Struggling to find the right school(mid-30s with GED)

[jaytea89]

@jaytea89, Amazing introduction! Wow, this is a great first post, I see you have thought this over and are on the right path... There are a few things that's missing in your very informative thread. I suggest you complete the template and last post addendum as it will give us a great idea of your budget, commitments, study habits and more. Link: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Area-works

Questions: Have you thought about going into either being a Vet Technician or a Vet Technologist and branching out to Wildlife Rehab?  You're a dozen years younger than me, when I was your age (or younger probably), I actually wanted to do something very similar.  Do you really need an Animal Science, Biology, Ecology, Wildlife Management, or Zoology bachelors degree? Would an AAS or a BAS from a Nationally Accredited institution work for you?

You're correct, Unity's programs are expensive, they're interesting to say the least but out of my budget recommendations.  Here are two webpages from Unity and two other pages on Learner.org and WikiHow introducing the profession Wildlife Rehabilitator, it'll give you a good overview. In short, any bachelors degree should or will do 'check the box'.

Unity #1: How to Become a Wildlife Rehabilitator - Unity College
Unity #2: Everything You Need to Know to Become a Wildlife Rehabilitator - Unity College
Learner.org: Become a Wildlife Rehabilitator: Education & Requirements (learn.org)
WikiHow: How to Become a Wildlife Rehabilitator: 12 Steps (with Pictures) (wikihow.com)

In addition to the programs you mentioned above, depending on your budget, commitments, energy, time you can place into your studies, you may want to do things differently: 1) Pierpont AAS BOG emphasis Biology  2) UMPI BLS (any minor), it has 60 credits for electives, you can take anything such as continuing with more Biology or similar courses  3) Get an externship at a Wildlife Rehab facility

Another less desirable & viable yet workable option, if you have more energy, money, time, you can do the following: 1) Ashworth or Penn Foster AAS Vet Tech  2) Penn Foster BAS Vet Technology  3) Externship at a Vet Hospital.  Both the Associates/Bachelor degree are AVMA accredited online programs, but you will need to find your own externship without any assistance from either institution.

Here's an example organization in my state of WA that has internships & externships, you should also check their Licensed Vet Tech position they currently have available and compare the requirements/salary, etc with your state of Indiana.  Link: Internships and Externships | PAWS , PAWS | Progressive Animal Welfare Society Job Posting | PAWS

Ah, yeah, that is much better formatting. I'll add some of that to my initial post in a bit.

To answer your first question, I have no desire at all to work or study in any vet related field, even temporarily. I'm trying to avoid nationally accredited schools because I want as many options as possible for transferring. I also would rather not have a generic biology degree if it can be avoided unless it can be customized into a "concentration in animal science" type deal. I don't really care if it shows up like that on my diploma/transcript, just as long as I can take some courses relevant to my goals...and not have to take a bunch of physics classes lol.

Arizona State does have an online bio major that lets me choose the 5-6 required courses from a list that includes animal behavior, animal physiology(with a matching lab), vertebrate zoology(also with a lab), and only requires 1 physics course. It's my most expensive option so far, but I'll be getting my general education courses at a community college through a "general studies" degree, so only half the degree would be taken there.

Pierpont is significantly more costly than Ivy Tech(and even Unity) unless I use alternative credits and I'm really not sold on that method so far after what I've been reading up on today. I'm not unwilling to piece together a degree with alt credits so long as I can focus on the area I'm wanting to, but it's not my preferred option. UMPI is very affordable but their online course selection doesn't have anything I'm looking for. Those 62 electives would get wasted on classes I don't really want to take.

As I said in my first post, I really want to go to IU, but I'm not sure that will be an option. They're one of the few colleges to offer an animal behavior major and it's considered to be the best in the country from what I understand. I know I won't be able to get the exact same degree elsewhere, but I want to take as many similar courses as possible if I can't go there. I specifically want to focus on this area because I know I want to be doing something with my career where that particular degree will be relevant in terms of applicable knowledge. Internships are definitely on the table, I actually start my first one at a local skunk rescue next weekend!  

I've looked into wildlife rehab/care requirements in the past so I'm a little familiar with what's needed(though of course it varies). This has been a field that has been on my mind off and on for a good while, I've just recently decided it's time to actually push myself further and do something other than seeing videos and thinking "Damn, I would love to do that for a living." 


I'm still looking and taking in any information given to me. I'm prepared to not sleep much this week while I try to digest all of this. I'm on like, hour 20 of today and 90% of that has been looking into all of this college related shit lol.

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Since I can't edit my OP I'll go ahead and plop this here:

Your Location: Indianapolis, IN
Your Age: 34
What kind of degree do you want?: This or as close as I can get. BA/BS in Biology/Zoology that allows me to specifically focus on animal health and behavior. 
Current Regional Accredited Credits: 0
Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: 0 but I own Student Success and College Alegra from StraighterLine and plan to finish those. 
Any certifications or military experience? No
Budget: Under $50k out the door, possibly way less. Loans will be taken out. 
Commitments: The lease on my townhome, part-time DoorDash, part-time internship.
Dedicated time to study: Until my brain melts.
Timeline: Quick is preferred. Rushed is completely undesirable. 4 years max.
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: Waiting on FASFA to tell me.