Assistance appreciated.

[lidel]

Hello Rachel83az,

Thanks for this suggestion. It's totally something that I would have never thought of on my own! If I was organized enough that would be a killer way to go. I'm going to read up on this one some more for sure. To your knowledge is there any great difference between a BSBA/accounting degree compared to a BA in accounting? I had been looking specifically at the BSBAs to this point, but there may not be all that much difference at the end of the day. This may be a stupid question, but when you say to take everything at Sophia.org, how do you know which courses from Sophia are accepted at each of the other institutions? 

Shawn

IMO, going with one of the big 3 takes more organization than just doing UMPI. But it's certainly up to you and your needs.

An accounting degree would have more accounting courses than a business degree that happens to have an accounting focus. I would guess that the accounting degree is intended for people who want to be accountants but the business degree is intended for someone who wants to manage accountants. But I could be wrong about that.

Equivalencies for Sophia at the Big 3 can be found here: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/So...lency_List

If you do decide to go with TESU, you can find information and plans here: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...ts_Roadmap

Thanks for that Sophia Link, that will be very helpful! With the UMPI degree could I literally do all of my Sophia, InstantCert, Sophia etc and then just sign up for one or two sessions to make up the leftover credits and voila, done? If so, I can definitely see your perspective on it being a nice simple alternative. When I next have a chance I'm going to research the heck out of UMPI. It sounds like it could be a great option.

---

I am currently pursuing a BABA-accounting at UMPI and you had asked about that degree. The YourPace website isn’t exactly accurate or up to date or something. I have a degree audit for my degree and the BA in Accounting. Most courses are the same. I will list the “extra” courses which are listed for one degree and not the other:

BA-Accounting:
BUS 242 Spreadsheet Applications
BUS 348 Cost Accounting
BUS 415 Operations Management
BUS 466 Gov’t and Non-Profit Accounting
BUS 489 Business Policy and Strategy
COM 210 Organizational Communication

BABA-Accounting
BUS 244 Management Info Systems
BUS 325 Legal and Ethical Environment of Business
MAT 140 Mathematics for Business
PCJ 215 Business Communication

Hi Freeloader. Thanks for the side by side comparison of the two degrees. Upon casual glance the UMPI system looks quite different than the other institutions, but the more I read about it, the more appealing it seems.  How have you found UMPI program so far? Did you consider the "Big 3" as well?

Have a great night.

Shawn

[rachel83az]

Yes, with UMPI, literally all you need to do is Sophia and UMPI. The other suggestions are to make things slightly faster for you to ensure that you are able to graduate in the minimum number of terms. It's not like the big 3 where you have to chase down classes from half a dozen providers and hope that they will actually work the way you want.

The only reason I am not at UMPI myself is because they don't offer a computer science degree. For anyone who wants a degree offered by UMPI, that degree is cheaper than TESU unless you take more than a year (which you shouldn't), and should be faster than COSC.

[freeloader]

lidel, I initially did think about the Big 3. I live in the United States and want to pursue the CPA designation and want to do it in my home state. Unfortunately, my state is very restrictive on alternate credit being used to meet the educational requirement to sit for the exam. So, I needed to take my accounting and related coursework at a college or university. If I needed to do that, why not just finish the entire degree at that college/university? I didn’t know anything about competency-based programs like UMPI YourPace before joining this message board, so I really appreciate all that I have learned here.

As far as UMPI goes, I think it’s great. I have kids, a 40 hour/wk job, and am generally very busy. I love that I don’t have deadlines with UMPI (other than the end of the term, obviously). I am not going nearly as fast as some people on this board, but I am perfectly fine with that. I have found all the people associated with the university/program to be really helpful and easy to deal with. I also have found the materials and information to be very good. I think I have definitely learned a lot and UMPI has certainly helped me toward my goal of becoming a CPA.

One other thing I will mention to you: my initial interest in exam based/alternate credit education was the Oxford Brookes/ACCA BSc program. For this program, you take 11 (I believe that’s the number, check the materials if you are interested) ACCA exams and then do a final course/project through Oxford Brookes University and earn the ACCA credential and the BSc. Cost-wise, I think it’s pretty competitive with a Big3/UMPI degree. I didn’t end up doing this because of a) my concerns about CPA in my state, b) the ACCA credential isn’t really known or useful in the US, and c) there aren’t any testing centers near me (the closest for me is probably hundreds of miles away in Toronto). If you happen to live in/near Toronto, Calgary, or Vancouver (the Canadian testing sites), this might be something to consider.

