Advice Needed - Competency-based graduate degrees that allow acceleration

[priceaction]

Hello,

I have been reading this forum for a while and the advice dispensed has been invaluable. 

I am graduating from WGU this week with a BSCIA degree and continuing with them to pursue a Master's in June of this year.

I am in my 50s with over 30 years of professional work experience and I found the WGU BSCIA degree super easy to accelerate; obviously due to my work experience.

With the free time I have until June, I want to knock out another graduate degree prior to beginning my Master's at WGU. 
The degree could be in a variety of concentrations. I work in FinTech, so a MBA, a MS Finance, MS IT, MS Cybersecurity would all suffice; any of them would be a benefit to me because I work in a cross-discipline role.

I have looked at dozens of online schools, but very few are competency-based, allow acceleration, are not a for-profit school, and are accredited. 

Two programs that fit my search criteria are Purdue Global Master's ExcelTrack and UMPI's Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership (MAOL). 
Those are good programs and I am speaking to enrollment counselors at both of them.

However, I am still searching for other options.

Are there are other graduate degree programs that are:
1. competency-based
2. allow acceleration
3. not a for-profit school
4. accredited

If any of you are aware of graduate degree programs that fit that criteria, I am very interested to learn about them. 

I did search the forums here as well various searches using search engines, YouTube, and Reddit, but it seems that WGU and Purdue Global are the two main schools that fit the aforementioned criteria. 

Thank you in advance and I look forward to your replies.

[Jonathan Whatley]

UMass Global offers a CBE MAOL and is pending approval to offer a CBE MBA.

In early 2024 the sale is expected to close by which the University of Phoenix will become a non-profit affiliate of the University of Idaho. Its CBE programs include an MBA and a Master of Information Systems.

An alternative would be to add something in finance or business at the bachelor's level. That could be CBE directly from the issuing school like the UMPI YourPace BA in Accounting or the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Flex BSBA. Or you could use an alt-credit provider like Study.com to complete courses you'd then transfer to something like a TESU BSBA Finance.

By the way, congratulations!, and also, which WGU master's are you moving on to?

[CenterSquarEd]

Another approach, if you don’t already have them, is to get one of the IT certs that count for transfer credit. If you already have the CompTIA stack that’s in the WGU program, you could still add CASP+, CISSP, or CISM. These are harder certs that aren’t for everybody, but they could be a good fit for your experience. 
Also, don’t let anybody talk you into unaccredited business schools in Spain.

[Duneranger]

Hello,

I have been reading this forum for a while and the advice dispensed has been invaluable. 

I am graduating from WGU this week with a BSCIA degree and continuing with them to pursue a Master's in June of this year.

I am in my 50s with over 30 years of professional work experience and I found the WGU BSCIA degree super easy to accelerate; obviously due to my work experience.

With the free time I have until June, I want to knock out another graduate degree prior to beginning my Master's at WGU. 
The degree could be in a variety of concentrations. I work in FinTech, so a MBA, a MS Finance, MS IT, MS Cybersecurity would all suffice; any of them would be a benefit to me because I work in a cross-discipline role.

I have looked at dozens of online schools, but very few are competency-based, allow acceleration, are not a for-profit school, and are accredited. 

Two programs that fit my search criteria are Purdue Global Master's ExcelTrack and UMPI's Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership (MAOL). 
Those are good programs and I am speaking to enrollment counselors at both of them.

However, I am still searching for other options.

Are there are other graduate degree programs that are:
1. competency-based
2. allow acceleration
3. not a for-profit school
4. accredited

If any of you are aware of graduate degree programs that fit that criteria, I am very interested to learn about them. 

I did search the forums here as well various searches using search engines, YouTube, and Reddit, but it seems that WGU and Purdue Global are the two main schools that fit the aforementioned criteria. 

Thank you in advance and I look forward to your replies.

Keep in mind that UMASS Global and Purdue Global are essentially for-profit schools that the namesake universities bought out. It's not the same thing as getting a degree from UMASS or Purdue and the degree reflects that.

There aren't really a ton of other accelerated grad programs online given the nature of most grad school curricula.

UMPI and WGU are your best bet.

