Honestly looking for Easy/Casual School

[Unistic]

Correct, associates in Criminal Justice (RA) and a bachelors Information Technology (NA). Overall gpa is 3.16 still just researching the list of schools suggested/found and will make a decision on Monday. Again the goal is just to burn up my GI Bill and save the monthly payment I'll receive for my son's education. So I am looking for a more manageable degree and it wouldn't hurt to learn something new as well. So far I've narrowed it down to:

Bellevue Univeristy - Strategtic Finance 1 year
University of Arizon Global Campus - UAGC - MS Finance 15 months
SNHU - MS Finance 15 months
CSU Global - MS Finance - maybe
Webster University, MS Finance, 1 year
Cambridge college global , MS Finance 1 year
UMPI -BLS in management

I can tell you a bit about CSU Global. I was a student there before I transferred to UMPI. I have also spent a great deal of time talking to Bellevue University about grad programs there. Both of these schools have strict weekly schedules. Every Thursday there are assignments due and every Sunday. There are weekly discussions with multiple responses required along with citations. Every week you write a paper 5-7 pages or longer. Undergrad was 5-7 and I've been told grad it's longer. There are weekly graded quizzes as well. Along with a great deal of reading. You're required to buy textbooks or rent them. 

Based on what you sent me privately, I don't know how well you would hold up to those requirements. There's no leeway in the deadlines and requirements. UMPI is VERY forgiving. You're on your own schedule. If you want to complete 2 classes in a term, then that's no problem. You're not on a weekly schedule with hard deadlines. The only hard deadlines are the last day to submit rough drafts and the last day of classes. I have ADHD and struggled immensely at CSU Global with the workload and the constant deadlines. That's why I gave UMPI a try. I figured I didn't have anything to lose. I actually ended up graduating several months earlier than I would have at CSU Global and saved myself several thousand dollars plus an unmeasurable amount of stress. You have a lot of freedom in the UMPI program unlike the scheduled programs. WGU may be another option for you to look at as well. They're also a CBE program.

I wouldn't be able to hold up at all lmao. Thanks for that through response, much appreciated with that said I've narrowed the list below. Webster seems to be just writing papers nothing on discussions I'm going to call and ask them though cause I wouldn't mind learning a bit of finance. Cambridge College seems to be about the same I have found zero information on them as well. I know you've stated that UMPI would be the best especially the BLS in management and its on the list but if I could do finance I would prefer that and I'm not interested in their master at all. Still the main goal is to burn up the GI bill and save up the housing allowance. The other thing with UMPI is that I'm not sure if I would be able to complete the courses at a fast pace. I've read about people doing 5 or more classes per term making it worth it. If I went to a college more structured than within that year I could obtain another degree while also burning up my GI Bill.

If I don't find anything about Webster or Cambridge's course load then, UMPI will be my destination. Thank you!!

Bellevue Univeristy - Strategtic Finance 1 year
University of Arizon Global Campus - UAGC - MS Finance 15 months
SNHU - MS Finance 15 months
CSU Global - MS Finance - maybe

Webster University, MS Finance, 1 year
Cambridge college global , MS Finance 1 year
UMPI -BLS in management

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Cost isn't an issue because the GI bill is paying for it. What do you mean about ease? From what I'm reading the course work is manageable which I"m looking for in a plan and its a 1 year master in finance which I also want.

Also when researching colleges that are considered easy "manageable", 1 year Masters in Finance. I came across Cambridge College Global, still looking up how its coursework run though.

Thank you!

Depending on your commitments in life, if you have a lot on your hands, a Competency Based degree may or may not be for you.  

Most CBE programs are self paced and you pay by the term, I also suggest taking a look at the WGU MSML option instead of having UMPI BLS in Management on your list, as a Masters trumps a Bachelors any day of the week, furthermore, the cost would be about 4K/6 months, or roughly 8/year if you need more time...  

BTW, when I mentioned ease to finish, I meant the number of assignments, readings, study, workload, etc compared to other programs... if you can find one that is to your liking, it'll save you energy/time in the long run.

Thank you, and I'm still iffy on CBE. I hear that most people that fly threw them are the ones with actual career experience. Everyone else have the standard completion times of 4 years for a bachelors and 2 years for a master. Again that's what I've heard.

[ss20ts]

At UMPI you'd be required to complete 2 classes per term which is 4 in a semester. You would work on 1 class at a time. You'd have the course content to read which is a few chapters in a book basically. You'll have ungraded quizzes and some classes have Milestones which are short answer assignments that aren't graded. In the course content there are videos to watch and sometimes links to external articles to read. Then you have the Final Assessment which is what you're graded on. It's a paper, project, or exam. Few classes have exams though. 