Links:

https://www.brookes.ac.uk/business/under...ccounting/

https://www.accaglobal.com/gb/en/student...esbsc.html

https://www.accaglobal.com/ie/en/student...-list.html

[lidel]

Yes, with UMPI, literally all you need to do is Sophia and UMPI. The other suggestions are to make things slightly faster for you to ensure that you are able to graduate in the minimum number of terms. It's not like the big 3 where you have to chase down classes from half a dozen providers and hope that they will actually work the way you want.

The only reason I am not at UMPI myself is because they don't offer a computer science degree. For anyone who wants a degree offered by UMPI, that degree is cheaper than TESU unless you take more than a year (which you shouldn't), and should be faster than COSC.

Man, you are just making UMPI look better and better. They really need to send you a job offer if they are reading this  . I love the idea of not having to hunt around and piecemeal the courses from multiple sources. I'm seriously having a gander at this school now. It seems like it could potentially be the best of both worlds. 

The NECHE accreditation is legit (I know nothing about this stuff)? Is this the famed RA I have been reading about that would be needed for most other universities these days? 

Thank you for all the great input!

Shawn

[rachel83az]

UMPI definitely has RA. NECHE is good. A UMPI degree is at least as good as any of the big 3 if you want to continue on to a master's degree. Possibly better, even, because the credits you get at UMPI are graded. Alt credits are pass/fail and some grad schools don't like that.

[lidel]

lidel, I initially did think about the Big 3. I live in the United States and want to pursue the CPA designation and want to do it in my home state. Unfortunately, my state is very restrictive on alternate credit being used to meet the educational requirement to sit for the exam. So, I needed to take my accounting and related coursework at a college or university. If I needed to do that, why not just finish the entire degree at that college/university?  I didn’t know anything about competency-based programs like UMPI YourPace before joining this message board, so I really appreciate all that I have learned here.

As far as UMPI goes, I think it’s great. I have kids, a 40 hour/wk job, and am generally very busy. I love that I don’t have deadlines with UMPI (other than the end of the term, obviously). I am not going nearly as fast as some people on this board, but I am perfectly fine with that. I have found all the people associated with the university/program to be really helpful and easy to deal with. I also have found the materials and information to be very good. I think I have definitely learned a lot and UMPI has certainly helped me toward my goal of becoming a CPA.

One other thing I will mention to you: my initial interest in exam based/alternate credit education was the Oxford Brookes/ACCA BSc program.  For this program, you take 11 (I believe that’s the number, check the materials if you are interested) ACCA exams and then do a final course/project through Oxford Brookes University and earn the ACCA credential and the BSc.  Cost-wise, I think it’s pretty competitive with a Big3/UMPI degree. I didn’t end up doing this because of a) my concerns about CPA in my state, b) the ACCA credential isn’t really known or useful in the US, and c) there aren’t any testing centers near me (the closest for me is probably hundreds of miles away in Toronto). If you happen to live in/near Toronto, Calgary, or Vancouver (the Canadian testing sites), this might be something to consider.

Links:

https://www.brookes.ac.uk/business/under...ccounting/

https://www.accaglobal.com/gb/en/student...esbsc.html

https://www.accaglobal.com/ie/en/student...-list.html

Thanks for the links regarding Oxford/Brookes ACCA. I don't live close by either of those areas, so it would not be a fit for me either.

I'm also interested in the CPA designation as a second career now that I'm getting older and am an established business owner. I was initially concerned about the BA vs BS thing, but on further reading, it seems the most important thing is the courses that you take in the degree. 

I'm in a situation that is similar to you, full-time work/family etc, and was wondering how many courses you are able to do comfortably per eight-week session with so much else on your plate? I'm generally a pretty good student, but it's been a long while since I have been back at school. If I did the Sophia courses for my first 90 credits then transferred in for the last 30 I'm trying to figure out roughly how many sessions it would take me to do the final 10 courses through UMPI. 

Am I correct in reading that there is no capstone/cornerstone required?

Also, may I ask how it works with proctoring exams? I am curious because one of the sites, Study.com used an online test/proctoring system that had minimum internet speeds requirements that sadly, my little one-trick pony town do not offer. 

Thank you for all your help.