[bjcheung77]

@priceaction, Welcome to the board, that's a very good introduction post with some information, but doesn't give us the full overview of your scenario as it's missing the addendum and template. You're trying to complete a degree before you transfer into WGU, which degree program are you looking at the Masters level? I think you should maximize your trifecta of certs, degree, experience, you've got the experience and undergraduate degree, I'm not sure about your certs, it's best to mix and match that to a balanced medium...

Depending on the degree you're looking at continuing on at WGU, you can decide on a one and done institution, stick with WGU. For example, you're going for the MSCIA as your next degree, you can decide to delay that and complete the WGU MSML or the MBA, or vice versa, complete the MSCIA and then the MSML/MBA. You can use the downtime now to complete any recommended certs or alternative credit options that can transfer to WGU, or work on certs that interest you. It really depends on how you want to slice that...

Another option is, you can decide if the UMPI MAOL would work for you or the PUG MBA, MSIT, MS Cybersecurity Management would be an option for you, again, you can complete this before or after your WGU degree you're going to be starting in June or whenever you feel is the right time for you. I would still suggest trying to get the max alternative credits or certificates that can transfer into any of these programs before starting. You want to have a balanced mix/match of certs, degree, experience to spruce up your portfolio.

[priceaction]

UMass Global offers a CBE MAOL and is pending approval to offer a CBE MBA.

In early 2024 the sale is expected to close by which the University of Phoenix will become a non-profit affiliate of the University of Idaho. Its CBE programs include an MBA and a Master of Information Systems.

An alternative would be to add something in finance or business at the bachelor's level. That could be CBE directly from the issuing school like the UMPI YourPace BA in Accounting or the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Flex BSBA. Or you could use an alt-credit provider like Study.com to complete courses you'd then transfer to something like a TESU BSBA Finance.

By the way, congratulations!, and also, which WGU master's are you moving on to?

Jonathan Whatley
Thank you for this information.

This, in particular, is very interesting "In early 2024 the sale is expected to close by which the University of Phoenix will become a non-profit affiliate of the University of Idaho. Its CBE programs include an MBA and a Master of Information Systems."

"By the way, congratulations!, and also, which WGU master's are you moving on to?"
The MBA and then the MSCIA.

"UMass Global offers a CBE MAOL and is pending approval to offer a CBE MBA."
This is a good one as well!

---

Another approach, if you don’t already have them, is to get one of the IT certs that count for transfer credit. If you already have the CompTIA stack that’s in the WGU program, you could still add CASP+, CISSP, or CISM. These are harder certs that aren’t for everybody, but they could be a good fit for your experience. 
Also, don’t let anybody talk you into unaccredited business schools in Spain.

I already have the CISSP, CISM, and CCISO; and I actually have dozens of IT-related certifications. 
Thank you for the suggestion, but my original inquiry is related to competency-based graduate degrees.

"Also, don’t let anybody talk you into unaccredited business schools in Spain."
Oh, I see the threads!  :-)  Thank you for the warning!

---

Hello,

I have been reading this forum for a while and the advice dispensed has been invaluable. 

I am graduating from WGU this week with a BSCIA degree and continuing with them to pursue a Master's in June of this year.

I am in my 50s with over 30 years of professional work experience and I found the WGU BSCIA degree super easy to accelerate; obviously due to my work experience.

With the free time I have until June, I want to knock out another graduate degree prior to beginning my Master's at WGU. 
The degree could be in a variety of concentrations. I work in FinTech, so a MBA, a MS Finance, MS IT, MS Cybersecurity would all suffice; any of them would be a benefit to me because I work in a cross-discipline role.

I have looked at dozens of online schools, but very few are competency-based, allow acceleration, are not a for-profit school, and are accredited. 

Two programs that fit my search criteria are Purdue Global Master's ExcelTrack and UMPI's Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership (MAOL). 
Those are good programs and I am speaking to enrollment counselors at both of them.

However, I am still searching for other options.

Are there are other graduate degree programs that are:
1. competency-based
2. allow acceleration
3. not a for-profit school
4. accredited

If any of you are aware of graduate degree programs that fit that criteria, I am very interested to learn about them. 

I did search the forums here as well various searches using search engines, YouTube, and Reddit, but it seems that WGU and Purdue Global are the two main schools that fit the aforementioned criteria. 

Thank you in advance and I look forward to your replies.

