"Checkbox" BA Degree - BALS or Psych?

[Nodaclu]

Hi all,

I'm diving back into schoolwork (probably within the next few days), and I've been reading the discussion on the board regarding TESU's downgrading of all of Study.com's Psych courses after 12/31/17. Since that's only about 3+ weeks out, I'm not optimistic about being able to get my needed UL classes in within that time window.

I love Study.com and their format. I'd like to stick with them as much as possible.

Also, at this stage, the BA is something of a "checkbox" for me. (I'm deep enough into my undergrad work, that trying to do a BSBA now would take about the same amount of time as a BALS/MBA-HR combo, so I feel like the grad degree makes sense if all else is essentially equal.)

My longer term goal is an MBA in HR from Patten University (I've been in HR for 18 years). But the lack of any degree is just killing me in the job market right now.

So I'm thinking about a few things...

1. Is it worth my time to transfer my coursework into a place that will essentially award me an AAS degree? (I think I need a math class, but that would be it.) Or is that a waste of time based on the fact that I can probably complete my BA within 6 months?

2. Do I stay with my BA-Psych degree plans, or would it make sense to switch to a BALS for the ease of finishing (this is likely at TESU for both cases). I have 9 UL units completed, so after adding in the Capstone, I would only need 6 units of UL to qualify for graduation, and I'm thinking I could probably still find 2 Study.com classes that would qualify for the BALS.

I've attached my current BA Psych program from TESU. I also have one for COSC somewhere. I've completed the Conerstone at COSC, and my TESU Cornerstone has been waived, so both schools are pretty much on equal footing for me from that perspective. 

Based on what I've completed so far, and my short and long term goals, does anyone have any thoughts/advice on whether or not I should make any tweaks to my plans, or should I just stick with the Psych program that I've laid out, and just figure out a way to get the UL courses done (the 6 unit Social Psych requirement from TESU look more daunting after 1/1/18 now), and stick to my original plan?

Thanks in advance!

-Mike

[davewill]

The AAS seems like a nothing burger. No reason to do it except for your own satisfaction. Will the psych degree do ANYTHING for you the BALS wouldn't? If not, I'd say take the path of least resistance.

[Nodaclu]

The AAS seems like a nothing burger. No reason to do it except for your own satisfaction. Will the psych degree do ANYTHING for you the BALS wouldn't? If not, I'd say take the path of least resistance.

Agree on both fronts!

Mostly I just wanted to get it out of my head and into type, and see if I was thinking about this clearly. 

The BA is close enough that I didn't think the AAS made a lot of sense at this point, but I've been wrong before. 

There was once a specific reason to pursue the Psych degree, but that reason no longer exists. I did a quick workup of my units into TESU's BALS plan, and it's definitely a path of FAR less resistance to be sure, so I think I will switch my major with TESU and pursue the BALS. 

Patten's MBA program only requires that I've completed a College Algebra course and a Microeconomics course in my undergrad, so I'll be sure to include those as I finish the BALS.

[dfrecore]

IMHO, skip the AAS, there is no reason to get it - it won't do a thing for you with 18 years of HR experience.

If the BSBA is too far away, and you're going to get the MBA/HR anyway, then skip the BSBA as well.

Just get that BA done as cheaply and quickly as possible, so that you can get what you really want anyway. And with as much experience as you have, the MBA really is your best bet. That will move you along in your career much more than the BSBA will.

[RANSOMSOUL]

Great advice already on the board. The BALS overall cost and speed of completion make it an easy choice. If there was any hesitation on continuing on for the MBA, I would then suggest spending a little more time on completing the BSBA or BA in Psychology.

We need a new Patten degree story so I hope you knock it out.

[Nodaclu]

Thank you all for confirming what I was thinking. I appreciate it! 

I sent a request to TESU requesting a change in program of study, and to my amazement, it was completed in less than 24 hours. I've read some of the stories of TESU's shortcomings in the customer service department, so this was quite a pleasant surprise.

Everything moved where I expected it to, with the exception of one class that was counted toward the Info Literacy requirement in my Psych program, but was moved to my AOS in my LS program.

I've made a request to have that class moved back into the Info Literacy requirement, because there are tons of options for completing one LL LS class in Study.com, but few, if any, for the Info Literacy requirement.

Patten is quite an interesting option! I love the style and pacing of their program, the entrance requirements are reasonable, and since it's only about 90 miles away from me, I'll probably be able to attend my own graduation! 

[RANSOMSOUL]

I was able to visit Patten University last year. It was almost the tipping point being a local school for me to pick Patten over WGU but after additional research connected to my interests, WGU was a stronger option and has shown to be a perfect fit. I would highly suggest some additional research on WGU because there are similarities with Patten but with the bonus of WGU being a Non-Profit with considerably more resources to support your degree. If you can complete your MBA in 1 term with Patten then it's, of course, the best value, however, we just have not seen that 1 term celebration come true with Patten outside of 1 or two students. The same aspirations have happened several times with WGU and can be read throughout the forum for inspiration.

There are some Patten students on the forum and I am sure they can jump in to provide assistance if you decide to move forward with Patten. Just a mention on graduation with Patten - pretty sure the last 1-2 years they have not had a commencement and just mailed out diplomas only. Most likely, this was due to graduation numbers but please double check directly with Patten to confirm this information.

[Nodaclu]

I was able to visit Patten University last year. It was almost the tipping point being a local school for me to pick Patten over WGU but after additional research connected to my interests, WGU was a stronger option and has shown to be a perfect fit. I would highly suggest some additional research on WGU because there are similarities with Patten but with the bonus of WGU being a Non-Profit with considerably more resources to support your degree. If you can complete your MBA in 1 term with Patten then it's, of course, the best value, however, we just have not seen that 1 term celebration come true with Patten outside of 1 or two students. The same aspirations have happened several times with WGU and can be read throughout the forum for inspiration.

Just a mention on graduation with Patten - pretty sure the last 1-2 years they have not had a commencement and just mailed out diplomas only. Most likely, this was due to graduation numbers but please double check directly with Patten to confirm this information.

That you for that! I checked WGU, and they don't appear to offer an MBA in HR Management, which is the degree I'm after, and one that will probably limit my choices a bit.

That's a bummer to hear about the lack of commencement. I'll have to get more info on that. I'd like to go through at least one commencement, and with the Big 3 all being 3,000-ish miles away, just doing the one at Patten seemed to make the most sense.