Hello everybody. First of all, its really nice to see that this kind of knowledge base and extremely helpful people exist. 

Here is my situtation, I have completed medicine, have Master of Science degree but realized that this was wrong career choice for me. I always wanted Computer Science but it was too late at that point (long story) so I completed medicine. I'm looking to get Computer Science undergraduate degree easily. In my country you have to work for the university exam which is hard and cumbersome.

So anyway, I stumbled onto this forum. Before posting this I tried to understand the concepts, read the wiki but couldn't grasp much of it :/ I still have questions.

1. I live in Turkey, it is possible to get degree fully online? Do I have to go to USA? And what about the payment, will there be some trouble? (I have money to pay 5k-10k$ for degree)


2. Appereantly you can get credits by study.com or sophia.com. So you take the exams/assigments from there. This means you can finish it fully online? No need to go to the universities for exams, right?

3. I have still have doubts about these online degree thing. Is this accredited on globally? Or any other nuances to consider?

Note: Quality of courses don't matter much since I was actually learning computer science by OSSU CS which has good quality online courses all around but I needed the diploma (paperworks...)

Also could you guys give some direction, its so easy to lost in all info here.. (because of medicine, I had no idea about these university concepts like credits, etc. for many years, medicine is extremely different from other subjects)

Your Location: Asia (not in the US)  
Your Age: 26  
What kind of degree do you want?: Master's Degree in Business (MBA) through the top-up route, seeking flexibility and affordability.

Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: None  
Any certifications or military experience?: None.  
Budget: Looking for an affordable option, but more concerned about the time required.  
Commitments: I work full-time, around 50-60 hours a week, and wake up early at 6 AM.  
Dedicated time to study: Approximately 10 hours a week.

A couple of days ago on X/Twitter, this post went viral for showing someone on LinkedIn who's earned a ton of college degrees, many from ivies. 


(link - https://twitter.com/nbt/status/1801032177318293802)

This caused a lot of commotion on the website. Opinions on this educational background were extremely mixed. On one hand, one of the most common responses from others was that they'd do the same if they had the money. On the other hand, one of the other most common responses was that he's wasting time, avoiding stepping into the real world, has a ton of debt, etc. A few people immediately identified who the profile belonged to.

The following day, the man whose LinkedIn was shown responded. As it turns out, he's the 29 year-old co-founder and CEO of Crimson Education, Jamie Beaton. The company's account posted a short-form video on his behalf.



On the Crimson Education website, Beaton lists the following degrees (in order):

• 2016 Harvard - BA Applied Mathematics-Economics and Applied Math
  
• 2019 Stanford - MBA
  
• 2022 Oxford - PhD Public Policy (Rhodes Scholar)
  
• 2022 Tsinghua - MA Global Affairs
  
• 2023 UPenn - MA Education Entrepreneurship
  
• 2023 Yale - JD
  

(As this is the WGU sub-forum, feel free to skip to the larger paragraph where I discuss WGU. I had to delete a massive chunk of this post, for it was too long.)

After learning about Pierpont in the forum in July 2022, I subscribed to Sophia. A month and a half later, I completed the necessary 60+ credits and applied for graduation. Back then, I expressed just how vital my Pierpont experience was to me. At that point, there was no stopping. I knew I would keep going until I could no longer do so. To my surprise, two notable sources of credit that I used for my Pierpont degree would appear to be useful later for both my B.A. at UMPI and ... my M.B.A. at W.G.U.! I am talking about the 12-credit Google I.T. Support certificate and a 12-credit ACTFL OPI certificate. I have to mention that before enrolling for the BoG A.A.S. degree at Pierpont, I had to go through the not-so-awesome W.E.S. evaluation process for my poor foreign high school diploma. I now felt much better. I finally had a US-based education institution to list wherever I needed to do so. I took a small break for a few months to celebrate my new degree and consider what comes next.

While my confidence grew dramatically, it was still not all that through the roof. I kept being cautious. This kind of caution I have always practiced suggested that I focus on a subject I know more about for the sake of obtaining a bachelor's degree with relative ease. In this case, my best option was a B.A. in History and Political Science at UMPI. Collecting a few more credits took little time, and I hoped to transfer the maximum possible. A small and relatively insignificant surprise came to me: I would transfer 87 credits, leaving 11 courses to be completed at UMPI. If I knew this would be the case, I would have done a Western Civilization I CLEP or StraighterLine. Also, as I have mentioned in other threads, I still recommend taking English 104 and 105 from SDC - I completed both in one month and used a discount coupon. I enrolled in the program, and thanks to FAFSA, I did not have to chase speed at all. 11 courses in 4 terms meant that I had more than enough time to complete the assignments and not feel any pressure. I have shared some feedback on courses before, but as I only did my last term with Brightspace, I refrain from making suggestions as I cannot be sure whether they have made any content changes. I graduated with an excellent GPA, yet again, I knew I was not done yet. 

