Can you point me in the right direction?

[Livia_Drusila]

Hello everybody. I'm new to all of this and really need your guidance!
I've had a long educational journey and really want this chapter to be done with. I have an AA from Florida State University, but then my father got sick and I had to return back home to Argentina (I'm an international student). I studied philosophy for a while in public university in my country, then law... Now I'm in the US, newly married and applying to be a permanent resident. I don't have a legal permit to work yet, so I'm really bored and in need of purpose. I thought continuing my education would be out of the question because of how expensive it is, but then I discovered this whole realm of possibilities and it's got me really excited. If someone could point me to the right direction, I would be forever grateful!
I'm thinking of the BA in History & Political Science because I've always been social sciences/humanities inclined, and always saw a future in teaching and/or working in the government or NGOs. I sent an e-mail to UMPI asking about transfer credits, but they told me that they could only tell me what would transfer after I apply, which was a letdown. This is what I have:

CPO2002 - Intro to Comparative Govt
ENC1101 - Freshman Composition & Rhetoric
GEA100 - World Geography
MGF1107 - Practical Finite Math
AMH2010 - History of the U.S. to 1865
BSC1005 - General Biology for Non-Majors
BSC1005L - General Biology Lab
ENC1102 - Freshman Writing & Research
MAC1105 - College Algebra
ECO2013 - Principles of Macroeconomics
INR3003 - Intro to International Affairs
PHI2010 - Intro to Philosophy
PSB2000 - Intro to Brain and Behavior
ANT2410 - Intro to Cultural Anthropology
ECO2023 - Principles of Microeconomics
LAH4430 - History of Mexico
REL1300 - Intro to World Religions
INR2002 - International Relations
INR3933 - Special Topics: International Law
PHI3882 - Philosophy in Literature
SPC2608 - Public Speaking
Cumulative GPA: 3.25

Your Location: Virginia, USA

Your Age: 30

What kind of degree do you want?: BA in History & Political Science from UMPI

Current Regional Accredited Credits: 61 credits from Florida State University (I completed an associate's degree on my way to a bachelor's in international affairs)

Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: Not sure what those are, but I guess none?

Any certifications or military experience? None

Budget: Right now I don't have a lot of money, only about 2k. I am planning on starting work whenever I get my work permit and then I'll have more leeway.

Commitments: I have all the time in the world, for now.

Dedicated time to study: Same as above.

Timeline: A year would be nice.

Tuition assistance/reimbursement: None.

What else do I need to know? What courses should I start taking on Sophia? Thank you so much!

[Livia_Drusila]

(Oops, accidentally posted twice.)

Because the posts don't have 'exactly' the same info in each post, you have removed something that may help us help you more...

<restored info by bjcheung77>

So the two main things to keep in mind is that, even though I'm physically here, I'm still an international student until further notice; I also don't have my high school diploma at hand, though I guess I could ask my mom back home to get ahold of it and send it to me. What else do I need to know? What should I start taking on Sophia? Thank you so much!

<repeat, inserted by bjcheung77>

I've had a long educational journey and really want this chapter to be done with. I have an AA from Florida State University, but then my dad (who was paying for it) got sick and I had to return back home to Argentina (I'm an international student). I studied philosophy for a while in public university in my country, then law...

Now I'm in the US, newly married and applying to be a permanent resident. I don't have a legal permit to work yet, so I'm really bored and in need of purpose. I thought continuing my education would be out of the question because of how expensive it is, but then I discovered this whole realm of possibilities and it's got me really excited. If someone could point me to the right direction, I would be forever grateful!

I'm thinking of the BA in History & Political Science because I've always been social sciences/humanities inclined, and always saw a future in teaching and/or working in the government or NGOs, which is a big thing here in Northern Virginia/the DC area. I sent an e-mail to UMPI asking about transfer credits, but they told me that they could only tell me what would transfer after I apply, which was a letdown.