Keep in mind that UMASS Global and Purdue Global are essentially for-profit schools that the namesake universities bought out. It's not the same thing as getting a degree from UMASS or Purdue and the degree reflects that.

There aren't really a ton of other accelerated grad programs online given the nature of most grad school curricula.

UMPI and WGU are your best bet.

Are you sure Purdue Global is for-profit institution? 
They are a 501©(3) tax-exempt organization. You can look them up at https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/ using their EIN: 82-1319401.

Umass Global is legally a non-profit as well.  Tax-exempt; EIN: 26-0152908


"It's not the same thing as getting a degree from UMASS or Purdue and the degree reflects that." 
I understand.


"There aren't really a ton of other accelerated grad programs online given the nature of most grad school curricula."
Yeah, that is what I am seeing, hence my question. 


"UMPI and WGU are your best bet."
It certainly seems that way, but WGU will not let me start another degree until June, so I would like to knock out a graduate degree or two from now until I start back up with WGU. 
The UMPI MOAL seemed like an easy layup, so I would like to get one more degree slotted in.

---

@priceaction, Welcome to the board, that's a very good introduction post with some information, but doesn't give us the full overview of your scenario as it's missing the addendum and template.  You're trying to complete a degree before you transfer into WGU, which degree program are you looking at the Masters level?  I think you should maximize your trifecta of certs, degree, experience, you've got the experience and undergraduate degree, I'm not sure about your certs, it's best to mix and match that to a balanced medium...

Depending on the degree you're looking at continuing on at WGU, you can decide on a one and done institution, stick with WGU.  For example, you're going for the MSCIA as your next degree, you can decide to delay that and complete the WGU MSML or the MBA, or vice versa, complete the MSCIA and then the MSML/MBA.  You can use the downtime now to complete any recommended certs or alternative credit options that can transfer to WGU, or work on certs that interest you.  It really depends on how you want to slice that...

Another option is, you can decide if the UMPI MAOL would work for you or the PUG MBA, MSIT, MS Cybersecurity Management would be an option for you, again, you can complete this before or after your WGU degree you're going to be starting in June or whenever you feel is the right time for you.  I would still suggest trying to get the max alternative credits or certificates that can transfer into any of these programs before starting.  You want to have a balanced mix/match of certs, degree, experience to spruce up your portfolio.

Thank you for the feedback. 

I apologize for overlooking the template you are referring to. I will search for it before posting questions in the future.

I am already maxed-out on certifications for the most part; I was just looking for additional accelerated competency-based graduate options in addition to WGU, PUG, UMPI, and UMASS Global.

As you know, the thing about WGU is that even if you complete a program in 1 month within a 6-month term, you can't begin the next degree program until the current term ends. 
So, in my situation, I only have a handful of classes to take finish out the MSCIA, for example, with them before I can proceed with another.  
This is pretty much the only thing I do not like about WGU. I otherwise love the institution and what they are offering.

With WGU for 2024, I will have lost 11 months of time and only have 1 degree to show for it. This is my main reason for looking for other options, to maximize my "downtime".
It is a bit frustrating as the work is so easy, I could very quickly do several degrees, but they are not having that. :-)

You may be wondering, given that I am in my 50s, why I did not pursue these degrees earlier if I find them so easy. It is because I had no idea these competency-based accelerated programs existed. If I had known about them years ago, I would have done it then. It was only because of this forum that I learned about them and decided to give it a try. 
I am grateful for the information shared in this forum as it definitely opened my eyes to so many possibilities.

I am currently talking to enrollment at both PUG and UMPI, but just looking for other options, but it would appear that options are limited. 


Thank you again for the feedback.

[Duneranger]

UMass Global offers a CBE MAOL and is pending approval to offer a CBE MBA.

In early 2024 the sale is expected to close by which the University of Phoenix will become a non-profit affiliate of the University of Idaho. Its CBE programs include an MBA and a Master of Information Systems.

An alternative would be to add something in finance or business at the bachelor's level. That could be CBE directly from the issuing school like the UMPI YourPace BA in Accounting or the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Flex BSBA. Or you could use an alt-credit provider like Study.com to complete courses you'd then transfer to something like a TESU BSBA Finance.

By the way, congratulations!, and also, which WGU master's are you moving on to?