Considering Master's degrees, the options were getting fewer and fewer. I was still more or less surprised that I had made it that far (even thinking about a Master's degree not long before that seemed too dreamy). Even more, there would be no more FAFSA. And in my case, with a small part-time "employment," all would be out of pocket. However, staying true to myself, there was no stopping. Yet, this time, I needed to be more considerate with my choice. After careful reflection, which took about four months, I was close to deciding. As I rarely consider "best-case scenarios" (which I would later deem to be a rather severe miscalculation), I was prepared to spend around $10-12k for a Master's degree. Some options satisfy that requirement (including the 3K HAU MBA), but my careful research this time led me to choose the WGU MBA program. I always believed that I was an excellent test-taker, something I did not have the chance to prove at UMPI at all, for it was all papers there. And since half of the WGU MBA courses were about a final (proctored) exam (called "Objective Assessment"), I was now up to the task. I signed up for the April 1st start. Even before the term begins, on the 15th of the month before the start month, during orientation, WGU does make it very clear that they always have staff/faculty to assist you with whatever needs you have. They have all kinds of service centers/departments, are excellent in availability, and answer promptly. I was assigned a "Program Mentor," which I had to talk to every week for the first month and, later, bi-weekly. I had a very friendly and helpful mentor. Talks took 5 to 15 minutes, depending on whether I had questions about upcoming courses. The mentor was always the first person to discuss a course with; moreover, she always sent me a study "tip sheet" for almost every course when enrolling in a new one. I started with three courses, and due to how quickly I was able to get done with courses, I was enrolled for two more at a time instead of just one. Requesting new courses to be unlocked is similar to UMPI. Earlier, I mentioned that I was prepared to spend at least $10k for the degree, which for WGU would mean two terms. I started on April 1st. A month later, I was over halfway done. Yes, I had less than half of the courses remaining and five months from my first term. Despite the pace that was unthinkable to me until then, I was still cautious; however, at that point, I started accepting that I may end up doing it all in one term. I knew that, according to Reddit and Facebook groups, later courses were deemed to be more difficult. Not even a whole month later, my final course, the Capstone, was completed by the end of May. That is, I started my degree program in April and finished it in May. Thus, I have achieved a beyond "best-case scenario." Now, what made this possible? Here is what makes WGU different from my previous experiences. Every WGU course has a team of course instructors. While students get assigned one automatically, we have the possibility (in fact, we are even encouraged to) to email or talk to any instructor. The instructors are different from the people who grade the papers. In this case, the team of instructors does their best to make students pass the course. They do this by offering students different learning methods. The courses have a textbook, but the instructors hold live cohorts/webinars (which they later record) and create study guides and exam-retake study plans. The way they synthesize the textbook material is exceptional. I relied almost entirely on the instructors' recorded cohort videos. It was, to me, the best method of retaining the information. In fact, in one of the courses, the instructor was so great at explaining the material that it made me genuinely interested in accounting and finance. They are there to assist students and are happy to do so; even more, they have sometimes shared more tips merely because I introduced myself to them. Papers (Performance Assessments) at WGU are much more manageable than UMPI due to how well the rubrics are structured and explain what needs to be done. The rubric is like a blueprint - follow it, and everything will be okay. There may be a need to revise a paper sometimes; however, minimal corrections are often the reason. For example, I had to edit an Excel file because I missed selecting an extra row for a calculation. Exam (Objective Assessment) courses are usually the ones students consider to be the more difficult ones. The exams are proctored through Examity, and my experience was excellent. I did not fail an exam even once. Even if someone does, there is nothing fatal. Talk to the instructor, study more per the instructor's retake plan, and try again. There are plenty of resources for WGU students and alumni. Recently, Grammarly became available to both. Linkedin learning is also available to alumni and has some great lectures and lessons. There are plenty of scholarships available, too. I earned the New Year Scholarship, which is $625/term. I had to purchase a camera, whiteboard, and a BA II Plus calculator. With this, the whole degree with additional expenses came at about $4500. With all this in mind, this is the best possible decision I could have made.

Now, to those who are barely starting their journey. My first advice is to take it one step at a time. It may seem somewhat counterintuitive for me to say it, but (if we have other WoW gamers here) like the Pandaren say, "slow down; life is to be savored." Take some time to celebrate your first achievement before jumping to the next one. Secondly, do not always assume a worst-case scenario, like I usually do. All this assuming did was prevent me from having the courage even to attempt (yes, the key is attempt) to do a more practical (or, as some call it, "employable") degree program. If I had the knowledge and confidence I have now, I would have attempted to do accounting, finance, or a CS bachelor's degree at WGU first. You can probably do more than you think you can. Thirdly, and this is quite important. Learn to recognize, name, and counter the "haters," which can and will be encountered everywhere. Yes, even here in the forum. It is those people who will persistently (whether it is directly or by making nasty inferences) try to make you give up on your dreams, often insisting you question your school, work, or life experiences and abilities. And lastly, share your experience. The more information we have, the more likely it will be for people to make the right decision.

