Stuck on the next step

[sweetmenace]

Your Location: ATL, GA 
Your Age: 48
What kind of degree do you want?: Business or Management related
Current Regional Accredited Credits:  1 
Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: 87
Budget: 10k
Commitments: Full-time job 
Dedicated time to study: Weekdays 2-3 Hours, Weekends 5-6+ per day
Timeline: Fast as possible for the BA would be ideal. Optimal would be 6-8 Months
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: none

I have been ‘lurking” learning from all of you for a while and am now at the point where I need to ask some questions. I think I have come to the point where I have all the Sophia credits I need and did take the ASU course CIS 194. 

Last week I applied for the Pierpont BOG AA Degree and am waiting to hear back from them. Now I am deciding on my next move for my BA in Business.  I had decided to go with UMPI, but I read something here that concerned me about the timing of classes.  There was a discussion (I may have misunderstood) that you had to finish the classes you started in a session, and it seemed like you couldn’t roll it over into the next session. Can one of you confirm this? Do I need any Study.com classes?

My other point is I do want to get my master’s and am looking at a couple of Business programs from Georgia Tech. With this in mind, is UMPI my best choice? 

Thanks for your help in advance. I have attached the classes I have completed. 

Sophia Classes Completed

Developing Effective Teams 1
Introduction to Information Technology 3
College Algebra 3
Introduction to Business 3
Macroeconomics 3
Microecomomics 3
Workplace Communication 3
Conflict Resolution 3
Intro to Sociology  3
Enviromental Science 3
Principles of Management 3
US History I 3
US History II 3
Principles of Finance 3
Human Biology 3
Human Biology Lab 1
Art History I  3
Art History II 3
Intro to Ethics 3
Introduction to Statistics 3
Business Law I (BUS350)  3
Financial Accounting  3
Project Management 3
Spanish I 3
Visual Communication  3
Introduction to Chemistry 3
Personal Finance 3
The Essentials of Managing Conflict 1
Introduction to Web Development 3
Business Communication  3
Introduction to Psychology 3

ASU Classes Completed

CIS 194 - Business Technology Fundamentals 1

[rachel83az]

Yes, you do need to finish started classes at UMPI and you cannot roll them over. For most students and classes, this is not a problem. A typical class seems to take 3-7 days to complete. IIRC, as long as you complete at least 2 classes per session, UMPI considers you to be in good standing. You also do not need to request more classes in a session, if you know that you won't be able to finish them. Example:

Session 1 - Complete 3 classes. Request no more classes because you'll be going on vacation. Log in during vacation and confirm that you're wanting to enroll for the next session.
Session 2 - First week or two is spent returning from vacation, unpacking, etc. Complete 3 more classes once you've returned.
Session 3 - Complete 5 classes. Graduate.

As long as your degree is completed in fewer than 6 sessions, it'll be cheaper (and arguably faster) than pretty much any other school except WGU - and possibly even WGU because WGU requires you to enroll in 6-month increments.

You may need Study.com classes, but it depends on which UMPI degree you're actually interested in. For some, it's easier to take as much as possible at UMPI. For others, you may want to throw in a couple of Study.com classes.

[bjcheung77]

@sweetmenace, you need to be specific with the Georgia Tech end goal. Which offerings at GT interests you? The main reason you want to get that detail is because you want to make sure the UMPI offering you go for has all the prerequisites for entry into the GT program or a similar backup choice.

I would do things this way, Pierpont BOG AAS with an emphasis, ladder to UMPI BABA with a concentration OR the BLS with a couple of minors, then finally ladder up to GT or a comparable institution and the Masters of choice. You really want to have a backup choice and institution just in case GT doesn't work out.

[davewill]

Since you have a specfic school in mind, you want to nail down what prerequisites they have and make sure that they are included in your degree plan. You will also want to know how competitive they are and how they compute GPAs. You may end up wanting to use more UMPI courses and less alt credit if they want to see more graded credits.

In your shoes, I would contact admissions for the programs you want to apply to, and discuss all of this with them. Unlike advising for undergrad, grad programs are, in general, much more responsive and helpful.

[ss20ts]

Your GPA will be the thing Georgia Tech is most concerned about for a master's degree. You may need specific courses to be completed at UMPI and not ACE credits such as financial and managerial accounting. Some schools want your business classes to have grades from an RA school. You should contact the grad admissions department and ask them about how ACE credits are viewed, GPA requirements, and if any courses must be completed at an RA school. Grad admissions departments are usually really helpful and will get potential students info no problem.

[sweetmenace]

Thanks for the advice. I will first reach out to the handful of graduate schools I am most interested in to see their requirements.  Its one of the reasons I have held back on doing any of the Study.com courses, as I assume I need to take more graded classes at undergrad school. 

I will update the forum when I find out.

[bjcheung77]

Thanks for the advice. I will first reach out to the handful of graduate schools I am most interested in to see their requirements.  Its one of the reasons I have held back on doing any of the Study.com courses, as I assume I need to take more graded classes at undergrad school. 

I will update the forum when I find out.

That's great, find out the requirements for each degree/institution you intend to go for grad school... Technically, you don't need to use Study.com as Sophia.org has all the required general education courses for transfer to UMPI, up to 90 credits. You can take the minimum 30 credits at UMPI for GPA purposes and for graded credit towards graduate studies. The only thing I mentioned earlier that is important is, the prerequisite courses for entry, if you take those at UMPI as part of the 30 credits, then all the bases are covered.