What's the deal with NAU?

[atmoex]

I enrolled in NAU but have not completed anything yet. I was able to have my credits evaluated without having to send official transcripts until I decided to apply. To me, that is a huge bonus because I have credits with 3 different colleges plus some Sophia credits. I would suggest contacting NAU to see what they say. Since I already have a degree, ACE credits wouldn’t really benefit me too much. So I can’t say what they may or may not take. If it’s not on the list, you can talk to your counselor and they can see if they can get it accepted. The courses all have a basic flow. You can do a pre-test if you know the material already, or submit it blank. You only have to do a certain amount of assignments and you can pick and choose the sections you do. I didn’t run into anything that is proctored. If you want an A, you can basically do a paper, or skip it and get a B. I am oversimplifying, of course, and there are slight variations depending on the class.

Thank you for providing this information. Unfortunately it won't work for me as they don't accept most of the Sopphia courses. I e-mailed them and these are some of the things I learned:

1) From ACE, only what is listed on jackspath is accepted.
2) Personalized learning indicates the courses are offered online. If the entire program has been completed online then it will appear in the transcripts.

The other option is if I did it full-time from the beginning - without transferring anything, but I think this would be the longer route compared to UMPI.

Ah, yes. UT Austin and the others you have mentioned are selective schools. Yup, getting the 60 credits would be my recommendation as well, you don't need to get them from a "big university", so either a small community college or university would do. Did you check out the ASU/ONU/Portage/TEL courses? If you're good with exams, you can try UExcels, but I wouldn't risk getting a low GPA for the cost...

UMPI is a great option to get the lower/upper level GPA you're looking for, but I would slice it differently. Go for a BLS with a MIS concentration, then a BABA with Accounting major - get as many Finance courses in there as possible. I would see what courses are needed for entry into those programs and take the required pre-req's if needed. Stick with your current plan, 60 ACE/60 UMPI...

This advice isn't the way I would go. Here's why. You would need to completely finish the BLS and graduate. You have to wait for your degree to be conferred before you can apply for a second bachelor's degree. I also had to ask permission from a few people at the university to be able to go back to for my BABA which I am doing now. I also need to complete an additional 30 credits aside from what I've already completed. UMPI only has 1 finance course. I'm only back because they added a marketing concentration. It wasn't an option when Iw as a student last year. I think you're better off just completing the 60 credits and getting your BABA and then going onto grad school.

Great. I will do 60 ACE and 60 letter grade credits. I like bjcheung77's idea but it seems that it will take more time, so I am opting for the BABA with an Accounting concentration (since it's as close as it gets to finance). Regarding prerequisites for the MSF, I will definitely need Statistics and Calculus 1.

I am willing to put in work and I want a high GPA. With all these options that exist (ONU/TEL/CC etc), in my case, what would be the best way to get the 60 letter credits (GPA and time of completion)? I want to pursue this degree full-time and I want to dedicate at least 7-8 hours a day. Would 60c Sophia and the 60c at UMPI (4-5 courses/8 weeks) be the best way? ONU seems to offer only general education courses and I prefer to have letter credits for the upper level credits instead.

Should I open another topic to design a study plan?

Thank you all!

[rachel83az]

You should probably open another topic, yes.

The reason why I suggested 90 ACE credits and 2 BABA concentrations is because that gives you more UL credits. They are the cheapest and easiest way to get credits that are both UL AND graded. ONU and TEL are both LL gen eds. ASU is mostly LL, but they are starting to have a handful of UL courses that might or might not apply to a UMPI business degree. UMPI is cheaper and faster, though.

[Holmes]

I've found this guy on Reddit, who wrote about his experience with NAU (the Personalized Learning program): https://www.reddit.com/r/OnlineDegrees10...&type=link . I haven't read it all, though.

[ss20ts]

Great. I will do 60 ACE and 60 letter grade credits. I like bjcheung77's idea but it seems that it will take more time, so I am opting for the BABA with an Accounting concentration (since it's as close as it gets to finance). Regarding prerequisites for the MSF, I will definitely need Statistics and Calculus 1.

I am willing to put in work and I want a high GPA. With all these options that exist (ONU/TEL/CC etc), in my case, what would be the best way to get the 60 letter credits (GPA and time of completion)? I want to pursue this degree full-time and I want to dedicate at least 7-8 hours a day. Would 60c Sophia and the 60c at UMPI (4-5 courses/8 weeks) be the best way? ONU seems to offer only general education courses and I prefer to have letter credits for the upper level credits instead.

Should I open another topic to design a study plan?

Thank you all!

You can complete stats on Sophia. I don't see it offered in YourPace at UMPI. I know Calc 1 is not offered at UMPI in YourPace.