[jg_nuy]

UMPI seems like your best bet. A lot of your credits would most likely fill in the General Education and some of the degree requirements. Given how much time you have available and depending on your personal speed, you might even be able to complete the 30 credits required in one term ($1500 per 8 week term), likely no more than 2 ($3000 for 2 terms). You can transfer up to 90 credits into the degree itself, though there is no upper limit overall for transfer credits.

You can work to fill in more of the gen-ed requirements and degree requirements using first Sophia, then some Study.com. You have the science with lab, but you need 6 credits for a foreign language.

Here are the general requirements for UMPI:
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/UM...ts_Roadmap

Here is a degree plan for BA History:
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/UM...egree_Plan

Here is the Political Science concentration details:
https://www.umpi.edu/yourpace/academic_p...l-science/

[bjcheung77]

@Livia_Drusila, Welcome to the board, it's great you're posting and asking questions, but there really isn't a need to 'double post' - even though you feel there is a need to, it'll cause confusion as someone may be answering you and the information is not found in the second thread, so I've merged the two.  You can use this as the planning thread, you can create another for example if you're stuck with Sophia.org classes, and then another for Study.com classes or something to 'group' your thread together, instead of one question one thread... 

You may want to create a spreadsheet with the requirements of the degree and the classes you have taken for cross referencing, then link us to your degree spreadsheet on your google or one drive, make the file viewable (not editable) and we can comment on what classes are needed, use this for reference and tracking purposes.  For the time being, I suggest reviewing the posts, threads, and WIKI on the UMPI degree of your choice, here's the WIKI to help you design your degree spreadsheet: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Category:UMPI

[Livia_Drusila]

UMPI seems like your best bet. A lot of your credits would most likely fill in the General Education and some of the degree requirements. Given how much time you have available and depending on your personal speed, you might even be able to complete the 30 credits required in one term ($1500 per 8 week term), likely no more than 2 ($3000 for 2 terms). You can transfer up to 90 credits into the degree itself, though there is no upper limit overall for transfer credits.

You can work to fill in more of the gen-ed requirements and degree requirements using first Sophia, then some Study.com. You have the science with lab, but you need 6 credits for a foreign language.

Here are the general requirements for UMPI:
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/UM...ts_Roadmap

Here is a degree plan for BA History:
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/UM...egree_Plan

Here is the Political Science concentration details:
https://www.umpi.edu/yourpace/academic_p...l-science/

Thank you so much for the reply! Could I do Spanish for a foreign language or would that be considered cheating?

I've checked earlier how many of my FSU credits would transfer on the Maine Transfer Equivalency System website, and it's only 27 out of the 61... Do you know if they're really that strict, or would they actually take more?

---

@Livia_Drusila, Welcome to the board, it's great you're posting and asking questions, but there really isn't a need to 'double post' - even though you feel there is a need to, it'll cause confusion as someone may be answering you and the information is not found in the second thread, so I've merged the two.  You can use this as the planning thread, you can create another for example if you're stuck with Sophia.org classes, and then another for Study.com classes or something to 'group' your thread together, instead of one question one thread... 

You may want to create a spreadsheet with the requirements of the degree and the classes you have taken for cross referencing, then link us to your degree spreadsheet on your google or one drive, make the file viewable (not editable) and we can comment on what classes are needed, use this for reference and tracking purposes.  For the time being, I suggest reviewing the posts, threads, and WIKI on the UMPI degree of your choice, here's the WIKI to help you design your degree spreadsheet: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Category:UMPI

I totally understand! I apologize for the mishap, I haven't posted on a message board like this in ages, and now I realize that I really missed them. Reminds me of the good old early 2000s.

I guess my question now would be: do they ask for high school diplomas/English language proficiency tests? (I hope they don't, I could get ahold of them but it seems like a hassle). And also, do they accept as little credits as the Maine Transfer Equivalency System would suggest? According to that website, they'd only accept 27 credits out of my 61. I hope it's not the case 

[bjcheung77]

<grin> You have the energy, money, time to get the BAS or BLS in one session, plus you get to have a minor of your choice and do 3-4 classes that can go towards the MAOL if you ever wanted to.  So, this is my non-traditional and un-conventional approach, since you're in the US waiting for perm residence approval, you can take as many Sophia.org classes that can transfer into the UMPI BLS Political Science minor plus 3-4 classes towards MAOL.  This way, you'll be well versed in Poli Sci and have a few classes related to Organizational Leadership, but the main reason is to salvage the 61 credits, as the degree allows 60 electives!