[davewill]

... To your knowledge is there any great difference between a BSBA/accounting degree compared to a BA in accounting? I had been looking specifically at the BSBAs to this point, but there may not be all that much difference at the end of the day. ...

A BA in Accounting will (usually) be a little more accounting heavy and lighter on general business courses. For normal employment purposes in corporate accounting, the two are equivalent. The difference would come into play if you intended to either go on to graduate work in accounting, be an accounting specialist (think high-level consultant), or teach the subject.

If you're getting a CPA (in the U.S.) they require extra coursework in accounting beyond a bachelor's that would further negate the difference.

[lidel]

UMPI definitely has RA. NECHE is good. A UMPI degree is at least as good as any of the big 3 if you want to continue on to a master's degree. Possibly better, even, because the credits you get at UMPI are graded. Alt credits are pass/fail and some grad schools don't like that.

Thanks for explaining that for me, makes perfect sense

---

I forgot in my last post: it's really not recommended to do English Composition I/II with Sophia no matter which school you wind up going to. If you choose UMPI, their own courses are better and aligned to their curriculum. If you choose any of the big 3, either taking the TECEPs or taking the classes at Olivet Nazarene would be a better choice.

Noted. I've read that in a few places to avoid Sophia English.

---

... To your knowledge is there any great difference between a BSBA/accounting degree compared to a BA in accounting? I had been looking specifically at the BSBAs to this point, but there may not be all that much difference at the end of the day. ...

A BA in Accounting will (usually) be a little more accounting heavy and lighter on general business courses. For normal employment purposes in corporate accounting, the two are equivalent. The difference would come into play if you intended to either go on to graduate work in accounting, be an accounting specialist (think high-level consultant), or teach the subject.

If you're getting a CPA (in the U.S.) they require extra coursework in accounting beyond a bachelor's that would further negate the difference.

Thanks for explaining that for me davewill. Sounds like you know your stuff!!

[freeloader]

I completed 2 courses my first session, 5 course my second, and am aiming for 5 this session. I didn’t spend nearly as much time on my studies as I should have/could have during that first term. They were subjects that didn’t interest me and I kind of put them off until the last minute  

If you only do Sophia you are going to need to complete more than 10 classes at UMPI, certainly for a BA in Accounting or BABA Accounting Concentration.

I believe you would have to complete, at minimum:
Managerial accounting
Intermediate Accounting I
Intermediate Accounting II
Federal Tax I
Federal Tax II
Business Law II
Auditing
Advanced Accounting
Financial Management (Sophia Finance comes in as elective)
Biology
Spanish/French
Business analytics
Strategic Profession Communications
Spreadsheet Applications or MGMT info Sys (BA vs BABA)

For the BA Acc you would also need
Gov and Non Prof Accounting
Cost Accounting

For the BABA you would need
Legal and Ethical Environment of Business

I have a prior BA (history), so my Gen Ed requirements were met.  I had also taken some business classes at other colleges/universities. You might have some other Gen Ed requirements and other major/concentration course beyond those I listed. There are other posts in the UMPI section of the board and there are people on the board who can help you much more with Gen Ed’s than I could.

So, with only Sophia courses, I think you would be at or near 20 courses you would need to complete at UMPI.  The problem isn’t so much the matter of total course/hours, it’s doing things that tick off all the boxes for the major/concentration. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

Even with a busy life/schedule I think 4-5 courses is very reasonable for a term, if you devote some time each day to your studies and take this seriously. As I am sure you have seen, there are people who have done SUBSTANTIALLY more than that. I know 20 courses (give or take) sounds like a lot, but completing that in 4-5 terms is, IMHO, very doable.  If you are a quick learner and move fast, you might get that done in 2-3 terms.

If you are really prioritizing getting done as quickly/cheaply as possible, you could also consider the BLS with accounting minor. You could likely add some of the accounting classes (like cost, auditing, and advanced) that aren’t included in the minor to your degree plan to help you hit your 120 hours and meet other degree requirements.  Unfortunately for you, OP, you are going to get stuck learning American taxation which isn’t going to be terribly useful, regardless of which path you take (assuming you do UMPI).

[rachel83az]

Definitely avoid UMPI's biology course for now, too. Poor ashkir. The one on Study.com is quick and easy to take. Also, assuming you do accounting, I think you get stuck learning American taxation no matter which school you choose.