Newbie here...lots of questions!

Hello everyone,
My name is Kenny from Cocoa Beach, Florida and I am new here. I am in the process of earning my A.A. in Healthcare Administration from the University of Phoenix and only have 3 weeks left in my last class!!!
I found this site because I am doing a ton of research as to where to go to start my undergrad studies and pursue my Bachelors.
I had been out of school for quite sometime and did not do much research when I signed up for UoP...all I knew is that it was online and thats exactly what I needed with 3 kids, and working a fulltime job. After 2 years I have a 4.0 gpa and am ready for the next step, but I do not want to do it at UoP
Not only do I want to find an online school with a better reputation than UoP for my B.S., but I am also looking for something cheaper.
I am running into many of the state universities here in Florida will not accept all my credits and would make me take a bunch of Gen Ed classes. Even though the the cost per credit is WAY lower....with all the extra classes I would have to take....It would end up costing the same or more.
I am looking to find a school that will take all or most of my credits.....I have some credit from my military service, some from the Art Institue of Philly and my 50 from UoP....together they will make up my credits for my A.A
After looking through the post on this site...I have looked into Bellevue and Patten and found they claim they will take ALL credits. Patten is $199 a month this month but no financial aid........Bellevue is $385 per ch....about what I have been paying at UoP for my AA...but UoP's BS classes are close to $600 pch.
I also am waiting to hear back from Florida International University as they are in the process of evaluating my credits to see how many they will take.
Does anyone here have any other suggestions or advice for me?
I just want to make an intelligent choice and get my degree from a school with more prestige than UoP that wont hurt my pocket too much....if thats even possible!
Any and all input will be greatly appreciated!:wink:

 

You should checkout Straigherline's Partner Schools. Most of these schools should accept most or all your credits.

URL: Earn Your Degree from Our Partner Colleges & Universities | StraighterLine

 

I would check out TESC, Excelsior, and COSC
Programs of Study - Charter Oak State College
Thomas Edison State College: Online Degree Programs
Excelsior College | Excelsior College Program Descriptions

You can earn credits from any RA college/university, CLEP, DSST, and other sources and transfer them to these thre colleges. Doing this can save you money plus help you minimize time to earn a degree.

 

I second what Ian has said above. I especially like Excelsior College. They will likely take all of your credits and they are a good school. Fully accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, one of six regional accrediting bodies in the U.S. The price is lower than many schools and the reputation is much better than UoP. Maniac Cranaic, another moderator, just finished a degree at Excelsior. You might like to contact him to get any insider info.

Once you have a completed bachelor's degree, HR personnel in most industries don't really care if it was earned online or not. Financial institutions are an exception here, as I have heard of some people being denied employment because of an online degree. But that industry is the exception rather than the rule. I have done extremely well with my three graduate degrees, all of which were earned online.

Don't worry about your UoP AA degree. The school is not well liked, but it is still an accredited degree. However, you are wise to jump ship and go somewhere else.



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Thank you so much SurfDoctor!.......great info......I have been accepted by FIU and they took all my credits except for 3......I also got an eval from Bellevue and they took all the credits as well...but they have some wierd Kirkpatrick sereis that they require you take at the end of the program, which seems a liitl strange to me. The advisor said it was a course on life...I'm 45 years old...I think I'm good!...lol.
FIU is in state and $157 pch vs Bellevue 385 pch.
I have seen good and bad reviews on FIU but mostly from people that physically go there and talking about how bad the parking is, and how rude the professors can be.
The only place I can find good info about online programs is this forum.
You guys rock!

 

I'm from Miami, although I don't live there any longer, I can tell you that FIU is a good school. It enjoys a good reputation in South Florida. Like other schools in the South Florida area, it has a tendency to be overshadowed by the University of Miami. However, it is a good school, and I agree parking there sucks, but hey every school has its ups and downs. Bad and rude professors are found everywhere, so it is not unique to FIU.

 

Maniac got an associate's at Excelsior, but just finished his bachelor's at TESC.

I recommend applying to all of the Big 3 (Thomas Edison State College, Charter Oak State College, and Excelsior College) to see which one will give you the most favorable evaluation, but Excelsior is usually the most expensive option of the three. If you want a degree in healthcare administration or a related field, I would take an extra close look at Charter Oak State College. They accept FEMA directly as free electives. These are credits you can earn for free. TESC no longer accepts them, and Excelsior will require that they be put on a Frederick Community College transcript at $79 per credit. COSC is cheaper than Excelsior in per credit costs and fees and is able to provide better customer service because it's a much smaller school. COSC and Excelsior are about as equally flexible when it comes to accepting alternative forms of credit such as CLEP, DSST, ACE, and NCCRS credits. TESC is the most flexible in that respect accepting more credits as upper level. They also generally require less upper level credits than the other two, but they don't offer all of the required courses for their healthcare administration program.

Everyone's experience is different depending on the credits they have. I applied to all of the Big 3 and received the most favorable evaluation from TESC, so finished there. COSC was my second choice and close behind TESC in how they evaluated my credits. Excelsior was a distant third.
Health Care Administration Bachelor's Degree Program - Charter Oak State College
Academic Requirements and Student Outcomes - Charter Oak State College

If you're interested in testing out of a good portion of your degree to save money, then this forum's "sister" forum provides more detail in that area.

Edit: I see that you're getting a good deal at FIU.

 

I really appreciate all the positive information. I just finished my last class at UoP on Sunday and am starting FIU in January. It will be a well desereved break!

 

Good luck with your studies. FIU is a good school, you will be happy. Enjoy your time off!