Bachelors/Masters After Existing Masters

[swlearner71]

"Good to know, thank you.  I got confused as it seems like the CSWE does accredit certain BSW schools, but those aren't prerequisites for obtaining a CSWE MSW.  If it's possible to go from a big-3 bachelors in psych to an accelerated 18-month MSW, that would be a huge cost/time improvement over trying to get into a generalist MSW."


BSW programs are accredited and lead to bachelor-level licensing in some states. However, those licenses are much more limited than the master’s ones and do not include clinical practice. 

Unfortunately, the only way to get into a fully advanced standing MSW, which typically takes 1 year, is by having an accredited BSW. Simmons has a rather unique MSW, no BSW required, that is accelerated and can be done in 16 months, but its tuition is close to 75k. Fordham has a similar program for a similar cost. Personally, I would much rather take an extra 8 months at a place like A-State and save 50k. 

For the LPC route, Northwestern has one of the few accelerated programs I know of, with an estimated 18 months completion time. But their tuition is, I believe, over 130k for the program! It may also not be available to California residents. 

It seems like accelerated programs that lead to licensure, besides advanced standing MSWs, have significantly greater costs and are not common. 

Completing a BSW should take you at least a year because of CSWE and internship requirements, so even with that, you’d still probably take 2 years at least. I think the most realistic and cost-effective option would be a big three bachelor's degree plus a traditional MSW or counseling degree, with an estimated completion time of ~28 months if you’re studious.

[termdec]

Completing a BSW should take you at least a year because of CSWE and internship requirements, so even with that, you’d still probably take 2 years at least. I think the most realistic and cost-effective option would be a big three bachelor's degree plus a traditional MSW or counseling degree, with an estimated completion time of ~28 months if you’re studious.

I think that's a reasonable assessment, thanks.  Each of the big 3 seem to offer a psych bachelor's that I could build on, which I would have a modest preference for over a BSW.  

Is there a strong argument to be made for any one of the big 3 over the others?  It seems that a lot of people go with UMPI despite Excelsior allowing for more transfer credits?

[swlearner71]

Completing a BSW should take you at least a year because of CSWE and internship requirements, so even with that, you’d still probably take 2 years at least. I think the most realistic and cost-effective option would be a big three bachelor's degree plus a traditional MSW or counseling degree, with an estimated completion time of ~28 months if you’re studious.

I think that's a reasonable assessment, thanks.  Each of the big 3 seem to offer a psych bachelor's that I could build on, which I would have a modest preference for over a BSW.  

Is there a strong argument to be made for any one of the big 3 over the others?  It seems that a lot of people go with UMPI despite Excelsior allowing for more transfer credits?

I’m honestly not familiar with Excelsior, so I'll let someone else speak on that.

I think most people choose UMPI because of the transfer policy. It is still very generous. The affordability is another big reason. It’s hard to beat being able to finish in 8 weeks for 1800. Even if it takes two terms, which is more realistic for most people, 3600 for a bachelor’s degree is still a great deal.

Another big plus is that there are no exams. Many people dislike proctored tests. Some similar schools use third-party proctoring services, and those services don't always have the best reputation. If you’re stronger with papers and presentations, UMPI is an even better fit.

I also really like the online community around it. Here, it’s one of the most talked about college specific forums. There are also active Facebook groups. They are good for asking questions. Reddit also has a great community. There is a user called plotted path who helps people map out their degree plans. They keep a running database of what courses to take on Sophia, Study, and other platforms to then transfer in.

I’d definitely recommend checking out that subreddit. Browse past discussions here, too. It gave me pretty much everything I needed to understand how to get the degree done and how to plan it out.

[termdec]

I can't seem to paste a table/spreadsheet, but this is what I've worked out so far for a psych BA at UMPI

It's broken out by Credit (I'll have an excess of 90 before transferring), Source (Junior College/Sophia.org/Study.com/UMPI), and Class

I'd appreciate it if anyone familiar could take a look to see if there's any gaps/duplicates/etc that I've overlooked


COMPLETED:

3 - JR - CIS 3 – Intro Computer Information Science
4 - JR - CIS 31 – Structured Programming with Pascal
3 - JR - ECON 14 – Concepts of Personal Finance
3 - JR - ECON 1A – Principles Of Economics
2 - JR - ET 194 – Introduction To Robotics
2 - JR - ET 307 – Hightechsoldering&Fabrication
3 - JR - GEOG 1 – Elements of Physical Geography
3 - JR - GEOG 2 – Human Geography; Exploring Earth Culture & Land
3 - JR - HIST 17 – History Of The U.S.
3 - JR - MATH 15 – Trigonometry
5 - JR - MATH 29 – Pre-Calculus Math
5 - JR - MATH 400 – Analytic Geometry & Calculus I
1 - JR - PER 1 – Bowling
3 - JR - PHIL 10 – Philosophy of Religion
3 - JR - BUS 33 – BRDCST ADVERT
3 - JR - BUS 50 – INTRO INTNL BUS
3 - Sophia - English Comp I (3)
3 - Sophia - Visual Communications (3)

TO BE COMPLETED:

3 - Sophia - Workplace Writing II (3)
3 - Sophia - Introduction to Chemistry (3)
3 - Sophia - Introduction to Nutrition (3)
3 - Sophia - Introduction to Sociology (3)
1 - Sophia - Introduction to Chemistry Lab (1)
3 - Sophia - Project Management (3)
3 - Sophia - Introduction to Information Technology (3)
3 - Sophia - Managerial Accounting (3)
3 - Sophia - Introduction to Ethics (3)
3 - Sophia - U.S. Government (3)
3 - Sophia - Introduction to Statistics (3)
3 - Sophia - Introduction to Psychology (3)
3 - Study.com - Abnormal Psychology (3)
3 - Study.com - Social Psychology (3)
3 - Study.com - Lifespan Development (3)
3 - Study.com - Cognitive Psychology (3)
3 - UMPI YourPace - UMPI: PSY 370 Personality (3)
3 - UMPI YourPace - UMPI: PSY 374 Vocational Aspects of Disability (3)
3 - UMPI YourPace - UMPI: PSY 341 Drugs & Behavior (3)
3 - UMPI YourPace - UMPI: PSY 380 Principles of Counseling (3)
3 - UMPI YourPace - UMPI: PSY 410 Industrial/Organizational Psychology (3)
3 - UMPI YourPace - UMPI: PSY 417 Psychology of Personality Assessment (3)
3 - UMPI YourPace - UMPI: PSY 382 Substance Abuse Counseling (3)
3 - UMPI YourPace - UMPI: PSY 446 Psychobiology (3)
3 - UMPI YourPace - UMPI: PSY 311 Research Methods I (3)
3 - UMPI YourPace - UMPI: Psychology Capstone / Final Project (3)

[alwayscurious]

I can't seem to paste a table/spreadsheet, but this is what I've worked out so far for a psych BA at UMPI

It's broken out by Credit (I'll have an excess of 90 before transferring), Source (Junior College/Sophia.org/Study.com/UMPI), and Class

I'd appreciate it if anyone familiar could take a look to see if there's any gaps/duplicates/etc that I've overlooked


COMPLETED:

3 - JR - CIS 3 – Intro Computer Information Science
4 - JR - CIS 31 – Structured Programming with Pascal
3 - JR - ECON 14 – Concepts of Personal Finance
3 - JR - ECON 1A – Principles Of Economics
2 - JR - ET 194 – Introduction To Robotics
2 - JR - ET 307 – Hightechsoldering&Fabrication
3 - JR - GEOG 1 – Elements of Physical Geography
3 - JR - GEOG 2 – Human Geography; Exploring Earth Culture & Land
3 - JR - HIST 17 – History Of The U.S.
3 - JR - MATH 15 – Trigonometry
5 - JR - MATH 29 – Pre-Calculus Math
5 - JR - MATH 400 – Analytic Geometry & Calculus I
1 - JR - PER 1 – Bowling
3 - JR - PHIL 10 – Philosophy of Religion
3 - JR - BUS 33 – BRDCST ADVERT
3 - JR - BUS 50 – INTRO INTNL BUS
3 - Sophia - English Comp I (3)
3 - Sophia - Visual Communications (3)

TO BE COMPLETED:

3 - Sophia - Workplace Writing II (3)
3 - Sophia - Introduction to Chemistry (3)
3 - Sophia - Introduction to Nutrition (3)
3 - Sophia - Introduction to Sociology (3)
1 - Sophia - Introduction to Chemistry Lab (1)
3 - Sophia - Project Management (3)
3 - Sophia - Introduction to Information Technology (3)
3 - Sophia - Managerial Accounting (3)
3 - Sophia - Introduction to Ethics (3)
3 - Sophia - U.S. Government (3)
3 - Sophia - Introduction to Statistics (3)
3 - Sophia - Introduction to Psychology (3)
3 - Study.com - Abnormal Psychology (3)
3 - Study.com - Social Psychology (3)
3 - Study.com - Lifespan Development (3)
3 - Study.com - Cognitive Psychology (3)
3 - UMPI YourPace - UMPI: PSY 370 Personality (3)
3 - UMPI YourPace - UMPI: PSY 374 Vocational Aspects of Disability (3)
3 - UMPI YourPace - UMPI: PSY 341 Drugs & Behavior (3)
3 - UMPI YourPace - UMPI: PSY 380 Principles of Counseling (3)
3 - UMPI YourPace - UMPI: PSY 410 Industrial/Organizational Psychology (3)
3 - UMPI YourPace - UMPI: PSY 417 Psychology of Personality Assessment (3)
3 - UMPI YourPace - UMPI: PSY 382 Substance Abuse Counseling (3)
3 - UMPI YourPace - UMPI: PSY 446 Psychobiology (3)
3 - UMPI YourPace - UMPI: PSY 311 Research Methods I (3)
3 - UMPI YourPace - UMPI: Psychology Capstone / Final Project (3)

You may benefit from searching for "Plotted Path" on Google. They have a website with a (free/no registration required) spreadsheet that contains degree info for most, if not all UMPI undergraduate degrees, with a breakdown of how ACE credits from Saylor/Sophia/Straighterline/Study cover gen ed and curriculum requirements. It's been extremely helpful for me as someone actively working through my Sophia credits right now.

[termdec]

She got in touch when I posted on Reddit, and her guide has been a huge help, thanks.  A lot of the class requirements that I was using were out of date, but I was able to align them to the spreadsheet.

[alwayscurious]

She got in touch when I posted on Reddit, and her guide has been a huge help, thanks.  A lot of the class requirements that I was using were out of date, but I was able to align them to the spreadsheet.

Glad to hear it! All the best with your studies.

[bjcheung77]

That's where getting the most updated info from Sophia.org and Study.com transfer equivalencies are important. I would view the institutions website for requirements and then compare what can be transferred in through ACE resources and complete the remainder that can't be transferred in at the institution of choice.