Biology/Natural Sciences major—transferring into the Big 3

[wow]

Ah, okay. That makes me sound so evil!

But the goal of $5000 looks impossible for an actual degree in Natural Science/Biology, thanks to all the residency fees.

*LOL* You evil do-er!  Nah, it's just a thought, many people have thought about that on this board, you're not the only one...
Where did you get the BA Social Sciences?  Just curious, are you paying fully out of pocket or does your current employer have tuition assistance/reimbursement?  Does it have to be in Biology or Environmental Studies/Sciences?  I agree with the hubby, a general degree or liberal arts degree with a concentration isn't the same thing...

The BA is actually in Linguistics, from a snooty liberal arts college in Pennsylvania. I think tuition there now is more than $200,000. I graduated a couple decades ago.

I have to pay out of pocket as I am self-employed. My husband works for the state, but that only qualifies *him* for reduced tuition, and only after we've lived here for a year.

My accountant says there is a "possibility" I could do some of the courses as a business expense, but that feels a little fishy to me. And even so, that may or may not reduce my taxes by a significant amount. It depends on a lot of factors.

I write/edit in the topics of human health, veterinary science, food science and natural resources—a rather broad umbrella, which is why biology seemed like the best fit. The clients/editors I work with love me, but it's hard getting new ones in those fields with a linguistics degree, despite my piles and piles of work samples.

I have been looking into Health Studies as well—UW-Milwaukee's flex program and University of the People, which could make the degree fairly cheap, but it's not as good a fit for what I do as biology. Plus, UofP is not RA and, even though I have no reason to doubt the quality of education they provide, I think clients will, simply based on the name. 

Finally, I compared BA programs in Health Studies to an MLA with Health Studies Concentration from Fort Hays. The Master in Liberal Arts at Fort Hays is under $10,000. If I decide to focus more exclusively on medical-related clients, I think a master in health studies would look better than a bachelor's resume-wise.