online BA at Union Institute and University

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I haven't heard of the institution you're looking at but have you looked into their accreditation?

In terms of your degree getting you somewhere and being accepted by employers and other institutions, accreditation is the most important player.

APU (I saw someone else mention it in this thread) is both nationally AND regionally accredited - it shares the same accreditation as many prestigious brick and mortar institutions.

Have you looked into American Public University at all? The classes are very affordable, and they have a great transfer credit department along with very helpful admissions representatives and student advisors.

Good luck!

American Public University

 

Yes, APU is discussed frequently on this board. Aspen is DETC accredited which proves it's a good school, but unfortunately DETC is not honored by all employers.

 

I don't know if you are aware, but UI&U gives a 10% discount n tuition if you decide to take their courses online, and during an 8 week accelerated semester, you attend 5 courses on campus. This is usually held on a Saturday for 2 hours. Some of their majors have this option, but I'm not sure if all of them do.

You'd have to speak to your assessment counselor to make sure your program qualifies, but doing it that way can save you some coin.

Do you live near one of their campus?

 

I was originally interested in a low residency program, there or at Goddard, but, again, family health issues are limiting this choice.

UI&U have two summer semesters that offer 12 credits, I believe. The other two semesters are 12 credits full-time.

I am too far to commute: about 3 hours away...

At this point, I am going to check out Charter Oak, APU and will take a look at Excelsior.


Thanks for the responses!

 

Hi Windy,

Just a reminder; some of your posts will be delayed if there is no moderator currently online when you post. Keep posting and you will soon graduate out of the moderation phase. Sorry about that, it's an automatic function that helps us keep spammers off of our board.

-Mike

 

Not totally sure what you mean. I tried to edit and saw the message that posts needed to be reviewed by moderators. That was fine. I was about to sign off, but then my original post came back and was editable, so I added a line and submitted. I was not sure, at the time, if the first one had even been submitted, since the box for writing the reply had returned.

In other words, my intent was not to submit twice and I normally would not have done that, but the site itself sent me back to the reply box somehow.

 

Check out Marshall's Regents Bachelors of Arts with a emphasis in English Lit (24-hr residency). I think their tuition is under $200 per hour.

RBA - Home

 

My response to these types of questions usually revolves around what the questioner's long-term plans are. In this case, either I totally missed it or you didn't really state.

If the goal is self-discovery/personal fulfillment then UI isn't a bad choice. They're a very liberal institution (in every definition of that term) and are all about self-discovery. I'm not at all suggesting that's a bad thing, just putting it out there.

If you are considering further grad study or have career ambitions (and I have a freind older than you who just graduated from Med school) then perhaps you might consider other options. UI Springfield was mentioned earlier, it's consistently ranked among top universities (It's ranked in Tier 1) and has an award-winning online-program that includes an English major. It's a public university so tuition is reasonable.

Univ of Memphis has an English program as well, so do Regent University and Univ of Maryland Univ College among many (many, many, many) others.

One point previously mentioned that I want to repeat, try to look for schools that are regionally accredited. That could be really important for grad study or for most employers.

Good Luck!

 

Sure, it's no problem anyway. I deleted your other, no big. Just wanted to make sure you knew because it can be frustrating when your posts don't show. Hang in there.

 

Thanks Michael..I just wanted to respond to everyone who had posted in response.

Jacob, that is a very good question. My goals are somewhat confused, because I have so many different factors that I am dealing with. In fact, I told Union no yesterday, while I clarify things for myself.

I am at the point with my credits that I need to decide where I am going to finish, if I do decide to do so.

My spouse had two strokes this past year, so I have a lot of new economic pressures on me. So, one goal is to become a breadwinner, as fast as I can. I am questioning how much a college degree is even going to help with that, frankly (I do have a lot of experience with work and community work), and even more, how much a degree from UI&I will do , since even on here not many seem to even know about it. (I am also concerned that the Higher Learning Commission is being investigated)

This new economic pressure conflicts with my previous goal, which was to major in what interests me (as opposed to something more career-focused). This is sort of a leftover drive from my late teens, when my father's death prevented me from going to college. Part of me feels like I have a right to it, and another part of me says that at almost 60, it is time to grow up.

For personal fulfillment, I almost prefer taking just one or two face to face classes, and really getting into them.

To complicate matters, I have a kid (20) with multiple chronic illnesses, who is often in trouble with her health and often needs support. For me to do anything, really any commitment, is scary, because I am used to being able to be there for her. But she is becoming more autonomous, as is appropriate at her age, and we do need to eat. But it is tough for a kid that age, who is dealing with college herself, to handle the morass of medical stuff that is necessary to handle.

Another one of my 3 kids (just 18) has developed a major psychiatric disorder this past year, and also needs my support. But we also need to afford her treatment.

So what I want to do, which is to go to college face to face f/t, is really not possible. Doing it p/t will take too long, and by age 64 or so the expense won't be justified.

I am thinking of getting a real estate license and taking a history class on the side. And/or doing more volunteer work in an agency that I want to work in. I have applied to 3 jobs/day on craigslist, some weeks, and as you all know, the recession is making jobs hard to get, and I have been out of the workforce for 25 years.

If anyone has seen the Jimmy Steward movie "It's a Wonderful Life," college is, for me, like his dream of leaving town and going away. He kept getting held back by other people's needs, and felt like a failure. But at the end, he realized that without him, the lives of his fellow town residents would have been different.

Maybe it's time to accept reality and think back on things in a more positive light. My main priority will always be my kids. Doing UI&I will distract my attention at home, add stress, cost money, and it seems as if a degree there won't really help me that much. Back to the drawing board.

And, guys, don't worry, this discussion did not really affect me one way or the other!

 

Hopefully, this is better late than never

The Union BA program in Vermont is a very credible program. It was formerly the Vermont College Adult Degree Program, one of the oldest low-residency programs in the US. I taught there for many years, and can tell you that fully 50% of my students went on to Graduate Schools. Some, by choice, went on to non-traditional schools, including Union's own Grad Programs, but any who wanted to go to traditional schools had no trouble getting in, primarily because of the skill they had developed in conceptualizing and executing academic research. I had several students admitted to graduate study at Harvard, Yale, the University of Chicago, the University of California system, and Columbia. Union itself has had a somewhat checkered recent past, but if you are looking for a good BA experience, with a lot of freedom to pursue your own interests under the expert guidance of faculty who work very closely with you, I recommend it as a positive option.

 

I am sure the BA program at UI&U would met your needs. Since my original post to your question, I learned that any BA program can be completed solely online with no in residence requirement (Which only applies to students perusing a BS).

As for accreditation, they are an regionally accredited school by The Higher Learning Commission, so your credits can transfer to any other regionally accredited or nationally accredited college.

My personal opinion, stay with R/A if at all possible because you can go anywhere with them, oppose to N/A which limits where you can transfer because not all, but most, regionally accredited schools won't accept credits from a N/A school.