Degree/Planning Advice: Retired LEO Seeking BA and MA after life-altering injury

[CharisandJon]

Thank you! I'm doing my best. You and everyone else here have been very helpful and supportive. I can't thank you enough. The culture on this forum is tremendous.

Re: the Pre-Law minor, I've already taken intro to Philosophy and all the other Pre-Law Minor core classes except for one class. The only class I need to complete the Pre-Law Minor Core is POS 332 Constitutional Law, which appears to be offered through YourPace. It's a YourPace Criminal Justice Elective. I had read in one or more of the threads on this forum that the BLS Pre-Law could be done upon request as a stand alone degree through YourPace with prior approval from UMPI if all the core courses for the minor not offered though YourPace were transferred in from another school.

I think this was one of the threads:
https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...or-Inquiry

I guess I misunderstood regarding the Pre-Law Minor. So does that mean I will need to revert back to the BLS Management degree?

I know what you mean about 3 of these 4 courses satisfying both Undergrad requirements and 25% towards the MAOL. This is very cool! I plan to do this.
BUS 335 Organizational Behavior replaces OLS 550
BUS 353 Legal & Ethical Issues in Business replaces OLS 520
BUS 440 Business Analytics replaces OLS 610
BUS 469 Strategic Professional Communication replaces OLS 620

I also read that one or more BLS to MAOL students has been able to replace both BUS 353 and OLS 520 with BUSI1020 Sophia Business Ethics. Meaning Sophia Business Ethics replaced the OLS 520 and it was also used to replace BUS 353 in the  BLS. I'd like to confirm or rule out that possibility. This sounds too good to be true.

Unfortunately, the Sophia courses do not count toward or replace any MAOL courses. Sophia courses can be transferred in for the bachelor’s, but if you want those bachelor’s courses to “count towards” the MAOL, then you would need to take those courses at UMPI. They would need to be taken at UMPI while you are enrolled for your bachelor’s, and they can be retaken at UMPI even if you’ve already transferred in the Sophia equivalent for them. Since the bachelor’s courses have final drafts and the master’s courses do not, it is recommended to take or retake the 3 courses at UMPI, like BUS 353, that will count toward the MAOL. The official terminology is that 3 MAOL courses are waived if you’ve taken the UMPI bachelor’s courses (BUS 353, etc.), so I’m just saying “count towards” for ease. 

It is not possible to combine the residency requirements for the bachelor’s and master’s. The bachelor’s degree with its 30 credit residency requirement needs to be completed and conferred before the MAOL is started. Due to conferral wait times, there will be a session waiting period before you can start the MAOL. So for example, if you finished the bachelor’s in Spring 1, then you wouldn’t be able to start the MAOL until Summer 1. 

You are allowed to take a session (or more with success coach approval) off. However, you cannot pause the session once you have started. For example, if you complete Fall 1, then you can take Fall 2 off, and then start back again in Spring 1. However, you can’t pause Fall 1 and resume later. Your breaks would have to “follow their calendar” if that makes sense. You can take a week or so off during the session you have started, but you would still be paying for that time, and the break would be taking away from that and the time you have to finish the courses you started. You would also need to complete the courses you have already started during that term before the term ends. If not, then you would have to withdraw from the courses by the withdraw date.