Jonathan Whatley
Thank you for this information.

This, in particular, is very interesting "In early 2024 the sale is expected to close by which the University of Phoenix will become a non-profit affiliate of the University of Idaho. Its CBE programs include an MBA and a Master of Information Systems."

"By the way, congratulations!, and also, which WGU master's are you moving on to?"
The MBA and then the MSCIA.

"UMass Global offers a CBE MAOL and is pending approval to offer a CBE MBA."
This is a good one as well!

---

Another approach, if you don’t already have them, is to get one of the IT certs that count for transfer credit. If you already have the CompTIA stack that’s in the WGU program, you could still add CASP+, CISSP, or CISM. These are harder certs that aren’t for everybody, but they could be a good fit for your experience. 
Also, don’t let anybody talk you into unaccredited business schools in Spain.

I already have the CISSP, CISM, and CCISO; and I actually have dozens of IT-related certifications. 
Thank you for the suggestion, but my original inquiry is related to competency-based graduate degrees.

"Also, don’t let anybody talk you into unaccredited business schools in Spain."
Oh, I see the threads!  :-)  Thank you for the warning!

---

Hello,

I have been reading this forum for a while and the advice dispensed has been invaluable. 

I am graduating from WGU this week with a BSCIA degree and continuing with them to pursue a Master's in June of this year.

I am in my 50s with over 30 years of professional work experience and I found the WGU BSCIA degree super easy to accelerate; obviously due to my work experience.

With the free time I have until June, I want to knock out another graduate degree prior to beginning my Master's at WGU. 
The degree could be in a variety of concentrations. I work in FinTech, so a MBA, a MS Finance, MS IT, MS Cybersecurity would all suffice; any of them would be a benefit to me because I work in a cross-discipline role.

I have looked at dozens of online schools, but very few are competency-based, allow acceleration, are not a for-profit school, and are accredited. 

Two programs that fit my search criteria are Purdue Global Master's ExcelTrack and UMPI's Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership (MAOL). 
Those are good programs and I am speaking to enrollment counselors at both of them.

However, I am still searching for other options.

Are there are other graduate degree programs that are:
1. competency-based
2. allow acceleration
3. not a for-profit school
4. accredited

If any of you are aware of graduate degree programs that fit that criteria, I am very interested to learn about them. 

I did search the forums here as well various searches using search engines, YouTube, and Reddit, but it seems that WGU and Purdue Global are the two main schools that fit the aforementioned criteria. 

Thank you in advance and I look forward to your replies.

Keep in mind that UMASS Global and Purdue Global are essentially for-profit schools that the namesake universities bought out. It's not the same thing as getting a degree from UMASS or Purdue and the degree reflects that.

There aren't really a ton of other accelerated grad programs online given the nature of most grad school curricula.

UMPI and WGU are your best bet.

Are you sure Purdue Global is for-profit institution? 
They are a 501©(3) tax-exempt organization. You can look them up at https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/ using their EIN: 82-1319401.

Umass Global is legally a non-profit as well.  Tax-exempt; EIN: 26-0152908


"It's not the same thing as getting a degree from UMASS or Purdue and the degree reflects that." 
I understand.


"There aren't really a ton of other accelerated grad programs online given the nature of most grad school curricula."
Yeah, that is what I am seeing, hence my question. 


"UMPI and WGU are your best bet."
It certainly seems that way, but WGU will not let me start another degree until June, so I would like to knock out a graduate degree or two from now until I start back up with WGU. 
The UMPI MOAL seemed like an easy layup, so I would like to get one more degree slotted in.

---

@priceaction, Welcome to the board, that's a very good introduction post with some information, but doesn't give us the full overview of your scenario as it's missing the addendum and template.  You're trying to complete a degree before you transfer into WGU, which degree program are you looking at the Masters level?  I think you should maximize your trifecta of certs, degree, experience, you've got the experience and undergraduate degree, I'm not sure about your certs, it's best to mix and match that to a balanced medium...

Depending on the degree you're looking at continuing on at WGU, you can decide on a one and done institution, stick with WGU.  For example, you're going for the MSCIA as your next degree, you can decide to delay that and complete the WGU MSML or the MBA, or vice versa, complete the MSCIA and then the MSML/MBA.  You can use the downtime now to complete any recommended certs or alternative credit options that can transfer to WGU, or work on certs that interest you.  It really depends on how you want to slice that...

