Complete RA Bachelor's Degree online for $75/Credit Hour

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Acolyte, Jul 20, 2022.

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  1. Acolyte

    Acolyte Active Member

    This has got to be the least expensive program I've found - A BA in General Studies, 7 week classes, completely online, from a real "brick and mortar" RA school.

    https://www.suu.edu/speedway/
     
  2. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    If they allow non-degree students to pick up courses here and there that would be especially game changing from a Big Three perspective.
     
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  3. Rachel83az

    Rachel83az Well-Known Member

    I've seen this one before. They don't accept much in the way of alt credit. Some CLEPs, I think?
     
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  4. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Yeah, they seem more promising as a credit source for outbound transfer, although they may not prefer that.
     
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  5. Acolyte

    Acolyte Active Member

    It seems like a very specific program for a very specific purpose. Hence the "general studies" concentration, but the price and time frame (they list 3 years) is a remarkable deal/value if you need a Bachelors or if you want an affordable pathway toward a graduate degree. But with 7 week classes, I can imagine that the workload might be more challenging than many people might expect.
     
    Studious likes this.
  6. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    I don't doubt it, although they recommend taking two courses at a time as being full time. At that pace, without taking breaks, one could start from scratch and finish in less than three years.
     
  7. Rachel83az

    Rachel83az Well-Known Member

    You can get a general studies degree faster and cheaper through UMPI. Almost certainly easier, too.
     
  8. Alpine

    Alpine Active Member

    Please provide a link to the program you are suggesting. Link to tuition as well.
     
  9. Dustin

    Dustin Well-Known Member

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  10. Rachel83az

    Rachel83az Well-Known Member

    Combining it with Sophia/Study.com, many people have already finished a UMPI BLS degree for a cost of less than $3500.
     
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  11. Acolyte

    Acolyte Active Member

    I'm sure there are other competency based models that let you complete an undergrad degree at lightning speed - the difference here is that this is priced per credit hour and not per session. Your price per credit hour goes up on a per-session model if you don't take enough credit hours in that session. For example, if you only took two courses in a session using the $1400/session fee model (3 credit hours per course) you would be spending $233/credit hour for those 6 credits, but only $75/credit hour ($450) for those 6 credits in the SUU model. If you have the time to dedicate to it, I think we've all agreed in other discussions that competency based models are the absolute cheapest and fastest way to complete a degree, but some people can't handle more than a couple of classes at a time depending on their commitments - the cheaper per credit hour model would be very attractive in that case I would think.
     
  12. Rachel83az

    Rachel83az Well-Known Member

    If you can't do competency degrees, I think Excelsior and TESU would still be cheaper than this one because Excelsior and TESU accept a lot more alt credits. Alt credits can be super cheap from places like Sophia or free with CLEP.
     
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  13. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Indeed, although the folks at Excelsior sure do price themselves to make sure people will take as few of their own courses as possible. $500+ per credit? Holy cow!

    That said, because Excelsior still allows 113 credits in transfer, at this point my youngest is probably going to go through them rather than Charter Oak. That breaks my heart a little, but we live in the world as it is, not as we would wish it to be.
     
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  14. Alpine

    Alpine Active Member

    You say "unlimited," I don't really follow your meaning. Does that mean that you sign up for as many courses at the same time, or sign up for one then complete it and sign up for another?
     
  15. Rachel83az

    Rachel83az Well-Known Member

    You can sign up for up to 2 courses at a time, but you can get another course added as soon as you've finished one. A few people have finished 30 credits in a single 2-month session, spending significantly less than $50/credit for their entire degree.
     
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  16. Alpine

    Alpine Active Member

    My son would enter with an associate's degree. What program accepts the highest number of free electives? Does the degree in education lead to teacher certification?
     
  17. Rachel83az

    Rachel83az Well-Known Member

    The Liberal Studies degree would have the highest number of free electives at UMPI. If it's an AAS instead of an AS or an AA degree, the BAS would be an even better option than the BLS. It's not listed on the YourPace site because it's only open to some students who hold an AAS. It is not open to students with other types of Associate degrees.

    As for which degree(s) lead to teacher certification, that's going to depend on your state requirements. Some states are fine with "any" Bachelor's degree, some require specific degrees, and some say you need to have a Master's in order to get full teacher certification. Broadly speaking, I would think that any UMPI degree is going to be fine - as long as it meets entry requirements for a Master's degree in teaching. But, again, you must check state requirements.
     
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  18. AsianStew

    AsianStew Moderator Staff Member

    In addition to what RachelAZ83 mentioned, UMPI BAS requires 40 technical credits and has lesser upper level credit requirements at 18. This is the main difference to the BLS. See below for the "main details".

    There are discrepancies with each degree you go with at UMPI, there is really no "set" requirement except for 30 credit residency. This is because of the degree requirements and the upper level credits you transfer in differ from each degree you select. Here are two other examples.

    BAS: The student must take at least 30 credits of his/her BAS coursework at UMPI, 12 of which must be in a selected minor and 18 of which must be upper level courses (300-400). These 18 upper level credits taken at UMPI may be taken as part of the GEC, the minor, or as elective credit.

    BLS: There are four components to the degree:
    ➤ The student must meet the University’s General Education requirements worth 40 credits.
    ➤ The student must select a minor from offerings in the current UMPI catalog.
    ➤ A minimum of 24 credits of the electives for the BLS degree must be in the 300-400 level courses.
    ➤ A minimum of 30 credits of the BLS coursework must be done at UMPI.
     
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  19. bceagles

    bceagles Member

    This is interesting, Southern Utah. I always find myself comparing unique programs to the Big 3 to see if there is any exceptional value. Is it worth giving up the ultimate flexibility of the Big 3? Here are my observations.

    Regional accreditation

    Brick and Mortar, actual campus

    Institution dates back to the late 1890s

    NCAA D1 Athletics



    Having southern Utah listed on you resume would potentially be a step up from one of the big three because of the more traditional structure. You still might have to explain that you didn’t actually attend classes in person in Utah, which puts you in the same possible predicament as the Big 3. This is alway in the back of my mind as an Excelsior grad.

    An actual active campus adds a level of legitimacy to an institution as well. D1 Athletics, football in particular is the cherry on top.

    If you are against testing out at the Big 3, want to avoid the more generic online schools, and looking to present yourself on paper as a traditional student, this might be a solid option.

    From the standpoint of time, I find it difficult to compete against the Big 3. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of reasons to invest the time at a traditional school that can provide a decent ROI for the years spent. Knowing the options and matching with your needs is most important. There is no one size fits all.

    Thanks for sharing this!
     
    Acolyte likes this.
  20. Stanislav

    Stanislav Well-Known Member

    It's a very different program from Big Three. For many in these fora, having to take classes in fixed semester would be a deal breaker. For others, it will be a major advantage. In short, each has it's audience (with some overlap), neither is clearly better than the other. All (TESU, EU, COSC, UMPI, WGU,..., and now this program) are awesome value for the right student.
     

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