Finished MAOL! (Great experience!)

[ecdw94]

I started Sophia classes in March and enrolled at UMPI for the Summer I session. I finished my undergrad degree requirements (BLS, w/ management & education concentrations) very early in the summer II session, so immediately went to work on the MAOL using the rest of that session. 

The first two classes were LONG. Nearly every milestone was a 10 page paper, plus a 25 page final. I was able to finish the first two classes by the end of the summer, but I was concerned that when I went back to work in the fall (at a school) I wouldn't make much progress.

Fortunately, it got MUCH better after those first two classes. Many milestones in the subsequent classes were just 3-5 page papers and I was able to complete 4 courses during Fall I, and the last 3 courses, including the Capstone during Fall II. (I transferred the other 3 classes from the undergrad management concentration). I have already been accepted for an Ed.D program starting in January. I want to keep up the momentum while I have it!

Overall, I would recommend the MAOL to anyone who is comfortable with/enjoys academic writing and research. If writing is particularly challenging for you, this may not be the best fit. I am happy to answer any questions about my experiences. I would not have made it to this point without all of the information shared here. I am so grateful for UMPI, and this forum. Best of luck to everyone on their journeys!

Hi, congratulations on your graduation!

I’m starting MAOL this spring session and I wanted to ask you a couple of questions if you don’t mind.

You mentioned that the first 2 courses were long, can you elaborate on that like how many pages or videos did you have to go through? And were the other courses close to that or much shorter?

Also, did you have to record yourself speaking or doing a presentation?

Do you think it’s possible to finish the degree in one session? Cause I'm unemployed and I’ll be studying the whole time.

Lastly, what was the highest number of milestones you had in a given course and what was the lowest?


I’m sorry for bombarding you with all these questions but I’m kinda nervous because I don’t know what to expect and I kinda have to finish this degree in one session because of my financial situation. So, any help or tips would be appreciated 

Thanks and congrats again

The first course actually isn't too bad. It's about learning how to research as a grad student. It is an adjustment for undergraduate to graduate where you actually have to make sure your sources are 100% pristine. The second course, Foundations, is the beast. This is a lot of information. It will feel like the entire leadership undergrad courses all in one all over again. You'd run into many familiar theories, and then find the logic, history, and how they evolved behind each of these theories. For example you'll learn how the Great Man Theory that was brushed over in undergrad is really a racist and sexist theory, that cannot really be applied to men anymore, and the general defination changes to a born leader. You're going to learn to debate whether or not you can learn to be a leader versus it being natural traits. Now, if you're the opposite, how do you balance it? You'd learn that too. 

There are about 8 milestones per course. Sometimes it's a paper 10 pages, sometimes it is another project like a PowerPoint, a drawing board, etc. They're very mixed. Do expect the Foundations Course to be the heaviest of them all. 

I do not believe it is possible to finish this in one term. You can only have 2 courses at a time at UMPI and until you're at the final draft of one of the two, they won't unlock the third. The teachers usually do respond within 1-2 days. However, there's so much writing and so much research. The longest paper took me about 1.5 weeks to adequently research. The finals are actually pretty okay even though they're long, because many of the milestones build up into the final.

However, you do not get a "draft" in the MAOL it's one chance at the final or bust pretty much. 

If you're unemployed, ask UMPI for a financial academic judgement, they can adjust your EFC to be on your current income levels versus your 2 year old income levels, and possibly get you better financing offers.

So, if you can only take 2 courses at a time, does that mean you have waiting periods until your paper is graded and you can not do anything?

Or rather, how long does it take for them to grade your paper until you can finish the course and move on? I am asking in regards of finishing it in one term. I am thinking to take UMPI MAOL as a plan B, maybe in summer where I will have a lot of free time. Maybe invest 10 hours a day on the work.