Needless to say, I am incredibly pleased with how this journey unfolded. Yet, it is a journey not over. Like before, I now stand ready for a new challenge. The options, however, are even fewer, more costly, and necessarily more formidable to achieve. If I ever have the opportunity and financial stability, I will attempt to conquer a new peak. I am, at this point, (only gently) pressing the "pause" button, for I need to take care of other things now. 

I am aware that this is a lengthier post. However, it was an appropriate way to share my experience, which lasted from July 2022 to May 2024. I want to thank everyone here in this community. I will be back for more, sooner rather than later.

Hi everyone,

I have created a degree plan based on a previous post. If someone could overlook my degree plan that would be super helpful.
My Degree Plan https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1...sp=sharing

I would take any advice you have if you see something that needs fixing! while I wait for the school to receive some of my credits from SWC I am starting to take credits at Sophia. 

I'm posting the amount of credits I have at the moment taken at SWC: 
BIOL 100 - Principles of Biology (1 credit)
BIOL 101 - Principles of Biology Lab (3 credits)
BIOL 260 - Human Anatomy (4 credits)
BIOL 261 - Physiology (4 credits)
BIOL 265 - Microbiology (4 credits)
CHEM 100 - Intro to General Chem (4 credits)
CHEM 110 - Elementary organic and Bio Chem (4 credits)
PSYC 101 - General Psychology (3 credits)
PSYC 106 - Human Sexuality (3 credits)
ENGL 115 - College Composition (4 credits)
MATH 60 - Inter Algebra (4 credits)
SOC 101 - Introduction to Sociology (3 credits)
COMM 103 - Oral Communication (3 credits)
HLTH 204 - Fundamentals of Nutrition (3 credits)
ART 104 - Introduction to Art (3 credits)
CD 170 - Principles of Child Development (3 credits)
PORT 101 - Elementary Portuguese (5 credits)

Best,
Raquel

I was looking at LIB-4950 Liberal Arts Capstone and noticed the following:

Quote:NOTE:
Online students should enroll in the section that relates to their area of study as indicated below:

• LIB-4950-OL001 - This course section is for BA students with a major area of study or liberal arts concentration in the social sciences including Psychology, Sociology, Political Science, Anthropology, Criminal Justice, Labor Studies and International Studies and for students in the BA in Liberal Studies program with a concentration in HR Management and General Management.
  
  
• LIB-4950-OL002 - This course section is for BA students with a major area of study or liberal arts concentration in the humanities including Liberal Studies, Art, English, Foreign Languages, History, Music, Philosophy, Photography, Religion and Theater Arts.
  
  
• LIB-4950-OL003 - This course section is for BA students with a major area of study or liberal arts concentration in Biology, Environmental Studies, Mathematics and Computer Science and for students in the BA in Liberal Studies program with a concentration in Health and Wellness and Healthcare Management
  

Guided Study students should enroll in the following section:

• LIB-4950-GS001: Liberal Arts Capstone
  

Hi Everyone, I am looking to add a class before this 1st summer term is up.  I have 3 classes left and I am trying to decide between BUS 325 , BUS 334 or BUS 337.  Any info on these will be very appreciated.  (I have heard stories about BUS 325 so that one will probably wait until next term    )

Has anyone recently completed the UMPI MAOL and how was it?  I know that previously I read posts on here indicating that the MAOL was brutal with regard to writing and the amount of pages required.  While I don't mind writing, it isn't my favorite thing to do.  I also realize it is a graduate degree and more writing will be expected, particularly with an Online program.

For background, I previously completed the UMPI BABA - Supply Chain Management.  I completed BUS 440 and 469 at UMPI, which I believe will satisfy part of the requirements for the MAOL.  I also completed BUS 353 at SDC but I'm unsure if that course will count towards graduate credit, I'm thinking that it won't.

I was planning to complete my MBA over the next two years and was accepted at multiple universities including Troy, Auburn, Boston U, etc, unfortunately the company I work for pulled all Tuition Reimbursement so I am now looking for cheaper alternatives that I can self-fund.  I realize that the HAU MBA is the cheapest MBA on the market but if going the MBA route I would only consider AACSB programs.  All that said, the UMPI MAOL seems like a good program to satisfy my current graduate degree itch.

Just came across this new online MSCS degree on Coursera. It's performance-based admission, complete two courses and you're in. This is quite similar to the CU Boulder online MSCS degree also available on Coursera, but this one is priced at $20k, which is $5k more than CU Boulder.
https://blog.coursera.org/clemson-univer...plication/
https://news.clemson.edu/clemson-announc...-coursera/

I am just curious what are the cheapest RA online master’s degree out there. I was looking to make a top 10 list for online degrees that don't have in-state resident tuition requirements. A lot of lists online seemed to be inaccurate when I checked the tuition rates. I know this might have been discussed in the past for sure but just thought I would ask around since many people seem to be always looking at different universities and programs.