In need of help and suggestions to finish my degree!

[nichulema]

Good day everyone,

So I've finally decided to make the jump and finish my undergrad.  I dropped out of university after a series of family tragedies put me into a period of depression, but after nearly two decades, finalizing my journey is long overdue.

My goal for my undergrad is to pursue whatever program can be earned in the shortest time possible, based on my existing classes.  My main priority is the undergrad degree--I'm planning to move overseas, and while my professional experience may be enough to secure employment, having an undergrad is required to secure an employment visa.

So without further adieu, my classes so far:

COLT 202 A- comparative literature (formative texts of world literature)
ENGL 233 A (Fundamentals of literature)
GERM - 357.02 B+ (German) (German theatre in the 1930s - focused on sociology and history, not language)
ECON 201 B (microeconomics)
ECON 203 C (macroeconomics)
GORG 213 B- (geography)
HTST 307 B- (the contemporary world)
HTST 435 B- (Prophets, Priests & Prodigals)
POLI 310B  C+ (History Of Political Thought )
POLI 381 D+ (Intro To International Relations)
PSYCH 205 C- (Principles of Psychology) 
CPSC 203  D (Introduction to Problem Solving using Application Software)
GLGY 209 C+ (introduction to geology)
COMS 402.05 A- (communications course)
DEST 201 B+ (Intro development studies)
MGST 291 C+ (Intro to business analytics)

I hope that helped, and I ENORMOUSLY appreciate any ideas or suggestions that anyone can provide! 

[rachel83az]

Your credits are very generic in spread and can apply to most degrees. What degree do you want? Depending on where you're going, for instance, a Lib Studies degree might not be considered "good enough" for an employment visa. Do you prefer papers or exams?

I think you have enough UL credit right now for a TESU Lib Studies degree. But, again, that might not be sufficient for immigration purposes.

[nichulema]

Your credits are very generic in spread and can apply to most degrees. What degree do you want? Depending on where you're going, for instance, a Lib Studies degree might not be considered "good enough" for an employment visa. Do you prefer papers or exams?

I think you have enough UL credit right now for a TESU Lib Studies degree. But, again, that might not be sufficient for immigration purposes.

Wow, thank you for responding so quickly--and so thoughtfully!

To answer your questions:

1)I'm (perhaps naively?) agnostic to my degree--I've won various awards in my field, so that combined with my existing work experience in an extremely niche field of communications has historically been enough to secure positions I've been interested in.  The primary issue I'm trying to overcome is the black and white "undergraduate degree mandatory" immigration requirement of the government itself, in the country I would be applying for work.

(That said, if my past credits could open me to multiple paths that could be pursued in a roughly similar timeframe, and one might open more doors or carry more credibility than another, I'm certainly not opposed to learning what options might be suggested!)

2)Definitely prefer papers if possible.

(Also, as an aside, I'm not American, if that ha a potential impact on any suggested academic paths)

[rachel83az]

If you prefer papers, then I would say to definitely skip TESU and go with UMPI: https://online.umpi.edu/programs They have a professional journalism/communication degree that might work for you. Or you could choose a Liberal Studies degree to be able to use (more of) your existing UL credits. A UMPI degree can be completed in as few as 2 months from enrollment, though most students take 4-6 months.

In order to complete your degree as quickly and as inexpensively as possible, you'd need to bring in extra credits from places like Sophia.org and Study.com. A couple of questions: how many credits is your geology class, did it have a lab? What language(s) do you speak aside from English?

[bjcheung77]

@nichulema, Welcome to the board... you really need to provide us more details for anyone to help you further, it's somewhat hard to advise without knowing more.  I highly recommend following the template provided to you in the forum thread just above the one you started, here's the link and the info you should provide: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Area-works

COSC, Excelsior, TESU require only 2-3 courses, you can transfer in 113/114 credits.  PUG, UMPI, Walden all allow 90 credit transfers and you can use your experience in completing a degree from them using their Competency Based Education model.  Again, it all depends what you want - mainly alternative credit courses/test out exams vs assessments and assignments.

Which country are you in now and where do you want to "travel" and "work"?  What budget, commitments, do you have a completion timeline? Some nations require degrees from Regionally Accredited institutions and some will be alright with Nationally Accredited degrees.  The more answers, the better we see your scenario and have a clearer picture for your educational journey...

[nichulema]

If you prefer papers, then I would say to definitely skip TESU and go with UMPI: https://online.umpi.edu/programs They have a professional journalism/communication degree that might work for you. Or you could choose a Liberal Studies degree to be able to use (more of) your existing UL credits. A UMPI degree can be completed in as few as 2 months from enrollment, though most students take 4-6 months.