One thing to consider given your background are the services the college can provide. Some are just online schools and don't have much available. UMPI is part of the University of Maine system with an actual college campus in Presque Isle which is a tiny town in Northern Maine on the border of Canada. They have writing lab services, tutoring services, etc. They take the ADA seriously. We have a regular on here who transferred to UMPI because of how responsive they are to ADA and he was getting nowhere with other schools. UMPI has professors who teach at UMPI and in the U of M system. They're the actual professors who teach these courses on campus. There are few adjuncts and even those teach on campus. The professors are accessible for help. You'll have an academic advisor and an academic success coach at UMPI. There is a support system which you may need based on your background. 

Yes, I'm an alumni who loves UMPI. I love UMPI because they helped me achieve something I tried to do for decades. I have ADHD and memory issues. I struggled so much at CSU Global that I was ready to give up and just give up on a college degree. Then I found this forum and gave UMPI a shot. It was the best experience I've ever had because I could work on my classes at my own speed. If I had a crap day, then I didn't work on classes. I dealt with life instead. I get holidays, vacations, and weekends which I didn't at CSU Global. Every freaking day I had to be working on something. It was VERY stressful. I know many people don't have those issues, but with ADHD it's a crapshoot on how my day will go. I imagine you have good days and bad days, too, that's why I'm sharing with you and not to say UMPI is the greatest thing in the world. There are other CBE programs out. WGU has grad programs and is CBE. So if you want a grad program WGU may be a place for you to check out. It's another program where you'd move through it at your own pace. Their terms are 6 months long and you would still have to complete a specific number of courses in a term to keep you full time like you probably need for the military benefits.

[Unistic]

At UMPI you'd be required to complete 2 classes per term which is 4 in a semester. You would work on 1 class at a time. You'd have the course content to read which is a few chapters in a book basically. You'll have ungraded quizzes and some classes have Milestones which are short answer assignments that aren't graded. In the course content there are videos to watch and sometimes links to external articles to read. Then you have the Final Assessment which is what you're graded on. It's a paper, project, or exam. Few classes have exams though. 

One thing to consider given your background are the services the college can provide. Some are just online schools and don't have much available. UMPI is part of the University of Maine system with an actual college campus in Presque Isle which is a tiny town in Northern Maine on the border of Canada. They have writing lab services, tutoring services, etc. They take the ADA seriously. We have a regular on here who transferred to UMPI because of how responsive they are to ADA and he was getting nowhere with other schools. UMPI has professors who teach at UMPI and in the U of M system. They're the actual professors who teach these courses on campus. There are few adjuncts and even those teach on campus. The professors are accessible for help. You'll have an academic advisor and an academic success coach at UMPI. There is a support system which you may need based on your background. 

Yes, I'm an alumni who loves UMPI. I love UMPI because they helped me achieve something I tried to do for decades. I have ADHD and memory issues. I struggled so much at CSU Global that I was ready to give up and just give up on a college degree. Then I found this forum and gave UMPI a shot. It was the best experience I've ever had because I could work on my classes at my own speed. If I had a crap day, then I didn't work on classes. I dealt with life instead. I get holidays, vacations, and weekends which I didn't at CSU Global. Every freaking day I had to be working on something. It was VERY stressful. I know many people don't have those issues, but with ADHD it's a crapshoot on how my day will go. I imagine you have good days and bad days, too, that's why I'm sharing with you and not to say UMPI is the greatest thing in the world. There are other CBE programs out. WGU has grad programs and is CBE. So if you want a grad program WGU may be a place for you to check out. It's another program where you'd move through it at your own pace. Their terms are 6 months long and you would still have to complete a specific number of courses in a term to keep you full time like you probably need for the military benefits.

Thank you for sharing all of that! And yes I'm the same, good days everything is normal rarely any issues then the bad days, those are the days you don't want to bother with. UMPI sounds better more and more.

I noticed that your status shows all of UMPI BLS with every single concentration? How long did that take? And are you planning on their master program. Even though I don't like that its in leadership. If its similar to how you describe your experiences I think I would give that a shot.

Thank you very much!!!

[ss20ts]

Thank you for sharing all of that! And yes I'm the same, good days everything is normal rarely any issues then the bad days, those are the days you don't want to bother with. UMPI sounds better more and more.

I noticed that your status shows all of UMPI BLS with every single concentration? How long did that take? And are you planning on their master program. Even though I don't like that its in leadership. If its similar to how you describe your experiences I think I would give that a shot.

