BA History (Experienced student)

[xianbd]

Hi all,

STEM background with BS/MS/doctorate and almost a complete MA in Classics/Ancient history. I want a BA in history to round things out.

Couple questions:

1. I am considering other online history programs like SNHU, IU, OSU,  ASU, LSU ect. Is there anything that stands out about UMPI? I get its competency-based, but I don't want to just blow through it to get a degree. I want to learn. I have my career, this is just for personal growth.

2. I reviewed the gen eds and it seems like I am just missing a couple including a language. I have read on here that Sophis is ideal. Is that still the case? I also need a hands-on art class haha. I avoided that one years ago with Art history. Is UMPI better for this?

3. I am assuming all of my credits will transfer. Given that, I have 30 credits I need to take. I prefer HIST over Poly sci. Any classes that people enjoyed? Or is the selection pretty meager? I saw the list and it doesn't seem to change? I am an ancient history guy and I saw there weren't a ton of different offerings.

4. Anything else for me???

Thanks

HI Duneranger,

I have a pretty similar background and demands. I obtained two bachelor's and two master's degrees in Economics and Computer Sciences, and am intrigued with history recently so I am trying to pursue a BA in History online. I did some research on online history programs and I would like to share some of my findings here since most of the threads here are talking about TESU and UMPI. Basically, I am not very sensitive to the tuition and more care about the academic reputation and student support.

Other than SNHU, IU, OSU,  ASU, and LSU, there are U of Arizona, PSU, Liberty U, and Open U of UK, which also provide a BA in History program.

I. Regional colleges: 

1. UMPI Your-pace:
Definitely the one if you have much time devoted and can finish the courses within one or two sessions. No match for it. I enrolled in BA in History and Pol Sci in summer session 2 and finished 4 courses. But honestly just as @grogers14 mentioned earlier, HTY courses are nothing more than super-long readings and essays, which personally thought may not be solid enough for laying a strong foundation if you are serious about an academic career in the field of History. And this is the reason I look for others.

2. SNHU:
If you can have 90 credits transferred in (which is not difficult if you have several degrees), SNHU charges $320/credit, which makes a total tuition of $9600 for a degree. 
Pros: generous credit transfer policy, extremely student-friendly assessment rubric, 30 credits residency requirement, brick-mortar college.
Cons: Not self-paced, small-size regional college with only thousands of enrollments.  


II. Large public universities:

1. IU online:
IU online operates as an integrated implement. Tuitions for out-of-state students are $350 per credit. The application system of IU online is simple and user-friendly. You will be reached very soon by an advisor who is kind, helpful, and professional. 
Cons: IU system's flagship Bloomington campus does not participate in BA in History program. Although your diploma may read only Indiana University as its title, it mentions "awarded at the city of XXX". XXX refers to your home campus - in this case, you only have the options of IUPUI, IU East, IU Kokomo, IU Northwest, IU South Bend, and IU Southeast. I am afraid neither of these campuses matches the reputation of Bloomington and thus see no significant differences with SNHU or UMPI (Do correct me if I am wrong). Should the flagship in, it would definitely be the best choice of all, in terms of a balance of price, transfer policy, and academic reputation. Also, it is not self-paced.

2. Oregon SU:
It runs a quarter-term thing so you need 180 credits toward a bachelor's degree. However, the registrar will automatically translate your credits by multiplying them by 1.667. Although the tuition($350 per credit) looks the same as IU, if you take that quarter system into account, the total cost will also be 1.667 times higher than IU. Nevertheless, it is worth considering since OSU has a good academic reputation and provides a wide range of history courses. 

3. ASU and U of Arizona Online: 
They are top public universities in Arizona (ASU is twice bigger as UA ) with the same tuition (circa $550). They both run online degree programs that are perfectly integrated with their on-campus counterparts. I cannot tell which one is better but I enrolled with U of Arizona. Till now the experience is quite positive - I have full access to library services and IT support immediately when I took the offer and an academic advisor was there to aid (each college hires its own advisor for online students). I am waiting for the results of the transfer evaluation and will be taking classes this fall. If anyone is interested in what it will be like, I can keep you updated later.
Cons: they are good at concentrations of Latin American History but in terms of history overall, they rank much lower than other STEM programs such as physics, engineering or geography.    

4. Penn State World Campus: 
It charges much higher than others - $671 per credit if you have over 60 or more credits. At the same time, it has the most strict transfer policy of all: does not accept credits earned 5 years ago, and requires at least 36 credits out of the recent 60 done in PSU. So if a few credits of your prior degree could not be transferred in, you need to take more courses at PSU, which significantly balloons your total cost for a degree. 
I am not sure about this (I hope I am wrong) but I was told that you have to follow a time schedule for classes, that is, you are expected to attend classes on time as full-time students do, an arrangement so that on-site students may also take online courses of World Campus to accelerate. While this may be an assurance of academic quality and a positive signal of online-onsite integration, it causes conflicts for adult learners who have other promises during the daytime.
In addition, PSU offers more courses in European history such as Middle Ages, British/French/Germanic, Ancient Greece and Roman Empire, and ranks higher in history overall than other universities with online degrees. 
Last but not least, the admission officials are not helpful at all. Although I applied as a TRANSFER STUDENT WITH 4 DEGREES, they insisted on an official transcript sent by my high school, which I graduated from a dozen years ago and do not provide such services anymore, and refused my request for waiver again and again.


III. Other online choices
1. TESU
2. Liberty
3. Open UK