Cheapest Path to a 2nd Baccalaureate

[DaltonGang13]

Hello! This is my first post 

Location: Ohio
Age: 40-50
Type of degree that I want

• 2nd bachelor degree … please tell me your suggestions for which concentration and which school (more info at the end of the post)
  
• My AA & BGS are both general studies majors, if that makes any difference
  
• Most likely will NOT choose Math or Business…open to pretty much anything else
  

RA Credits:

• AA degree - community college in Florida (early 2000s)
  
• Bachelor of General Studies degree - private university in Utah (current student - 6 credit hours left until graduation)
  

ACE / CLEP / NCCRS Credits: No (note: highly interested in trying them out)
Certifications or military experience: N/A
Budget: $7k - top priority is pursuing the cheapest route possible.
Dedicated time to study: I’ll likely be doing the 'feast-or-famine' approach; will do weekend all-day sessions...frankly, it’s what I’m doing now.
Timeline: No pressing deadlines, though I prefer to go fast where possible
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: n/a
Preferences: 

• Prefer to use credit-by-exam or self-paced online classes, whichever is cheaper (depending on recommendations)
  
• Prefer to avoid semester-based classes (will make an exception for capstone)
  
• Prefer exams over writing papers in order to keep moving fast (though it is not a make-or-break issue)
  

Other data: 

• I’m a homeschool parent to several kiddos
  
• When I found this forum, it was too late to apply the information found here towards my current degree program (just too far along).
  
• I am an independent learner and am highly confident in my ability to plan, study, and complete college courses {I shifted from traditional on-campus classes to self-paced online classes at my current university}. 
  
• Basically, I want to demonstrate to my kids (okay, myself really), that a degree can be completed faster and/or cheaper than the route I have previously taken. Looking for recommendations for an adult student aiming to complete a 2nd baccalaureate degree on the cheap. 
  
• Should I start from scratch with testing out (Modern States + CLEP)? -OR- combine my RA credits with exams?
  

[bjcheung77]

Hmm... I am just a tad bit confused, are you trying to start from 0 and do a non-business, non-math Bachelors again?
OR, are you trying to get a second bachelors after you've transferred X number of credits into the second degree?
Your cheap, easy, fast option would be to have the RA credits transferred into the new degree and complete X credits there.
My suggestion is Excelsior or TESU for the max transfer, if you have energy, time, then UMPI for a BA History.

[Vle045]

Your request is rather broad. Why do you want a second degree? What is your goal? I think it would be hard to make suggestions without knowing what degree you want and what your end goal is. Most fast/cheap options are probably going to be business.

[rachel83az]

Broadly speaking, you could get a second degree at UMPI in History/Poli Sci. Your first Bachelor's degree would waive the GEC and elective requirements, leaving only the major requirements. Some of these can be completed at SDC or Sophia, but most (30 credits minimum) would need to be completed at UMPI.

Other than that, without knowing why you want a second degree, it's difficult to give advice.

[dfrecore]

Just remember that at many schools, a 2nd degree can't really be started until after the 1st degree is completed. Meaning, you can't just take a bunch of ACE courses now, and then use them towards your 2nd degree - you will only take courses in your major anyway, and they should be done AFTER completing the 1st degree.

But I can't quite figure out why you'd want a 2nd degree in the first place. You're already getting a General Studies degree, so there's no sense in getting another degree like that. So what's the point of it? What do you want to do? Why not a graduate degree instead?

[SweetSecret]

I will echo Dfrecore's last question... why not just do a graduate degree? Granted, there are not as many alternative credit sources for graduate degrees, but there are some. There are numerous competency based graduate programs. I have basically been hacking my way through an MBA that it looks like will end up costing me just under $7k with a unique concentration. I know you are saying you are not interested in business, but it still might be possible to get a graduate degree for under $7K and meet your other requirements.

[ss20ts]

First you need to graduate from the 1st bachelor's degree. I don't understand why you want a second one. Just to show someone it can be done faster and cheaper? Well, yeah of course it will be faster and cheaper because you won't be completing 120 credits - far fewer. You also need to pick an area to focus on such as business or IT. Some schools will not allow for a 2nd bachelor's. Some have tight restrictions on them like Excelsior. A 2nd bachelor's degree doesn't work like the first one. Schools who allow them usually require you to complete 30 credits at their school. What are your goals? What do you want to use your degrees for? Career? Wall decoration? Personal satisfaction? I'd really consider a master's degree instead. I say this as someone who has 2 bachelor's degrees. The only reason I do is because a new program became available after I graduated and it was an area that I was really interested in as I have some experience in it. I wouldn't typically recommend doing any degree to prove anything to anyone other than yourself.

[DaltonGang13]

~UPDATE~

Thanks for the replies everyone. I'm really glad to have discovered this forum.

Please forgive my tardy response; my NICU baby was discharged around the time of my original post. 
My tiny companion spent nearly two months in the NICU and we are so happy to have him home 

After much consideration, I decided to forego the 2nd baccalaureate and pursue graduate-level education.

I've long held an interest in disaster preparedness and have chosen to pursue an online graduate certificate in Emergency Management, with the option to later apply to the degree program (MS in Emergency Management) at the same university. 
It's a growing, interdisciplinary field and I'm really excited to jump in once I've completed my undergraduate degree.

[bjcheung77]

Great job, going the graduate certificate option and laddering up to the master's degree later is a very good option!

[bluebooger]

assuming you're looking at TESU

https://www.tesu.edu/watson/grad-certifi...management

though APUS has some nice certs also
https://www.apu.apus.edu/academic/degree...126%2C1625