Thank you very much!!!

I completed 3 minors. There are 5 available. I transferred in most of the classes for 1 and needed 1 more class to complete the management minor so I was like why not? I completed 16 classes in 3 terms at UMPI so 1.5 semesters. 

I'll be going to WGU for my MSML and MBA next year. UMPI's MAOL is far too much work for me. It's brand new and needs work I think.

[Unistic]

Thank you for sharing all of that! And yes I'm the same, good days everything is normal rarely any issues then the bad days, those are the days you don't want to bother with. UMPI sounds better more and more.

I noticed that your status shows all of UMPI BLS with every single concentration? How long did that take? And are you planning on their master program. Even though I don't like that its in leadership. If its similar to how you describe your experiences I think I would give that a shot.

Thank you very much!!!

I completed 3 minors. There are 5 available. I transferred in most of the classes for 1 and needed 1 more class to complete the management minor so I was like why not? I completed 16 classes in 3 terms at UMPI so 1.5 semesters. 

I'll be going to WGU for my MSML and MBA next year. UMPI's MAOL is far too much work for me. It's brand new and needs work I think.

Thank you!!!

Edit: I'm liking the BLS - Manage of information Systems actually.

[dfrecore]

Couldn't you do UMPI slowly, since that's actually your goal? And add in a few courses that might interest you? They have a couple of finance/related courses that you could take:
BUS 325: Financial Management
BUS 440: Business Analytics

And you could also take random courses that sounded interesting to you.

Not sure why you think you have to fly through, when the actual goal is to take longer on purpose? The people that fly through are trying to keep their costs down, while you are trying to keep your costs high and take a full year. 2 courses per term = 12 courses = 2 minors (6 courses each), or 1 minor and then random interesting-to-you classes.

Again, UMPI is great for those who WANT to go quickly, but nothing says you HAVE to go quickly through the program.

[Unistic]

Couldn't you do UMPI slowly, since that's actually your goal?  And add in a few courses that might interest you?  They have a couple of finance/related courses that you could take:
BUS 325: Financial Management
BUS 440: Business Analytics

And you could also take random courses that sounded interesting to you.

Not sure why you think you have to fly through, when the actual goal is to take longer on purpose?  The people that fly through are trying to keep their costs down, while you are trying to keep your costs high and take a full year.  2 courses per term = 12 courses = 2 minors (6 courses each), or 1 minor and then random interesting-to-you classes.

Again, UMPI is great for those who WANT to go quickly, but nothing says you HAVE to go quickly through the program.

Yes you are correct. The goal is to burn off my gi bill for the housing allowance which I'll save for my son's college. But if I could also get another degree out of it that wouldn't hurt either but that's second to the real goal.

I read each term 8 weeks. So 12 courses for that year would be fine I still need to know how much of my previous degree they will accept.  With what you're saying, they would have to accept the whole degree for the general ed/electives. Which then would allow me the two minors. And yes those two classes would interest me. Still reading investing and trading books casually!

Lastly, do you get a degree for each minor completed? That would be really cool.
Thanks!

[dfrecore]

Couldn't you do UMPI slowly, since that's actually your goal?  And add in a few courses that might interest you?  They have a couple of finance/related courses that you could take:
BUS 325: Financial Management
BUS 440: Business Analytics

And you could also take random courses that sounded interesting to you.

Not sure why you think you have to fly through, when the actual goal is to take longer on purpose?  The people that fly through are trying to keep their costs down, while you are trying to keep your costs high and take a full year.  2 courses per term = 12 courses = 2 minors (6 courses each), or 1 minor and then random interesting-to-you classes.

Again, UMPI is great for those who WANT to go quickly, but nothing says you HAVE to go quickly through the program.

Yes you are correct. The goal is to burn off my gi bill for the housing allowance which I'll save for my son's college. But if I could also get another degree out of it that wouldn't hurt either but that's second to the real goal.

I read each term 8 weeks. So 12 courses for that year would be fine I still need to know how much of my previous degree they will accept.  With what you're saying, they would have to accept the whole degree for the general ed/electives. Which then would allow me the two minors. And yes those two classes would interest me. Still reading investing and trading books casually!

Lastly, do you get a degree for each minor completed? That would be really cool.
Thanks!

If you already have a bachelor's degree, and you're getting the BLS w/minor, then you only need the minor courses (6 courses for most) = 18cr.  You have to take 30cr at UMPI as a requirement - that's 10 courses.  So you are good.