Now, the reason I mentioned the BAS or BLS, is because you're already in the US, you have the energy, money, time to spend on getting credits towards 'something', and I always recommend a balanced mix/match trifecta of certs, degree, experience.  Thus, my suggestion is to expand on that into Business, IT, PM, etc, by doing the cheapies/freebies on the WIKI for ACE credit (skip the ones that don't give credit like the EdX freebie professional certs).  You'll end up with some certs, experience to go along with the certs while you work towards the degree... You can get all of this for under your budget of $2K as well!  Ta-da! Voila!

[jg_nuy]

You have an associates, so a high school transcript should not be required. You can do Spanish on Sophia to fulfill the language requirement.

---

For English proficiency, from UMPI YourPace FAQs: https://www.umpi.edu/yourpace/faqs/

English proficiency test scores are waived only if at least one of the following is met:
Student has earned a grade of C- or higher in a college English Composition course at a regionally accredited U.S. institution, even if the student has not studied in the U.S. for two or more years. ACE credits will not be considered.

[Livia_Drusila]

<grin> You have the energy, money, time to get the BAS or BLS in one session, plus you get to have a minor of your choice and do 3-4 classes that can go towards the MAOL if you ever wanted to.  So, this is my non-traditional and un-conventional approach, since you're in the US waiting for perm residence approval, you can take as many Sophia.org classes that can transfer into the UMPI BLS Political Science minor plus 3-4 classes towards MAOL.  This way, you'll be well versed in Poli Sci and have a few classes related to Organizational Leadership, but the main reason is to salvage the 61 credits, as the degree allows 60 electives!

Now, the reason I mentioned the BAS or BLS, is because you're already in the US, you have the energy, money, time to spend on getting credits towards 'something', and I always recommend a balanced mix/match trifecta of certs, degree, experience.  Thus, my suggestion is to expand on that into Business, IT, PM, etc, by doing the cheapies/freebies on the WIKI for ACE credit (skip the ones that don't give credit like the EdX freebie professional certs).  You'll end up with some certs, experience to go along with the certs while you work towards the degree... You can get all of this for under your budget of $2K as well!  Ta-da! Voila!

Oh wow! A few days ago I thought I'd just never finish my undergrad, and felt bad for leaving my (free of cost, albeit disorganized) law university in Argentina... But my hope has been renewed! I was thinking of getting into IT as well, since it's so in demand in the workplace. What exactly is ACE credit, if you don't mind me asking? Why would you recommend it?

---

You have an associates, so a high school transcript should not be required. You can do Spanish on Sophia to fulfill the language requirement.

---

For English proficiency, from UMPI YourPace FAQs: https://www.umpi.edu/yourpace/faqs/

English proficiency test scores are waived only if at least one of the following is met:
Student has earned a grade of C- or higher in a college English Composition course at a regionally accredited U.S. institution, even if the student has not studied in the U.S. for two or more years. ACE credits will not be considered.

Oh, thank you so much! Yes, I do have two English composition courses from FSU. I've read in some other thread that UMPI asks for high school diplomas, so I just sent an e-mail asking for their enrollment requirements just to make sure.

[jg_nuy]

ACE (American Council on Education) is credit by third-party providers that is accepted by UMPI and many other schools. You can complete the courses before starting your degree and for some schools even while you are in school. For UMPI, it's recommended to maximize this credit before starting.

Here are a couple of pages in the Wiki with alternate credit sources:
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Se...eap_Credit
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Fr..._of_Credit

[LevelUP]

For this degree, you must take Spanish I & II or French I & II. You can't take Spanish I and French I.  We don't have a French 2 alt credit source, and that might slow you down quite a bit at UMPI, so it's not recommended to do a foreign language there.

Here is the UMPI Political Science degree plan
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/UM...egree_Plan