advantages/disadvantages of Study.com vs. UMPI

[EducationSeeker]

I know that some board members have pointed out that some of the Study.com courses can have more assignments than UMPI. So, I am wondering what are the advantages of taking Study.com vs. just taking most of the courses you cannot take on Sophia at UMPI. Is it cheaper or faster to take SDC courses compared to UMPI? Now that the Introduction to Chemistry Lab course (alternative to BIO101L Biology Lab class on SDC) on Sophia will meet the UMPI lab requirement, what (if any) SDC courses are recommended? I know some Study.com classes are recommended to meet UMPI required classes for the BABA Mgmt and Leadership concentration degree? 

I welcome different perspectives, recommendations, or guidance on specific Study.com classes.

Thanks,

Education Leadership

[BigJohn1975]

I've been wondering the same thing.
I see lot's of people saying that the UMPI courses are easier and faster.

[rachel83az]

For the BABA, most concentrations have classes that are pretty quick and easy. That includes most/all of the classes for Management and Leadership. But there are some classes for some degrees that can take a significantly longer amount of time. Accounting, for instance. If you have some classes like this, ones that could wind up pushing you into a third or fourth session at UMPI, SDC starts to make sense. The SDC classes might have more assignments and might even take longer, but $200-400 is cheaper than $1400-2800 for an extra session or two.

[BigJohn1975]

For the BABA, most concentrations have classes that are pretty quick and easy. That includes most/all of the classes for Management and Leadership. But there are some classes for some degrees that can take a significantly longer amount of time. Accounting, for instance. If you have some classes like this, ones that could wind up pushing you into a third or fourth session at UMPI, SDC starts to make sense. The SDC classes might have more assignments and might even take longer, but $200-400 is cheaper than $1400-2800 for an extra session or two.

BUS 220 Managerial Accounting? Is that the one you're saying don't take at UMPI?
Any other specific ones?

[rachel83az]

No, sorry, I meant the whole Accounting degree. If one isn't interested in being a CPA, or if CPA regulations in your state permit ACE courses as counting towards your credit requirements, it can be worth it to take some advanced accounting at SDC instead of at UMPI. Same for Criminal Justice, IIRC.

[wildebeest]

I think I might be in the minority, but I really liked SDC. I was usually able to complete 5 classes in about two weeks, which I absolutely couldn't do at UMPI, and it was cheaper for the same time period, i.e., 10 classes in two months costs $820 vs. $1,400 at UMPI, assuming you manage to get 10 classes done. If you do 5 classes a month at SDC, you're paying about $27.33 per credit. If you do 10 classes per session at UMPI, it's $46.66 per credit (still a good deal). I did 14 classes over the course of two sessions at UMPI, so $66.66 per credit. 

That said, there are cheaper ways to get general ed credits out of the way than SDC. I only stuck with it because I learned about the cheaper ways after I started making progress there, I didn't want to learn another platform when I liked the one I was using, and I wanted to get a couple upper level history classes, Spanish II, and biology with lab out of the way, and SDC seemed the best option for those classes at the time.

This makes me want to calculate the cost of my degree:

I transferred 44 community college credits that I got in 1999 at $17 per credit: $748.

60 credits from SDC: $1,710.

42 from UMPI: $2,800.

Total: $5,258 (or $5,846 with inflation). 

Not bad.

[dfrecore]

It really just depends on the degree, what you already have, etc. There's no one answer for everyone.

I think that SDC can give you some insight into how you might do at UMPI, making it worth the price to run that experiment for a month or two. If you can do 1 course per month at SDC, then UMPI might not be for you. If you can do 4 UL courses in 2 months, with quizzes and papers and whatnot, then UMPI may be a great fit. It's a lot cheaper to pay $400 for 2 months than $1400.

You'll also get some experience writing papers before you need to do it for a true grade, which can be helpful for some people.

If you want to do more than 1 minor/concentration, SDC is a great option to get some UL courses completed and stay on track for 2-3 terms at UMPI.

I probably wouldn't get MOST of my credits through them, but it's certainly worth looking at in some circumstances.

[joshua27]

I'm planning to take 5 classes at SDC, starting next week, while I wait for the Spring II term to start in March. As long as I get them finished before the application cut off date which is 2/21 IIRC then I will have 11 classes to take at UMPI instead of 16. This is being done solely to maximize my time and money as I'm shooting to finish my degree as quickly as possible and with the lowest cost possible.

I started taking Sophia classes in December and have managed to complete 16 classes in a month, I hope to get 5 SDC classes done in a month or a little over a month and then I hope to get the final 11 classes that I will need completed at UMPI in 2 sessions. That would put me finishing at the conclusion of the Summer I session.

[KSoul]

Sound plan leading up to your start date. Keep in mind that you'll still be OK if, by chance, you are into the UMPI program and still want to transfer in more outside credit. Of course, it is rightfully promoted to get all of your transfers in before starting to ensure they will count; however, there have been no alarms put up on SDC equivalent transfers, and several new courses from other providers like Sophia & Coursera have been approved recently highlighting UMPI's continued openness to accept outside credit. Also, email Jessica for documentation stating the five courses you'll be transferring.

Two terms will go by in a blink. Early congratulations on finishing your degree!