[bjcheung77]

Cost isn't an issue because the GI bill is paying for it. What do you mean about ease? From what I'm reading the course work is manageable which I"m looking for in a plan and its a 1 year master in finance which I also want.

Also when researching colleges that are considered easy "manageable", 1 year Masters in Finance. I came across Cambridge College Global, still looking up how its coursework run though.

Thank you!

Depending on your commitments in life, if you have a lot on your hands, a Competency Based degree may or may not be for you.  

Most CBE programs are self paced and you pay by the term, I also suggest taking a look at the WGU MSML option instead of having UMPI BLS in Management on your list, as a Masters trumps a Bachelors any day of the week, furthermore, the cost would be about 4K/6 months, or roughly 8/year if you need more time...  

BTW, when I mentioned ease to finish, I meant the number of assignments, readings, study, workload, etc compared to other programs... if you can find one that is to your liking, it'll save you energy/time in the long run.

Thank you, and I'm still iffy on CBE. I hear that most people that fly threw them are the ones with actual career experience. Everyone else have the standard completion times of 4 years for a bachelors and 2 years for a master. Again that's what I've heard.

UMPI is a great school, although small, it provides a recognized public/state set of degrees, their CBE programs are inexpensive and I love them for what they currently offer, the cost, ease, and speed to finish are very comparable to most other CBE's.  They are a very good first or second degree choice, in this juncture in time though, you should keep your eyes open for other options and place this in the middle or lower end of your list like you have before...

Interesting turn of events, the more you ask questions, people will provide different answers as everyone thinks differently and answers varies!  So, it's best to recap and review what you're looking for to see what you should be getting.  We like to provide you the cheap/easy/fast option to getting to that goal, and I like to add that extra ROI/Value...

What you bring to the table: Associates CJ (RA), Bachelors IT (NA)  -  What you're looking for: Bachelors or Masters in Finance, basically, it seems we went from a Bach/Masters in Finance to now a redundant BLS Management OR MIS option.  So, is there a particular reason to take a General Studies degree with an almost similar Area of Study as your Bachelors if you go the MIS route?

My suggestions are multi-fold, you get to decide which one of these options cater to your liking, it depends on your commitments/energy/time, etc...
1) You can continue on with your previous school and get a BAS Finance by transferring in 75% of your credits and completing that in 1 year.  
2) Or you can go for a MBA Finance also at the same school you grabbed that Bachelors in IT.  Speak with them about Waldorf University...
3) A joint program from your school and their sister school Waldorf University, get 50% transfer into an RA masters from your NA masters work
4) Find another CBE bach/masters program that may suit your needs more or a non CBE that provides you "several finance" courses
5) If you decide on the UMPI BLS MIS or Management, couple that with the ENEB MBA & Masters option that is because it's self paced
6) If you're doing it for learning, stop the thought of getting another Bachelors, take some more "Finance courses" with alternative providers

A couple of reasons you may want to recap/review your choices before deciding: UMPI doesn't accept NA credits, you only have an associates for transfer.  I believe they will take your NA credits, it won't hurt to try them either, so you can at least try them out, but as per ss20ts, they don't:  https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...#pid342620

I love the option to taking extra courses and degrees, for example, younger individuals looking at TESU, I tell them to get an associates/bachelors and if they can get a second associates/bachelors if it doesn't take up extra energy/money/time, such as a BALS for check the box, BSBA for their end goal.  However, this is one of a few times I agree with a few posts from dfrecore, it maybe a waste of time/money as per these posts here: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...#pid348515

My question is the same as dfrecore's in here: "Why WOULDN'T it be a waste of time to take things you can't use?"  So, ask yourself, can you use the redundant UMPI BLS MIS for anything, why are we even recommending this? or would you rather go for a more useful second bachelors or even a masters, since you're getting credit for college courses, having a Masters would look much better for you.  Link 1: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...#pid336122 Link 2: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...#pid324205

[ss20ts]

Lastly, do you get a degree for each minor completed? That would be really cool.
Thanks!

You get 1 diploma per degree. The diploma lists out the minors on it. So mine has my degree - BLS and 3 minors - each minor is listed. My Latin Honors is also on my diploma.

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If you already have a bachelor's degree, and you're getting the BLS w/minor, then you only need the minor courses (6 courses for most) = 18cr.  You have to take 30cr at UMPI as a requirement - that's 10 courses.  So you are good.

His bachelor's degree is from an NA school so I'm not sure how that will work at UMPI. I think that's a wait and see once you apply kind of thing because the catalog specifically says they accept RA credit. Nothing about NA credit.