Path suggestions, school and program

[allvia]

@AirborneAgent  -  I'm a TESU alumni, so I'm a fan - but these days for what you're looking to achieve UMPI is the best option (much quicker and cheaper). The BLS would generally be be the easiest, but with your limited existing credits (& their subject matter) I suspect you could just as easily complete the BABA - Project Management and Information Systems. The BABA would provide the greatest ROI for the minimum effort (of time and money); there are few career paths that a business degree doesn't fit into. If you were still in law enforcement then I'd say the BA-Criminal Justice could be just as easy as the BLS for you, but you're not. There are plenty of MBA (and MPA) programs that don't require a business bachelor - however, having a business bachelor will provide you with far more choices (as it is common they have prerequisites that get covered automatically as part of a Business Admin degree).  

I would recommend you apply to UMPI for the BABA, send them your existing transcripts to get the ball rolling (you can always switch to the BLS if you opt for that later). Then go start the Sophia courses to get all the credits done needed, this is so you'll keep your UMPI courses as close to the 10 required. Sophia moves very quickly (after all, they're LL college courses aimed at recent HS grads). If you do this you can probably start in Sept, and you could well be done by end of 2024 (TESU will cost more, and at best you're looking at Spring/Summer 2025). Here is the UMPI wiki page: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Category:UMPI

If you had more existing technical credits then maybe the Pierpont AAS to UMPI BAS might provide you a better sounding degree over a BLS (but it still won't be quicker or cheaper than going direct for the BABA), so for your situation I don't believe it is the best (or quickest) option. Again a BAS isn't more valuable than a BLS (or most other bachelor options), just some people think it sounds/reads better - and just as many could argue that it does not. They all 'check the box', and at a certain age that is all you need (because your professional experience counts far more).

I know you have some certifications that may be worth credits at some schools (and if they are worth ACE credits get them registered with CREDLY asap), but generally it is about choosing the path that is of least resistance. Often trying to fit what you already have into a degree isn't the most efficient (for time, ease or money). I speak from personal experience on this point, and others here will undoubtedly back me up on this.


Amberton University
- MS Human Relations and Business - 2022
Thomas Edison State University (TESU)
- BSBA General Management - 2018
- ASNSM Computer Science -2018