[bjcheung77]

Strategically - My suggestion is still to do the dual degree at UMPI, this is due to three reasons for OP:
1) You have the energy, money, time to get two degrees done in the allotted budget and timeframe you're looking at!
2) It will help you immensely in the future, they would see you have more credentials, a minor in MIS, a major in Accounting
3) You will get the 60+ ACE and 60+ RA graded credits, 120+ for a basic Bachelors, and hit all entry requirements for grad!

So, ask yourself, would your application be stronger if you show multiple degrees and a major/minor combo than someone else with just a BABA?
You can get the first 90 credits completed with Sophia.org and with the time frame you have, you can get it done in 3 months or less
Take two terms for your BLS MIS minor, take two more terms for your BABA in Accounting, you have a few months left to do a Masters (ENEB)
I mean, you don't have to do the ENEB but it will get you some MBA experience down and under your belt... then apply to your Masters of choice!

[NoStudentNoCry]

Take two terms for your BLS MIS minor, take two more terms for your BABA in Accounting, you have a few months left to do a Masters (ENEB)

I fail to see how exactly BLS-MIS(minor) + BABA-Accounting(concentration) is better than BABA with Accounting concentration and MIS minor... 
Even if BLS+BABA combo looks more appealing, it is still not a very good advice. First, while UMPI allows to go back after BLS, it is not a guaranteed thing. One should be very careful planning electives for the first degree. It's not like you can take all the BUS classes for BLS and then take 30 random credits for the second degree.
Secondly, it is also not possible to start the second degree right immediately. The schedule will likely look like that: at least 2 terms of BLS MIS, at least 1 term of waiting, at least 2 more terms for BABA. There will be at least 2-months gap if you want to have 2 degrees.

Anyways. OP, if you want to do BLS and then BABA at UMPI, I would suggest to apply, get admitted, and than to have a conversation with an academic advisor about your plan.

2) It will help you immensely in the future, they would see you have more credentials, a minor in MIS, a major in Accounting

I also want to highlight several important things:

• major in accounting and concentration in accounting are two different things. If one wants to major in accounting, the target degree is BA Accounting - which is not the same as BABA Accounting;
  
• BABA with accounting is business administration major + accounting concertation. A student is allowed to add second concentration and/or minors to BABA degree;
  
• BLS with MIS is liberal studies major + MIS minor. A student is not allowed to add another major to BLS degree. Concentrations in BLS are also not permitted, only additional minors are.
  

So let me reiterate: a very careful planning is required if a student wants to mix and match multiple degrees/majors/concentrations/minors at UMPI.

[atmoex]

You can complete stats on Sophia. I don't see it offered in YourPace at UMPI. I know Calc 1 is not offered at UMPI in YourPace.

Stats is offered on ONU too but I don't know if I can complete it as it is not assigned to my program, yet it appears in my general education courses list.
Calculus 1, I'm thinking Arizona EA - Calculus for Business. I will open another topic to get into specifics once I decide which from the options below I'm going for.

You should probably open another topic, yes.

The reason why I suggested 90 ACE credits and 2 BABA concentrations is because that gives you more UL credits. They are the cheapest and easiest way to get credits that are both UL AND graded. ONU and TEL are both LL gen eds. ASU is mostly LL, but they are starting to have a handful of UL courses that might or might not apply to a UMPI business degree. UMPI is cheaper and faster, though.

Strategically - My suggestion is still to do the dual degree at UMPI, this is due to three reasons for OP:
1) You have the energy, money, time to get two degrees done in the allotted budget and timeframe you're looking at!
2) It will help you immensely in the future, they would see you have more credentials, a minor in MIS, a major in Accounting
3) You will get the 60+ ACE and 60+ RA graded credits, 120+ for a basic Bachelors, and hit all entry requirements for grad!

So, ask yourself, would your application be stronger if you show multiple degrees and a major/minor combo than someone else with just a BABA?
You can get the first 90 credits completed with Sophia.org and with the time frame you have, you can get it done in 3 months or less
Take two terms for your BLS MIS minor, take two more terms for your BABA in Accounting, you have a few months left to do a Masters (ENEB)
I mean, you don't have to do the ENEB but it will get you some MBA experience down and under your belt... then apply to your Masters of choice!

So, I have these options:

1) 60 Sophia, 60 UMPI
2) 90 Sophia, 60 upper level UMPI - double concentration
3) 90 Sophia, 30 UMPI for the BLS, 30 UMPI for the BABA - dual degree or minor(?), not sure I understand how this works

The last two options are difficult to avoid, I can't go wrong with either. I'm thinking though that time I'd spend getting a dual degree for example, would be better spent studying for the GMAT or GRE, which is essentially what will get my application accepted or even get me scholarships. The deadline for round 1 for most of the graduate programs is October 2022. I will need at least 3 months of preperation for the GMAT/GRE. What do guys you think? Perhaps a dual degree will differentiate me from the other applicants, is it really worth the extra time though?

