Degree planning advice

[Oktoberfest]

Hi again. Have been busy at work past days and wanted to answer some questions from all of you to clarify my situation but previously I wanted to thank you for all your time investing into submitting all your replies and suggestions. Appreciate it.

Honestly, I'm impressed that Oktoberfest managed to get a job in technology in Germany without a degree at all. You must be pretty skilled. Everything I've read and everyone I've talked to essentially says that such a thing is "impossible".

I'd call myself a self-made IT expert from a to z. Now working for 15 years in IT jobs without a break but started to get in touch with computers at young age of 6. My siblings started to pick me up whenever they visited our library and I was not interested in any comics or other type of books. I picked up all computer related books, especially those that contained program code which I again retyped manually into my computer to visualize it. So I bring in huge experience which is what counts in real life. Of course a little bit of luck is indeed needed. I agree that I have no chance w/o study at Bosch, mercedes or any other big company but small and medium sized businesses are licking their fingers.

BUT: I am not in a situation where I need to change job nor would I be able to earn more money with a study. Everything is almost perfect now as it is. I just want that paper in my hands just to be able to say "hey I did it, even after canceling it in young years". Ofc I'd have something as motivation also for the kids. And no, at the moment I wouldn't want to add a Master degree on top of it.

I am full time employeed so time is very critical in my life. MIS minor or not ,Project Management, management sounds good. Must admit I even can't judge the difference of a BABA and BLS yet. After bringing in 90 credits to UMPI - how about the rest? Are those acquired by completing some online courses which require some kind of written paper like Sophia's Touchstones? Even a proctored exam at the end of each course? My plan is to degree as fast and as time effective as possible. Costs definitely also play a role. Wouldn't want to spend more than needed as I will pay it on my own.

[rachel83az]

A BLS, or Bachelor of Liberal Studies, is a "whatever you want" degree, to a certain extent. Depending on the universities involved, two students with Liberal Studies degrees may have taken entirely different classes. One may have focused on History and Philosophy, another on Computer Science and Psychology. Because of this, people who don't have Liberal Studies degrees tend to think of them as "fake" and "not real" or "too easy". The courses are just as rigorous as the courses used for other degrees, but because you get to pick whatever you want (within reason), some people get suspicious. Especially in countries where the concept doesn't really exist.

A BABA is a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. It focuses on Business classes. Although more usually styled as a BSBA (Bachelor of Science in Business Administration), if you say you got a degree in Business Administration, people will have a good idea of what you've studied. The details may vary (Leadership vs. Project Management vs. Accounting), but it's still a business degree.

After bringing in 90 credits to UMPI - how about the rest? Are those acquired by completing some online courses which require some kind of written paper like Sophia's Touchstones?

Yes, the rest come from online classes at UMPI.

At UMPI, most course grades are based on a single final paper or project that you write or create. There are very few exams, and there may be none at all in Business by the time you enroll. The exams that exist are not proctored, but neither are they open book. Other students have reported them to sometimes be more difficult than the papers or projects.

UMPI classes are self-paced. They're not unlike Sophia classes. A few students are able to complete the minimum 10 classes (30 credits) in a single 8 week session. Most students need 2 or sometimes 3 sessions. A handful, mainly students pursuing more challenging degrees, have needed 4 sessions.

[bjcheung77]

Exactly what I was thinking, you're looking for any sheet of paper that indicates you've got the Bachelors as a check the box degree.  Still a good idea to at least investigate which degree you're closer to finishing and the subjects that interest you more... Here's the UMPI WIKI with each degree plan, you should create a spreadsheet with the degrees that interest you, you'll then know what other courses are remaining that can/can't be transferred in, create the document, link us to your google/one drive and mark it as viewable (not editable): https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Category:UMPI

We can comment on your spreadsheet when we view it... Again, since you haven't completed the addendum, it's really hard to see what your extra commitments are besides the job/kids and your study habits, etc are like.  But from reading your last post, you're still a bit too green in regards to what remains after the 90 transfer credits.  You transfer a max of 90 from Sophia.org, the remaining minimum of 30 must be done at UMPI, there are courses that have exams (no proctor involved), you just need to pace yourself on those 30 or so remaining credits depending on degree you choose.

[Oktoberfest]

Thanks again.
Would transferring 90 credits solely via Sophia be possible for any of the UMPI Baba degrees. Remember reading something like that a few days ago.

Addendum abd spreadsheet going to be posted asap

[rachel83az]

It's completely possible for multiple UMPI degrees, though you might also need Study.com to maximize transfer. There are degree plans here: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Category:UMPI

[Oktoberfest]

It's completely possible for multiple UMPI degrees, though you might also need Study.com to maximize transfer. There are degree plans here: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Category:UMPI

The degree that fits best to me is really the UMPI BABA Project Management Degree. One or two of my IT certs could qualify and the degree plan contains at least IT related courses. I'll try to do that and keep that decision. 

My plan is to follow recommendation and take English I and II at UMPI but for the rest I don't get it. It's stated that 30 credits must be taken at UMPI. I assume English I and II can be counted into that? Project management is recommended to not transfer the one from Sophia because of a template which would be missing later. But bear with me which others are recommended or must even be taken at UMPI?

[rachel83az]

You need to take a majority of your 300 and 400-level courses at UMPI. Other than that, if there is a transfer equivalency, you can take it through Study.com or Sophia.

I would suggest making a spreadsheet with your personalized degree plan on it, then you can share the spreadsheet and UMPI students will be able to make recommendations for what you should or should not take at UMPI.

[Oktoberfest]

...You should take a German ACTFL exam to meet UMPI's foreign language requirements...

I stumbled upon https://www.languagetesting.com/lti/prod...nt_id/228? but don't understand which of the following tests would be required: ACTFL OPI / OPIc / iWPT.
Any recommendation what I need to chose?

[rachel83az]

For German, any of them. The WPT is pretty fast and is one of the cheapest options. If you'd prefer to have a conversation, though, you'd choose OPI or OPIc. The OPIc is with a computer. The OPI is with an actual person and requires an advance appointment slot to be scheduled.

UMPI is not picky about the specifics of your language credits, as long as you can demonstrate sufficient proficiency (3 credits or more) in a non-English language.

[dfrecore]

For German, any of them. The WPT is pretty fast and is one of the cheapest options. If you'd prefer to have a conversation, though, you'd choose OPI or OPIc. The OPIc is with a computer. The OPI is with an actual person and requires an advance appointment slot to be scheduled.

UMPI is not picky about the specifics of your language credits, as long as you can demonstrate sufficient proficiency (3 credits or more) in a non-English language.

The WPT is one of the hardest ones, and the most expensive.  For cheap, you either want the RPT (Reading) or the LPT (Listening).  OPIc is the most-used one just because most people who are fluent are so in speaking, and this gives you more credits, including UL.