UoP Health Science--anything similar out there?

[wow]

For years on and off I have considered pursuing the University of People Health Science bachelors degree. This would really be more of an icing on the cake degree and not something that I need for my career. I would be able to transfer in 90, or close to 90, of the required credits. The thing that always holds me back is the internship requirement. I am mid/late career (old for an intern) and have worked in Health Science related fields (health education), so it's really hard to imagine being able to acquire a free internship--I would be considered overqualified (ethical organizations do not use interns to do the work that paid staff should be doing ). Also, the internship requires 15 to 30 hours a week of work-- it must be 270 hours total and cannot be spread out over more than two terms--which would be hard to manage with my schedule. (I can study that much a week, but an internship would require me to be at a certain place at certain times, presumably.) I could get paid work but as I understand it, that's against the rules of the internship.

I have looked at some competency-based health science degrees, but they seem to be geared toward (or even require students to be) nurses, paramedics, and X ray technicians.

Well, I don't need this degree, so maybe I should give up the fantasy. Alternatively, I could settle for a health science associates degree from University of the People, which doesn't require an internship.

Thoughts?

[Jonathan Whatley]

If I'm not mistaken, even though some were designed for those, these are all reasonably achievable by students who are not incumbent allied health professionals such as nurses, paramedics, or X ray technicians:

• Excelsior University BS in Health Sciences or new BS in Public Health
  
• TESU BS in Health Services Technology, BS in Health Studies, or BS in Technical Studies with area of study in Health Studies
  
• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Wisconsin Flex BS in Biomedical Sciences: Health Sciences
  
• Walden University Tempo BS in Health Studies or BS in Public Health
  
• WGU new BS in Health Science, new BS in Public Health, or BS in Health and Human Services
  
• UMPI YourPace, upcoming release date TBA, BS in Health Administration with concentration in Community Health
  

I'm allowing the Health Administration title from UMPI because of the sub-title in Community Health. If you'd accept a straight health administration or management title several more options open.

[wow]

If I'm not mistaken, even though some were designed for those, these are all reasonably achievable by students who are not incumbent allied health professionals such as nurses, paramedics, or X ray technicians:

• Excelsior University BS in Health Sciences or new BS in Public Health
  
• TESU BS in Health Services Technology, BS in Health Studies, or BS in Technical Studies with area of study in Health Studies
  
• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Wisconsin Flex BS in Biomedical Sciences: Health Sciences
  
• Walden University Tempo BS in Health Studies or BS in Public Health
  
• WGU new BS in Health Science, new BS in Public Health, or BS in Health and Human Services
  
• UMPI YourPace, upcoming release date TBA, BS in Health Administration with concentration in Community Health
  

I'm allowing the Health Administration title from UMPI because of the sub-title in Community Health. If you'd accept a straight health administration or management title several more options open.

Thanks! I should have been clearer, when I said competency-based, I meant more the self-paced style like WGU. I have looked at Excelsior and TESU but transferability of courses seems limited for that particular major (a few years back someone on this board did a health-science-type degree and finding matching courses was quite involved). I applied for UW-Milwaukee a while back, which is more like the WGU style, but was not happy with the low amount of courses they wanted to transfer, which would have been made it hard to complete in one or two terms. I should have mentioned that!

That said, the UMPI looks like it might be right up my alley. I didn't realize that they had that offering coming up. I have read so many good things about UMPI and the responsiveness of its professors and support staff on this forum, so I'm figuring it might just be perfect even with the health administration title. Close enough, especially since this is more for my own gratification/hobby than for salary purposes.

For Walden, I've seen people post about problems with getting courses unlocked, which drags out the process so that they have to pay for more terms than they want to. But perhaps that is for newer degrees and not ones that have been around for a while, like the ones you mentioned.

Honestly thought WGU required one of those professions, so I need to take another look at it.

Thanks so much!

[Jonathan Whatley]

Among those five programs from TESU and Excelsior, I think the TESU BS Technical Studies with aos Health Studies and BS Health Services Technology in particular are fairly fulfillable with alt-credit courses.

[ss20ts]

Thanks! I should have been clearer, when I said competency-based, I meant more the self-paced style like WGU. I have looked at Excelsior and TESU but transferability of courses seems limited for that particular major (a few years back someone on this board did a health-science-type degree and finding matching courses was quite involved). I applied for UW-Milwaukee a while back, which is more like the WGU style, but was not happy with the low amount of courses they wanted to transfer, which would have been made it hard to complete in one or two terms. I should have mentioned that!

That said, the UMPI looks like it might be right up my alley. I didn't realize that they had that offering coming up. I have read so many good things about UMPI and the responsiveness of its professors and support staff on this forum, so I'm figuring it might just be perfect even with the health administration title. Close enough, especially since this is more for my own gratification/hobby than for salary purposes.

For Walden, I've seen people post about problems with getting courses unlocked, which drags out the process so that they have to pay for more terms than they want to. But perhaps that is for newer degrees and not ones that have been around for a while, like the ones you mentioned.

Honestly thought WGU required one of those professions, so I need to take another look at it.

Thanks so much!

There is not date for UMPI to add this program to their YourPace offerings. Thus far, it's just a rumor. THere's been rumors about CS coming to YourPace since 2020 and on campus didn't even have a CS program at that point. They're already admitting students to the fall terms and it's not listed so please don't wait on it becoming available at UMPI as it may or may not happen. 

Walden isn't available in every state. I live in one of those states. They won't discuss anything about their programs with me.

[wow]

Thanks! I should have been clearer, when I said competency-based, I meant more the self-paced style like WGU. I have looked at Excelsior and TESU but transferability of courses seems limited for that particular major (a few years back someone on this board did a health-science-type degree and finding matching courses was quite involved). I applied for UW-Milwaukee a while back, which is more like the WGU style, but was not happy with the low amount of courses they wanted to transfer, which would have been made it hard to complete in one or two terms. I should have mentioned that!

That said, the UMPI looks like it might be right up my alley. I didn't realize that they had that offering coming up. I have read so many good things about UMPI and the responsiveness of its professors and support staff on this forum, so I'm figuring it might just be perfect even with the health administration title. Close enough, especially since this is more for my own gratification/hobby than for salary purposes.

For Walden, I've seen people post about problems with getting courses unlocked, which drags out the process so that they have to pay for more terms than they want to. But perhaps that is for newer degrees and not ones that have been around for a while, like the ones you mentioned.

Honestly thought WGU required one of those professions, so I need to take another look at it.

Thanks so much!

There is not date for UMPI to add this program to their YourPace offerings. Thus far, it's just a rumor. THere's been rumors about CS coming to YourPace since 2020 and on campus didn't even have a CS program at that point. They're already admitting students to the fall terms and it's not listed so please don't wait on it becoming available at UMPI as it may or may not happen. 

Walden isn't available in every state. I live in one of those states. They won't discuss anything about their programs with me.

I've waited for years and am not in a hurry. I am working on other classes right now, so I would just check in when I'm done with that.

Walden is available in my state. So is WGU, but I'm a little freaked out by the fact that the people who do the grading are different from the course tutors/teachers. Maybe I shouldn't treat that as such an obstacle, though.