[rachel83az]

A BLS isn't going to differentiate you from other students. No disrespect intended for those students who get one, but it's a "garbage" check-the-box degree that no competitive school in their right mind is going to care about.

[atmoex]

I fail to see how exactly BLS-MIS(minor) + BABA-Accounting(concentration) is better than BABA with Accounting concentration and MIS minor... 
Even if BLS+BABA combo looks more appealing, it is still not a very good advice. First, while UMPI allows to go back after BLS, it is not a guaranteed thing. One should be very careful planning electives for the first degree. It's not like you can take all the BUS classes for BLS and then take 30 random credits for the second degree.
Secondly, it is also not possible to start the second degree right immediately. The schedule will likely look like that: at least 2 terms of BLS MIS, at least 1 term of waiting, at least 2 more terms for BABA. There will be at least 2-months gap if you want to have 2 degrees.

Anyways. OP, if you want to do BLS and then BABA at UMPI, I would suggest to apply, get admitted, and than to have a conversation with an academic advisor about your plan.

I also want to highlight several important things:

• major in accounting and concentration in accounting are two different things. If one wants to major in accounting, the target degree is BA Accounting - which is not the same as BABA Accounting;
  
• BABA with accounting is business administration major + accounting concertation. A student is allowed to add second concentration and/or minors to BABA degree;
  
• BLS with MIS is liberal studies major + MIS minor. A student is not allowed to add another major to BLS degree. Concentrations in BLS are also not permitted, only additional minors are.
  

So let me reiterate: a very careful planning is required if a student wants to mix and match multiple degrees/majors/concentrations/minors at UMPI.

Thank you for sharing your opinion! This seems like a hassle. I think I will go for the bachelor's only. More specifically, BA Accounting that I didn't consider before, unless it's much more time consuming, sounds like the ideal choice as in worst case scenario that I am not accepted in grad school, it will give me a skill - since it's a more technical degree, that the BABA lacks of. It is also useful in the financial field. Paired with a Master's in Finance, those two will be a strong combo and serve multiple purposes. What do you guys think?

[freeloader]

I fail to see how exactly BLS-MIS(minor) + BABA-Accounting(concentration) is better than BABA with Accounting concentration and MIS minor... 
Even if BLS+BABA combo looks more appealing, it is still not a very good advice. First, while UMPI allows to go back after BLS, it is not a guaranteed thing. One should be very careful planning electives for the first degree. It's not like you can take all the BUS classes for BLS and then take 30 random credits for the second degree.
Secondly, it is also not possible to start the second degree right immediately. The schedule will likely look like that: at least 2 terms of BLS MIS, at least 1 term of waiting, at least 2 more terms for BABA. There will be at least 2-months gap if you want to have 2 degrees.

Anyways. OP, if you want to do BLS and then BABA at UMPI, I would suggest to apply, get admitted, and than to have a conversation with an academic advisor about your plan.

I also want to highlight several important things:

• major in accounting and concentration in accounting are two different things. If one wants to major in accounting, the target degree is BA Accounting - which is not the same as BABA Accounting;
  
• BABA with accounting is business administration major + accounting concertation. A student is allowed to add second concentration and/or minors to BABA degree;
  
• BLS with MIS is liberal studies major + MIS minor. A student is not allowed to add another major to BLS degree. Concentrations in BLS are also not permitted, only additional minors are.
  

So let me reiterate: a very careful planning is required if a student wants to mix and match multiple degrees/majors/concentrations/minors at UMPI.

Thank you for sharing your opinion! This seems like a hassle. I think I will go for the bachelor's only. More specifically, BA Accounting that I didn't consider before, unless it's much more time consuming, sounds like the ideal choice as in worst case scenario that I am not accepted in grad school, it will give me a skill - since it's a more technical degree, that the BABA lacks of. It is also useful in the financial field. Paired with a Master's in Finance, those two will be a strong combo and serve multiple purposes. What do you guys think?

I think this is a good idea. 

Personally, I think this makes a great deal more sense than doing the BLS. FWIW, you can do a BA in accounting AND a BA in Business Admin. I just completed the requirements for that double major. I did my BABA concentration in management and leadership. I transferred in all of my Gen eds (I have a prior BA so they were waived) and half of my accounting classes, but not much else. I ended up doing 66 credits at UMPI. 

If I were you, OP, I would start with the BA in accounting. If I wanted something else for my resume and/or wanted more grades credit, I would consider the BABA in marketing or the MIS minor. A lot of finance programs seem to want people with some programming/technical/mathematical background. UMPI isn’t the best for that right now, but MIS is at least pointing in that direction.  

The other thing to consider and something that I fear bj overlooked: you said you were receiving financial aid. Financial aid typically covers only the first bachelor’s degree, as I understand it. If you do the BLS, my understanding is that you likely would when be paying for you BA or BABA out of pocket. Much better to do the BA and BABA at the same time and max out your aid!