Seeking Help with BLS Degree Plan Discrepancy and Graduation Requirements

[lyh]

Hello everyone,

I was a student in the 2024 Fall 1 term, majoring in BABA Project Management Degree. However, I had to apply for a leave of absence midway through the semester due to hospitalization. I provided sufficient medical documentation and submitted multiple requests to my coach, Susan, but she never responded to my emails.

Now that I have recovered and Fall 1 has ended, I had to switch my major to complete my degree. Fortunately, I completed 10 courses during Fall 1 and discovered that my coursework closely aligns with the graduation requirements for the BLS – Project Management Minor program.

According to the information provided on the official website, the core courses for this major are:

BUS141
BUS240
BUS343
BUS400
BUS401
BUS415
However, in the new degree plan Susan created for me, BUS415 is listed as an elective, and I am required to take one additional course from BUS359, BUS440, or BUS469 to "replace" BUS415.

This is particularly troubling because BUS359, BUS440, and BUS469 cannot transfer credits from other platforms. While it is said that BUS440 can transfer credits through Coursera's IBM program, feedback has been inconsistent—some students succeeded, while others failed. This uncertainty makes me feel very uneasy.

I have raised my concerns to Susan multiple times via email and even provided screenshots from the official website clearly stating that BUS415 is a core course. However, her replies consistently deny this, and each response takes 10 days to two weeks.

This situation leaves me very confused:

Shouldn’t the degree plan follow the course requirements listed on the official website?
If BUS415 is no longer a core course, why hasn’t the website been updated for over a year?
What’s more, Susan’s actions make me feel like she is deliberately encouraging me to subscribe to additional terms at UMPI. When I applied to change my major, she explicitly suggested that my "best option" was to subscribe for another term. Yet, based on the official course requirements, I have already completed all the necessary courses for the BLS – Project Management Minor and should theoretically be eligible to graduate.

Given this situation, I am unsure of what to do next.

Can I reach out to another school official or department (such as the registrar’s office) for assistance?
Has anyone experienced a similar issue and can offer advice or solutions?
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this! Any suggestions or guidance would be greatly appreciated!

[Cocolisa1]

Hello everyone,

I was a student in the 2024 Fall 1 term, majoring in BABA Project Management Degree. However, I had to apply for a leave of absence midway through the semester due to hospitalization. I provided sufficient medical documentation and submitted multiple requests to my coach, Susan, but she never responded to my emails.

Now that I have recovered and Fall 1 has ended, I had to switch my major to complete my degree. Fortunately, I completed 10 courses during Fall 1 and discovered that my coursework closely aligns with the graduation requirements for the BLS – Project Management Minor program.

According to the information provided on the official website, the core courses for this major are:

BUS141
BUS240
BUS343
BUS400
BUS401
BUS415
However, in the new degree plan Susan created for me, BUS415 is listed as an elective, and I am required to take one additional course from BUS359, BUS440, or BUS469 to "replace" BUS415.

This is particularly troubling because BUS359, BUS440, and BUS469 cannot transfer credits from other platforms. While it is said that BUS440 can transfer credits through Coursera's IBM program, feedback has been inconsistent—some students succeeded, while others failed. This uncertainty makes me feel very uneasy.

I have raised my concerns to Susan multiple times via email and even provided screenshots from the official website clearly stating that BUS415 is a core course. However, her replies consistently deny this, and each response takes 10 days to two weeks.

This situation leaves me very confused:

Shouldn’t the degree plan follow the course requirements listed on the official website?
If BUS415 is no longer a core course, why hasn’t the website been updated for over a year?
What’s more, Susan’s actions make me feel like she is deliberately encouraging me to subscribe to additional terms at UMPI. When I applied to change my major, she explicitly suggested that my "best option" was to subscribe for another term. Yet, based on the official course requirements, I have already completed all the necessary courses for the BLS – Project Management Minor and should theoretically be eligible to graduate.

Given this situation, I am unsure of what to do next.

Can I reach out to another school official or department (such as the registrar’s office) for assistance?
Has anyone experienced a similar issue and can offer advice or solutions?
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this! Any suggestions or guidance would be greatly appreciated!

Hi, as a UMPI alum, I'd like to say yes! Contact anyone and everyone you can contact to get this fixed. UMPI is notorious for pulling stunts like this. I say this out of the issues I had while attending there. I think they are overwhelmed with students, and the lack of personnel to handle everyone's questions is a lot to handle. If all else fails, contact the dean, who has been the go-to for everyone's issues and typically gets problems fixed immediately. Good luck!

[lyh]

Hi, as a UMPI alum, I'd like to say yes! Contact anyone and everyone you can contact to get this fixed. UMPI is notorious for pulling stunts like this. I say this out of the issues I had while attending there. I think they are overwhelmed with students, and the lack of personnel to handle everyone's questions is a lot to handle. If all else fails, contact the dean, who has been the go-to for everyone's issues and typically gets problems fixed immediately. Good luck!

Thank you so much for your response. Who is the dean you mentioned? Is it Jessica?

[Hotdogman1]

I haven't heard anything about the IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate no longer transferring in as BUS 440. There was a brief issue a couple months ago when the ACE certification expired and wasn't immediately renewed. It was renewed so it should be fine now.

You should be able to take 415. From the UMPI 2024-2025 Academic Course Catalog:
Project Management Minor - 18 Credit Hours

---

• BUS 141 - Introduction to Project Management w/Microsoft Projects 3 credits
  
• BUS 240 - Change Management 3 credits
  
• BUS 343 - Project Risk and Cost Management 3 credits
  
• BUS 400 - Project Management Applications 3 credits
  

Select TWO of the following courses for 6 Credit Hours:

---

• BUS 359 - IT Project Management 3 credits
  
• BUS 401 - Advanced Project Management Applications II 3 credits
  
• BUS 415 - Operations Management 3 credits
  
• BUS 440 - Business Analytics 3 credits
  
• BUS 469 - Strategic Professional Communication 3 credits
  

http://catalog.umpi.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=7&poid=783&returnto=260

I don't know who Susan is and I understand the school is short staffed, but a 10-14 day response time is what I'd expect with handwritten letters. When I was a student, Jessica solved everything within 3 business days. She got promoted, but I recommend reaching out to her unless someone knows the correct person to contact in this situation (I don't know since Jessica fixed everything). Do note that the Office is closed for the holidays.
https://www.umpi.edu/directory/people/jessica-winslow/

Things you need to get clarified:
Do you meet the 30 credit hour residency requirement? (I see that you took BUS 141, BUS 240, BUS 343, BUS 400, BUS 401, BUS 415, plus 4 other courses. Are you counting Orientation as a course?)
Do you satisfy the "[i]must take a minimum of 24 credit hours of upper-level electives beyond courses taken for the general education core and minor requirements"[/i] elective requirement? http://catalog.umpi.edu/preview_program....turnto=260
Can you apply for graduation in a semester where you are not enrolled? (You usually have to apply for graduation during the semester in order to graduate.)

[bjcheung77]

Hmm, interesting, did you already take the BUS 415 Ops Management course or did you transfer that from Study.com or something? My suggestion would be to follow up with the Academic Advisor, Success Coach, and Dean or Registrar if you need to go higher up... You want to illustrate what is mentioned above my post, two of the classes are showing in the 2024-2025 catalog year, you can switch to that in the system.