself I wanted to try for a bachelor's. If UMPI seems like an easier route then I might do that instead of WGU or UMGC for bachelor's.

ALSO, WHAT IS YourPace? I've read this on this forum and was curious to know what it is, and if it can make your life easier. Thank you.

[rachel83az]

At UMPI, you need to complete at least 10 UMPI courses. "Most" of your UL credit needs to be taken at UMPI (this varies slightly depending on specific degree). Aside from that, what you see in the degree plan is what you have to take at UMPI. If you're looking at a plan that has, for instance, only 6 UMPI courses specified, that leaves the student to decide what 4 further classes to complete at UMPI. For instance, instead of doing English Comp at Sophia or Study.com, UMPI is usually easier/faster. So, you don't transfer in English Comp and you take it from UMPI instead.

Most degrees at UMPI do not have capstones, as such. I think Psych and Criminal Justice are exceptions? The GEC (gen eds) and the specific degree plans are all you need for a UMPI degree.

YourPace is a competency-based program that is not unlike Study.com or Sophia. Your tuition is a "subscription fee" that permits you to take UMPI YourPace-specific courses (not all UMPI courses are available in YourPace; some are only available if you take the more expensive on-campus classes). All YourPace classes can be completed fully online. They are graded based on a single final paper or project, though there are "milestones" along the way that need to be "affirmed" by the professors (given the okay) and these can sometimes be substantial.

In order to save yourself a lot of headache, if you do decide on UMPI, you must complete either French or Spanish at Sophia, plus Human Biology + Lab and Environmental Science.

[ss20ts]

Do you need to do a capstone course or any courses that require writing and citing much at UMPI itself?

Every single course at UMPI requires writing and citing. Most degree programs don't have a Capstone course. You can see which ones do on the YourPace website. There are no exams at UMPI. It's all papers, projects, and PowerPoints. Every course has Milestones which are short answer essays.

[LevelUP]

Do you need to do a capstone course or any courses that require writing and citing much at UMPI itself? For the bachelor's degree from UMPI that's mentioned in this guide here: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Pi...egree_Plan.

After you do courses in the guide do you have to do any other courses, either at UMPI or anywhere else, or are you all set to get a bachelor's degree?

I might do the minimum required courses to get an associate degree that are mentioned here: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Pierpont_C%26TC. Then I might do the courses in the above guide, I know this might seem like overkill but I want to first make sure/guarantee to myself I can get an associate degree in the easiest way possible first, then once I have more motivation and confidence in myself I wanted to try for a bachelor's. If UMPI seems like an easier route then I might do that instead of WGU or UMGC for bachelor's.

ALSO, WHAT IS YourPace? I've read this on this forum and was curious to know what it is, and if it can make your life easier. Thank you.

A lot of people initially set the goal of starting with Pierpont Associates and then work their way up to obtaining a bachelor's degree. They do this once they gain confidence and have a clear idea of how long it will take to complete their bachelor's degree.

YourPace offers Competency-based Education (CBE), which means you complete one course at a time with no set deadlines. Within the time limits of your term, you can complete as many courses as you want. Other recommended CBE colleges include WGU, PUG, and TAMUC.

[bjcheung77]

Again, it's best to review what's been said, here's my response, https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...#pid407382

[whiverem]

At UMPI, you need to complete at least 10 UMPI courses. "Most" of your UL credit needs to be taken at UMPI (this varies slightly depending on specific degree). Aside from that, what you see in the degree plan is what you have to take at UMPI. If you're looking at a plan that has, for instance, only 6 UMPI courses specified, that leaves the student to decide what 4 further classes to complete at UMPI. For instance, instead of doing English Comp at Sophia or Study.com, UMPI is usually easier/faster. So, you don't transfer in English Comp and you take it from UMPI instead.

Most degrees at UMPI do not have capstones, as such. I think Psych and Criminal Justice are exceptions? The GEC (gen eds) and the specific degree plans are all you need for a UMPI degree.

YourPace is a competency-based program that is not unlike Study.com or Sophia. Your tuition is a "subscription fee" that permits you to take UMPI YourPace-specific courses (not all UMPI courses are available in YourPace; some are only available if you take the more expensive on-campus classes). All YourPace classes can be completed fully online. They are graded based on a single final paper or project, though there are "milestones" along the way that need to be "affirmed" by the professors (given the okay) and these can sometimes be substantial.

In order to save yourself a lot of headache, if you do decide on UMPI, you must complete either French or Spanish at Sophia, plus Human Biology + Lab and Environmental Science.

Can I use YourPace to satisfy the requirement to take 10 courses at UMPI or requirement to do UL courses at UMPI?

The guide here doesn't seem to tell you which courses to do at UMPI: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Pi...egree_Plan. How do I find out which courses I can do at UMPI and online to get a bachelor's degree from there without ever going to the physical campus? The Area of Emphasis in the guide that I'm thinking of doing is Information Systems.

It sounds like there's a foreign language requirement. The guide, if you scroll down, mentions something called an ACTFL exam. I was born in Pakistan and I can speak the main language of the country Urdu pretty good, I speak to my family members over the phone in it just about every day, but I can't read or write in it at all. I could learn to read/write in it if necessary, but in an ideal world it'd be easier if I don't have to since I don't plan on ever living in Pakistan and the interaction with family members is fine without it, but it'd be easier for me to learn reading/writing in this language than another language. Another easy language I could learn seems to be Spanish.

Is there also any way to have the foreign language requirement waived totally? I've only gone to one brick-and-mortar school that had a foreign language requirement, and before I started with them I made sure they waived the requirement for me, and I've always avoided schools that have a foreign language requirement.