Another option is, you can decide if the UMPI MAOL would work for you or the PUG MBA, MSIT, MS Cybersecurity Management would be an option for you, again, you can complete this before or after your WGU degree you're going to be starting in June or whenever you feel is the right time for you.  I would still suggest trying to get the max alternative credits or certificates that can transfer into any of these programs before starting.  You want to have a balanced mix/match of certs, degree, experience to spruce up your portfolio.

Thank you for the feedback. 

I apologize for overlooking the template you are referring to. I will search for it before posting questions in the future.

I am already maxed-out on certifications for the most part; I was just looking for additional accelerated competency-based graduate options in addition to WGU, PUG, UMPI, and UMASS Global.

As you know, the thing about WGU is that even if you complete a program in 1 month within a 6-month term, you can't begin the next degree program until the current term ends. 
So, in my situation, I only have a handful of classes to take finish out the MSCIA, for example, with them before I can proceed with another.  
This is pretty much the only thing I do not like about WGU. I otherwise love the institution and what they are offering.

With WGU for 2024, I will have lost 11 months of time and only have 1 degree to show for it. This is my main reason for looking for other options, to maximize my "downtime".
It is a bit frustrating as the work is so easy, I could very quickly do several degrees, but they are not having that. :-)

You may be wondering, given that I am in my 50s, why I did not pursue these degrees earlier if I find them so easy. It is because I had no idea these competency-based accelerated programs existed. If I had known about them years ago, I would have done it then. It was only because of this forum that I learned about them and decided to give it a try. 
I am grateful for the information shared in this forum as it definitely opened my eyes to so many possibilities.

I am currently talking to enrollment at both PUG and UMPI, but just looking for other options, but it would appear that options are limited. 


Thank you again for the feedback.

UMASS Global is a not-for-profit technically but its essentially Brandman University (for profit) with a different coat of paint. Its not UMASS in any way shape or form. At some point, it's just semantics, but Brandman never had a good rep, and a different coat of paint doesn't change that. I was a former military advisor/recruiter and we always had issues with soldiers/vets and Brandman.

The OL is sort of an anemic degree but it allows you to start now (Spring) if that's what you truly desire. But even with UMPI you wont be able to start till Spring 2 at this point (March). So only a few month gain for a "leadership" degree.

[Jonathan Whatley]

Brandman was never for-profit. It was the adult student division of the non-profit B&M Chapman University, first spun off into a non-profit affiliated with Brandman, then sold to become a non-profit affiliate of the UMass system.

priceaction, since you intend to complete the MBA and MSCIA at WGU as soon as possible, you should consider whether completing a master's in business, leadership, cybersecurity, or IT from another school during approximately the same time period would be redundant (it would be).

If you really want a master's categorically in leadership, WGU offers an MSML that I believe can take a large amount of transfer credit from a completed WGU MBA.

[Duneranger]

Brandman was never for-profit. It was the adult student division of the non-profit B&M Chapman University, first spun off into a non-profit affiliated with Brandman, then sold to become a non-profit affiliate of the UMass system.

priceaction, since you intend to complete the MBA and MSCIA at WGU as soon as possible, you should consider whether completing a master's in business, leadership, cybersecurity, or IT from another school during approximately the same time period would be redundant (it would be).

If you really want a master's categorically in leadership, WGU offers an MSML that I believe can take a large amount of transfer credit from a completed WGU MBA.

It’s a little more complicated than that. I am well aware of what it was (i.e affiliated with Chapman) and wasn’t considering they targeted military students and their TA/GI Bills. I think the semantics of for profit vs profit are not helpful. It operated like a for profit school with predatory marketing and admissions. I had dozens of soldiers go there and most had numerous issues. 

But I digress. It is an option for OP but I wanted to make it clear it has nothing to do with UMASS other than its name. 

Saying they are a part of the UMass system is a very loose definition. Same with Arizona and Purdue. There is a reason why all of these schools have separate online schools vs the global versions and the degrees are totally different than the namesake.

