UMPI? WGU? What to do, what to do!

[allvia]

I would recommend UMPI as well. The BABA Management & Leadership (reported as the 'most likely to complete in the fewest terms' here for the BABA options). You can get the LL you're missing through Sophia (take the Bio Lab for sure - you need a lab science and you've already take the Bio w/out lab there). Here is the Sophia/UMPI wiki - https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/UM...quivalents

The UMPI papers are relatively short, current APA citation rules are far easier than anything a few decades ago, and the best part of doing this now that you're older is you've got experience behind you - so you'll find that you won't be lacking for words on the topics. I speak from personal experience on this

This might be an easier Wiki page to follow; see what you may have missing for the BABA M&L I mentioned above - https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/UM...egree_Plan

[Vle045]

A BSLA would not be good if you might ever want to continue on to an MBA or similar Master's degree. It can be difficult to be admitted to such a program if you don't have a Business degree. Maybe you're not planning on continuing to an MBA right now, but it's still something to keep in mind.

MANY MBA programs not only admit non-BSBA degree holders, they prefer them.  The only issue might be pre-reqs, but that's a hurdle that can easily be overcome later (for instance, ENMU's MBA program had free pre-req courses available, maybe 3-5 courses, I can't remember; and many will accept CLEP exams as meeting the pre-req's).

I would certainly not let this stop me from getting whatever degree I wanted.  If you decide later that you want an MBA and one particular program won't take you, you have like a thousand others that will.

Yes!  I was accepted into several MBA programs with a BS in Sociology

[bjcheung77]

A BSLA would not be good if you might ever want to continue on to an MBA or similar Master's degree. It can be difficult to be admitted to such a program if you don't have a Business degree. Maybe you're not planning on continuing to an MBA right now, but it's still something to keep in mind.

MANY MBA programs not only admit non-BSBA degree holders, they prefer them.  The only issue might be pre-reqs, but that's a hurdle that can easily be overcome later (for instance, ENMU's MBA program had free pre-req courses available, maybe 3-5 courses, I can't remember; and many will accept CLEP exams as meeting the pre-req's).

I would certainly not let this stop me from getting whatever degree I wanted.  If you decide later that you want an MBA and one particular program won't take you, you have like a thousand others that will.

Yes!  I was accepted into several MBA programs with a BS in Sociology

And that's true for most degrees out there, you just mainly need the prerequisites to get into the door for the next degree you're looking at if you're looking to ladder upward... I would be cautious and make sure to hit all the requirements for the graduate degree by placing all the requirements into the 'free electives' area of my studies, and also take courses that interest me most.  

Using OP as an example, I think they can go for any UMPI or WGU degree they're looking at to hit the certs, degree, experience trifecta I usually recommend... They've reached the age of 50+, they have many years of experience, have some certifications, and looking to complete their undergrad quickly (not being picky either on what degree as they were looking at BSN as well).

[ElderlyLeemur]

Hey all!

I wanted to check back in and give a huge thank you to all of those who have helped me on this path.
I ended up getting my AAS from Pierpont and was just awarded my BLS from UMPI.
I can't thank you all enough. I am forever grateful that I happened upon this forum!

Special thanks to dfrecore and bjcheung77 who really provided a wealth of info and inspiration to get this project done.

You guys, I AM A GRADUATE!

[bjcheung77]

@ElderlyLeemur, Congrats on getting your double minor completed for the UMPI BLS! You're now a college graduate X2!

[dfrecore]

Hey all!

I wanted to check back in and give a huge thank you to all of those who have helped me on this path.
I ended up getting my AAS from Pierpont and was just awarded my BLS from UMPI.
I can't thank you all enough. I am forever grateful that I happened upon this forum!

Special thanks to dfrecore and bjcheung77 who really provided a wealth of info and inspiration to get this project done.

You guys, I AM A GRADUATE!

CONGRATS!  How exciting for you!  So glad I could help. 

[rachel83az]

Congrats! Glad you were able to get your degree!

[DolceDolce]

Hey all!

I wanted to check back in and give a huge thank you to all of those who have helped me on this path.
I ended up getting my AAS from Pierpont and was just awarded my BLS from UMPI.
I can't thank you all enough. I am forever grateful that I happened upon this forum!

Special thanks to dfrecore and bjcheung77 who really provided a wealth of info and inspiration to get this project done.

You guys, I AM A GRADUATE!

I'm chiming in to say Wow, Congrats to you! What a big accomplishment, and in record time!

[DolceDolce]

If you want to stay under $5000, I think that UMPI would be your best bet. WGU can be under that, but there is no guarantee that you'll finish your degree in a single term. If you don't finish, you could wind up doubling or tripling your budget.

Unless you are exceptionally slow at writing papers, 3-4 sessions/6-8 months ($4200-$5600) at UMPI should be more than feasible. Most students here tend to finish in 2-3 sessions at UMPI. If it takes you longer, it's only another $1400 per session. That's much more budget-friendly.

On the other hand, WGU has exams and UMPI has essays. If you want to prioritize exams over budget, go with WGU. If you follow a degree plan for WGU, you'll increase the likelihood of only having 30-45 credits to take at WGU and in being able to finish in a single session. Not all degrees have the same number of transfer credits available/allowed, so I'd pick the most attractive business degree that also has as many transferable credits as possible.

Regarding: "WGU has exams and UMPI has essays" that was stated above...

To anyone who is just starting to navigate this journey, both WGU and UMPI have exams and essays.  One college may lean more towards one or the other in a course or program, but it's not exclusive to one or the other.  Originally the OP was contemplating HR or Business, and in fact, WGU does have papers in both the HR and Business Program. The Business Program has required papers as part of the B.S. Business Management degree at WGU.  And many of the 300 and 400 classes in the BS HR Program involves writing.  UMPI also has some tests as part of the YourPace Program.  You could have a majority at one place or the other, but there won't be an exclusivity to either. 

I suggest to anyone who wants to see the ratio of writing vs exams is to do a type of A/B comparison. Select a Degree, then outline what you have left for the Degree at both UMPI/WGU and then you can join the Facebook forums of each school to find out exactly what classes have what type of final learning graded experience.  Also, some students/graduates will post a synopsis of each class for their program on YouTube.  There is also often a fear of proctored tests that WGU does have for their Objective Assessments.  Many people do fear that, and will select another school partly due to that.  But you should know that there are many videos out there that will help you overcome that fear and excel, if you are set on WGU. 

Also one thing to note (and not related to the OP's post) if you (the newbie) are trying to fast-track the BS Degree to go into the WGU MBA.  If you finish a term early at WGU, you have to wait until the end of that term to then apply to the MBA program.  If you take your classes at UMPI, you might actually get into the WGU MBA program much quicker, due to the length of the terms.  Scenario:  You have your final 25% of degree to complete and are considering WGU or UMPI.  You are confident that with your degree plan and dedication that you can finish that in 4 months at either college.  Based on your expectations, you expect to start UMPI Aug and complete in 2 terms, finishing at Nov.  If you were at WGU, the term wouldn't end until 6 months, and you'd be in a holding pattern until the end of Jan.

PS - Sent my congrats to the OP on a separate post - so happy on the big achievements!

[CCCollege]

Thank you so much for the replies. I am definitely open to other schools than the ones I mentioned, so this is helpful!

What program did you end up going with?  Curious how they evaluated your PHR!