Overwhelmed - Need a Associates or Bachelors in Business - Quicker the better

[scrappycoco]

Your Location:  Nebraska
Your Age:  44
What kind of degree do you want?:  Associates OR Bachelors (quicker the better)
Current Regional Accredited Credits:  0
Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits:  0
Any certifications or military experience?:  0
Budget:  limited and may be able to receive scholarships/financial aid
Commitments:  I have kids, so about 20-30 hours with the kids. 
Dedicated time to study:  Most of the day for the entire week (6-8 hours)
Timeline:  Less than a year for the Associates, I'm willing to obtain a Bachelors in less than a year if the timeline would fit with my schedule.
Tuition assistance/reimbursement:  None

Hey everyone, 

I've been deep diving into getting a degree in business. Whether it's an Associates or a Bachelors. I was recently laid off in December, and haven't been able to find anything. I should've done this sooner, but now is better than later. 

I've overwhelmed by all the options and plans. I'm trying to get it quickly, with as cheap as possible. I understand there are fee waivers for transferring credits, promo for Sopia/Study, FAFSA, and scholarships. 

Looking more and more into this, I feel like if I get an Associates, I need to be able to push that into a Bachelors in the near future (preferably after I am employed and can use tuition assistance).

[bjcheung77]

Welcome to the board, great intro post with the addendum and template.  I suggest the following Associates/Bachelors combo and alternative option.

1) UMPI AALS (General Business) and ladder to UMPI BLS with a minor or two, along with 3-4 classes that go towards the MAOL.
2) UMPI AALS (General Business) and ladder to UMPI BABA with a concentration of your choice, plus classes that go towards MAOL.
3) U of People AS Business and ladder up to their BS Business, they recently got RA through WASC and also have NA through DEAC.

Basically, I would use Fin Aid/Pell Grant towards the UMPI option.  When you have tuition assistance or reimbursement, finish off the MAOL.  To start off, get 90+ credits using Sophia.org towards the Bachelors, you're adding the AALS and forgetting it altogether as classes from the Bachelors already complete the entire AALS requirements.  You may just need a couple of months on Sophia.org to get all 90+ credits.  

Go through one provider at a time, use a spreadsheet to reference and track your progress.  You can then work on Study.com classes towards the remaining transfer credits depending on the degree, you can use my Study.com link for a 30% discount when the time comes... Below is the WIKI for UMPI showing the classes that can go towards the MAOL and a link for UMPI degree plans.

WIKI: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Un...esque_Isle
Plans: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Category:UMPI

[origamishuttle]

You should be able to skip the associate's degree, or just add it as an "extra," as suggested. I also recommend starting with Sophia, working through all the courses you need as quickly as possible. Many people have been able to complete all the courses they need within a few months, so the 4-month $299 subscription may be your best option. If you can do that, then you have a better chance than most at completing your 10 UMPI courses for a bachelor's degree in a single 8-week term.

[scrappycoco]

You should be able to skip the associate's degree, or just add it as an "extra," as suggested. I also recommend starting with Sophia, working through all the courses you need as quickly as possible. Many people have been able to complete all the courses they need within a few months, so the 4-month $299 subscription may be your best option. If you can do that, then you have a better chance than most at completing your 10 UMPI courses for a bachelor's degree in a single 8-week term.

Thank you to you both!