[priceaction]

Brandman was never for-profit. It was the adult student division of the non-profit B&M Chapman University, first spun off into a non-profit affiliated with Brandman, then sold to become a non-profit affiliate of the UMass system.

priceaction, since you intend to complete the MBA and MSCIA at WGU as soon as possible, you should consider whether completing a master's in business, leadership, cybersecurity, or IT from another school during approximately the same time period would be redundant (it would be).

If you really want a master's categorically in leadership, WGU offers an MSML that I believe can take a large amount of transfer credit from a completed WGU MBA.

I think I did not explain myself well. 

My intent was to obtain a MBA and MSCIA at WGU as soon as possible, but given their restrictions, I would likely get the MBA or MSCIA from WGU and MBA or MS Cyber or MS IT from some other institution.   

I am currently working 100% from home, so I am trying to take advantage of my time, but by 2025 I will definitely be back in the office, so I will not be able to pursue degrees as I can currently. 

The overall goal would be to obtain both a MBA and a MS (IT or Cyber) this year. 

The UMPI MOAL was something I was looking at as an easy layup since it is not time consuming and super-cheap. 

Thank you again for the continued feedback. This thread is giving me a number of things to consider.

---

UMass Global offers a CBE MAOL and is pending approval to offer a CBE MBA.

In early 2024 the sale is expected to close by which the University of Phoenix will become a non-profit affiliate of the University of Idaho. Its CBE programs include an MBA and a Master of Information Systems.

An alternative would be to add something in finance or business at the bachelor's level. That could be CBE directly from the issuing school like the UMPI YourPace BA in Accounting or the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Flex BSBA. Or you could use an alt-credit provider like Study.com to complete courses you'd then transfer to something like a TESU BSBA Finance.

By the way, congratulations!, and also, which WGU master's are you moving on to?

Jonathan Whatley
Thank you for this information.

This, in particular, is very interesting "In early 2024 the sale is expected to close by which the University of Phoenix will become a non-profit affiliate of the University of Idaho. Its CBE programs include an MBA and a Master of Information Systems."

"By the way, congratulations!, and also, which WGU master's are you moving on to?"
The MBA and then the MSCIA.

"UMass Global offers a CBE MAOL and is pending approval to offer a CBE MBA."
This is a good one as well!

---

Another approach, if you don’t already have them, is to get one of the IT certs that count for transfer credit. If you already have the CompTIA stack that’s in the WGU program, you could still add CASP+, CISSP, or CISM. These are harder certs that aren’t for everybody, but they could be a good fit for your experience. 
Also, don’t let anybody talk you into unaccredited business schools in Spain.

I already have the CISSP, CISM, and CCISO; and I actually have dozens of IT-related certifications. 
Thank you for the suggestion, but my original inquiry is related to competency-based graduate degrees.

"Also, don’t let anybody talk you into unaccredited business schools in Spain."
Oh, I see the threads!  :-)  Thank you for the warning!

---

Hello,

I have been reading this forum for a while and the advice dispensed has been invaluable. 

I am graduating from WGU this week with a BSCIA degree and continuing with them to pursue a Master's in June of this year.

I am in my 50s with over 30 years of professional work experience and I found the WGU BSCIA degree super easy to accelerate; obviously due to my work experience.

With the free time I have until June, I want to knock out another graduate degree prior to beginning my Master's at WGU. 
The degree could be in a variety of concentrations. I work in FinTech, so a MBA, a MS Finance, MS IT, MS Cybersecurity would all suffice; any of them would be a benefit to me because I work in a cross-discipline role.

I have looked at dozens of online schools, but very few are competency-based, allow acceleration, are not a for-profit school, and are accredited. 

Two programs that fit my search criteria are Purdue Global Master's ExcelTrack and UMPI's Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership (MAOL). 
Those are good programs and I am speaking to enrollment counselors at both of them.

However, I am still searching for other options.

Are there are other graduate degree programs that are:
1. competency-based
2. allow acceleration
3. not a for-profit school
4. accredited

If any of you are aware of graduate degree programs that fit that criteria, I am very interested to learn about them. 

I did search the forums here as well various searches using search engines, YouTube, and Reddit, but it seems that WGU and Purdue Global are the two main schools that fit the aforementioned criteria. 

Thank you in advance and I look forward to your replies.