Lastly, do the graders/teachers at UMPI grade harshly or can they be easy or okay graders? If you make a small mistake will they let it go? Do you get to pick the professors for classes at UMPI, maybe even if you're doing it through YourPace, and can you find reviews on them on sites like RateMyProfessor.com? Would you say UMPI classes are easier than WGU or UMGC? Thank you.

Edit: If I just have to do an interview like this to satisfy the foreign language requirement, it doesn't seem like I would have a problem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK3aYYt8uWg.

[bjcheung77]

You're just looking at the Pierpont to UMPI degree plan, if you click the UMPI link at the bottom of the page, you now will have all the degree offerings and the requirements for the general education info at your finger tips! Further to that, ACTFL is a language test, you can any of the 4 options, decide for yourself which is better, you need to get it for Urdu or whatever you're familiar with... Just to let you know, not everyone has taken courses at UMGC, UMPI, WGU and every other college/institution we talk about. It's going to be 'hard' to compare... but from reading what others have indicated, UMPI is easiest of all.

[rachel83az]

A lot of good questions, some of which are a bit complicated, so let's see if I can answer them:

Can I use YourPace to satisfy the requirement to take 10 courses at UMPI or requirement to do UL courses at UMPI?

YourPace is a UMPI program. No other school has YourPace. UMPI does not distinguish on its transcript or diploma whether you took classes in-person or through the YourPace program. So, yes, all YourPace classes will count toward your UMPI requirements.

The guide here doesn't seem to tell you which courses to do at UMPI: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Pi...egree_Plan. How do I find out which courses I can do at UMPI and online to get a bachelor's degree from there without ever going to the physical campus? The Area of Emphasis in the guide that I'm thinking of doing is Information Systems.

https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Category:UMPI

This is the official YourPace website where you'll apply eventually: https://online.umpi.edu/ It goes into more depth regarding exactly what YourPace is, when you can apply, etc. All of the YourPace degrees can be completed entirely online; there is no on-campus requirement.

It sounds like there's a foreign language requirement. The guide, if you scroll down, mentions something called an ACTFL exam. I was born in Pakistan and I can speak the main language of the country Urdu pretty good, I speak to my family members over the phone in it just about every day, but I can't read or write in it at all. I could learn to read/write in it if necessary, but in an ideal world it'd be easier if I don't have to since I don't plan on ever living in Pakistan and the interaction with family members is fine without it, but it'd be easier for me to learn reading/writing in this language than another language. Another easy language I could learn seems to be Spanish.

Is there also any way to have the foreign language requirement waived totally? I've only gone to one brick-and-mortar school that had a foreign language requirement, and before I started with them I made sure they waived the requirement for me, and I've always avoided schools that have a foreign language requirement.

Edit: If I just have to do an interview like this to satisfy the foreign language requirement, it doesn't seem like I would have a problem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK3aYYt8uWg.

You're in luck. The ACTFL exam is taken through this site: https://www.languagetesting.com/ and Urdu is only available as an OPI (Oral Proficiency Interview). The OPI involves you conversing with another person for around 15-30 minutes. The OPI is worth 3-12 credits, depending on how well you do. 3 credits is all you need for UMPI; if you score 12 credits, the rest will go into electives.

Lastly, do the graders/teachers at UMPI grade harshly or can they be easy or okay graders? If you make a small mistake will they let it go? Do you get to pick the professors for classes at UMPI, maybe even if you're doing it through YourPace, and can you find reviews on them on sites like RateMyProfessor.com? Would you say UMPI classes are easier than WGU or UMGC? Thank you.

There is one YourPace professor for each class, but some professors teach multiple classes. For instance, you'll often find references to a "Dr. Z" when reading threads. He teaches a lot of history classes. He's very enthusiastic about the subject, grades quickly, and gives good feedback. Even students who hate history have enjoyed taking his classes because of his positive attributes.

On the other hand, the reason why we recommend that students complete their science and foreign language requirements elsewhere is because those classes are long, the professors don't give good feedback, and grading can be slow.

We don't have a lot of feedback about UMGC, in general, so I can't compare anything directly. However, I do believe that WGU is going to be more difficult compared to UMPI. For WGU, it is theoretically possible to get a degree in a single 6-month term. But, even with maximum transfer, a lot of students are going to need at least 2 WGU terms. I'd go so far as to suggest that most WGU students will need at least 2 terms. On the other hand, most UMPI students are able to complete their degrees in 2 or 3 sessions of 2 months each - 4-6 months total. A few of the degrees may require 4 terms, due to the difficulty of the subject matter, but that's not common.

A few students have enjoyed YourPace so much that they willingly stayed enrolled for 4-5 terms in total just to add additional minors/concentrations. Or they've gotten one degree and then re-enrolled for a second. I don't think that this is possible at WGU, but I don't remember hearing anyone wishing that it were, either. Students go to WGU for a Bachelor's degree and then they might continue on to a WGU Master's degree, but they don't necessarily enjoy it. It's simply a means to an end and a way for them to get their degree(s).

Based on what we see in this forum, I would guess that UMPI is easier for most students who attend than WGU is for students who attend there instead. You might want to go to the WGU Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/WGU/ and make a post asking how much people are enjoying the degree or degrees that you're interested in. Sometimes, "easy" things can be painful to complete and "difficult" things can be enjoyable to complete. So, I wouldn't bother asking about the difficulty; ask about how enjoyable the process is.

One thing to keep in mind about WGU vs. UMPI is that WGU has a lot of live proctoring for their classes. For a lot of students, the proctoring itself can be more painful and difficult than the exam(s). The proctoring used by Study.com is completely different from the proctoring used by WGU. UMPI has no proctoring at all; all classes now have a paper or a project that needs to be completed for a grade.