In order to complete your degree as quickly and as inexpensively as possible, you'd need to bring in extra credits from places like Sophia.org and Study.com. A couple of questions: how many credits is your geology class, did it have a lab? What language(s) do you speak aside from English?

My geology class didn't have any labs involved, so I believe it was 3 credits.

Alas, just English.  I have (VERY) basic Spanish and Mandarin, for what that's worth.

And speaking of Mandarin--my work may end up taking me to China part-time, and my understanding is that a degree in journalism can potentially lead to additional red tape when applying for visas there.  So in that respect, it's possible that a liberal studies degree or a pure communications degree may be "safer" than a degree in journalism.

---

@nichulema, Welcome to the board... you really need to provide us more details for anyone to help you further, it's somewhat hard to advise without knowing more.  I highly recommend following the template provided to you in the forum thread just above the one you started, here's the link and the info you should provide: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Area-works

COSC, Excelsior, TESU require only 2-3 courses, you can transfer in 113/114 credits.  PUG, UMPI, Walden all allow 90 credit transfers and you can use your experience in completing a degree from them using their Competency Based Education model.  Again, it all depends what you want - mainly alternative credit courses/test out exams vs assessments and assignments.

Which country are you in now and where do you want to "travel" and "work"?  What budget, commitments, do you have a completion timeline? Some nations require degrees from Regionally Accredited institutions and some will be alright with Nationally Accredited degrees.  The more answers, the better we see your scenario and have a clearer picture for your educational journey...

Thanks for the warm welcome and the suggestions!

I'll load up the template momentarily--thanks for the link!

I would be looking to move from Canada to Thailand.

I am able to dedicate 40-60 hours per week towards my coursework for at least the next 4-6 months.  

(Again, it all depends what you want - mainly alternative credit courses/test out exams vs assessments and assignments.)
-If it's possible for me to show past experience in writing and communication projects to skip over related courses, then so much the better!  But I'm also not opposed to rolling up my sleeves, reading through the material, and pounding out essays / assignments. I can say that I'd like to do as few exams as possible, as I tend have a bad habit of second guessing myself and overthinking multiple choice exams. 

As for budget...(I imagine like most people on here) I'd like to spend as little as possible, but I'm ultimately willing to spend what I need to in order to get the degree.

I really hope that was helpful, and I'll check out that link you suggested ASAP!  Thanks again!

[bjcheung77]

Which province are you from, where did you take the courses listed above? Have you moved to Thailand already and now trying to get into China or another country for a "greener" pasture in teaching or something? I assume you don't have an associates degree yet...

My suggestion is to "finish" with TESU, as Rachel83AZ mentioned, you have the 5 UL credits required, you can get as many general education/lower level requirements completed with Sophia.org to complete the degree, BALS with no concentration or a concentration in Humanities would work, you can add an Associates or two for free.

Having said that, whenever I see people indicate 40+ hours/week on their studies, that tells me they've got time to spend on speeding through their courses, UMPI would be an "cheaper, easier, faster" combo to finish. You can go for their combo - AALS and a BLS a minor of your choice or their BABA.

[rachel83az]

What about a history degree from UMPI? You do have a couple of History courses already. But, really, just take a look at what UMPI has on offer and see if any fit your needs. If you just want the fastest degree, you can't really beat their BLS degrees.

UMPI requires at least 3 credits in a foreign language. Depending on how basic your Spanish and Mandarin are, you might be able to take an ACTFL exam to get at least 3 credits for one of those languages. Otherwise, for UMPI, your best option is probably InstantCert's Spanish I course. You would also need to take a science with a lab. Study.com's Biology 101L is usually considered to be the fastest/easiest, but there are a few other options.

With UMPI, most classes are passed with a single paper/project. There are very few exams and, depending on what degree you want, you may be able to avoid them entirely.

With TESU, COSC, or Excelsior, you'd wind up taking a bunch of exams to get enough credit. With PUG, you'd be writing at least 5 papers per class. It's a very slow way to get a degree. I'm not sure about Walden, but I think it's also slower than UMPI.

[bjcheung77]

Err... I meant 5 Upper Level courses, not credits. And I just looked at your courses, those from U of Calgary?

[nichulema]

Err... I meant 5 Upper Level courses, not credits.  And I just looked at your courses, those from U of Calgary?

They are!

And from the suggestions so far, UMPI sounds like a great option.

If I intend to eventually follow up my undergrad with a master's degree, would that in any way impact the suggestions to pursue a BLS or History degree?

Also, pardon my ignorance, but if in the future, after receiving my degree, I decided to, say, pursue a separate degree in computer science, could I "double dip" and build on top of the classes I would have already taken, or would I have to retake the overlapping courses?