Keep in mind that UMASS Global and Purdue Global are essentially for-profit schools that the namesake universities bought out. It's not the same thing as getting a degree from UMASS or Purdue and the degree reflects that.

There aren't really a ton of other accelerated grad programs online given the nature of most grad school curricula.

UMPI and WGU are your best bet.

Are you sure Purdue Global is for-profit institution? 
They are a 501©(3) tax-exempt organization. You can look them up at https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/ using their EIN: 82-1319401.

Umass Global is legally a non-profit as well.  Tax-exempt; EIN: 26-0152908


"It's not the same thing as getting a degree from UMASS or Purdue and the degree reflects that." 
I understand.


"There aren't really a ton of other accelerated grad programs online given the nature of most grad school curricula."
Yeah, that is what I am seeing, hence my question. 


"UMPI and WGU are your best bet."
It certainly seems that way, but WGU will not let me start another degree until June, so I would like to knock out a graduate degree or two from now until I start back up with WGU. 
The UMPI MOAL seemed like an easy layup, so I would like to get one more degree slotted in.

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@priceaction, Welcome to the board, that's a very good introduction post with some information, but doesn't give us the full overview of your scenario as it's missing the addendum and template.  You're trying to complete a degree before you transfer into WGU, which degree program are you looking at the Masters level?  I think you should maximize your trifecta of certs, degree, experience, you've got the experience and undergraduate degree, I'm not sure about your certs, it's best to mix and match that to a balanced medium...

Depending on the degree you're looking at continuing on at WGU, you can decide on a one and done institution, stick with WGU.  For example, you're going for the MSCIA as your next degree, you can decide to delay that and complete the WGU MSML or the MBA, or vice versa, complete the MSCIA and then the MSML/MBA.  You can use the downtime now to complete any recommended certs or alternative credit options that can transfer to WGU, or work on certs that interest you.  It really depends on how you want to slice that...

Another option is, you can decide if the UMPI MAOL would work for you or the PUG MBA, MSIT, MS Cybersecurity Management would be an option for you, again, you can complete this before or after your WGU degree you're going to be starting in June or whenever you feel is the right time for you.  I would still suggest trying to get the max alternative credits or certificates that can transfer into any of these programs before starting.  You want to have a balanced mix/match of certs, degree, experience to spruce up your portfolio.

Thank you for the feedback. 

I apologize for overlooking the template you are referring to. I will search for it before posting questions in the future.

I am already maxed-out on certifications for the most part; I was just looking for additional accelerated competency-based graduate options in addition to WGU, PUG, UMPI, and UMASS Global.

As you know, the thing about WGU is that even if you complete a program in 1 month within a 6-month term, you can't begin the next degree program until the current term ends. 
So, in my situation, I only have a handful of classes to take finish out the MSCIA, for example, with them before I can proceed with another.  
This is pretty much the only thing I do not like about WGU. I otherwise love the institution and what they are offering.

With WGU for 2024, I will have lost 11 months of time and only have 1 degree to show for it. This is my main reason for looking for other options, to maximize my "downtime".
It is a bit frustrating as the work is so easy, I could very quickly do several degrees, but they are not having that. :-)

You may be wondering, given that I am in my 50s, why I did not pursue these degrees earlier if I find them so easy. It is because I had no idea these competency-based accelerated programs existed. If I had known about them years ago, I would have done it then. It was only because of this forum that I learned about them and decided to give it a try. 
I am grateful for the information shared in this forum as it definitely opened my eyes to so many possibilities.

I am currently talking to enrollment at both PUG and UMPI, but just looking for other options, but it would appear that options are limited. 


Thank you again for the feedback.

UMASS Global is a not-for-profit technically but its essentially Brandman University (for profit) with a different coat of paint. Its not UMASS in any way shape or form. At some point, it's just semantics, but Brandman never had a good rep, and a different coat of paint doesn't change that. I was a former military advisor/recruiter and we always had issues with soldiers/vets and Brandman.

The OL is sort of an anemic degree but it allows you to start now (Spring) if that's what you truly desire. But even with UMPI you wont be able to start till Spring 2 at this point (March). So only a few month gain for a "leadership" degree.

Your points are well-taken. 
"So only a few month gain for a "leadership" degree." - True, but it makes use of my dead time. Better than not doing anything.  :-)