Has an employer ever questioned how a degree was obtained in under a year?

[FM1]

I have 18 years of work experience and have hit a glass ceiling because I don't have a degree. I'm planning on completing the BABA at UMPI over the next several months to rectify this. 

However, I have a concern about employment background checks - do employers ever question how a degree was obtained in a year? Is the UMPI BABA recognised as a legitimate and accredited degree?

[rachel83az]

If you don't tell them, they won't know. I'm not saying to lie, of course, but the diploma itself is a fully 4-year degree. Even in traditional universities, some students are able to get a 4-year degree in 2 years by doubling up on classes. It's not super likely, but it is possible to do.

But even if they want to see your transcripts, you can tell them the truth: this degree has taken you more than a single year. You're going to be leveraging your 18+ years of prior experience in order to get a degree. Without that prior knowledge, you would not be able to get a degree as quickly. You can also further explain that you've utilized test-out methods "similar to" CLEP exams in order to complete the "less important" general education and elective credits.

As a state school, UMPI has a pretty solid reputation: neither great like MIT or an Ivy League school, not infamous like ITT Tech or (sometimes) University of Phoenix. It simply exists. Most employers aren't going to care much beyond that.

[ss20ts]

How would they know? Many people don't include the years they attended a college on their resume. Also you transferred to UMPI so it's common to finish a degree in a year as a transfer student. It's a state university so what's there to question? Outside of New England, few have heard of it which isn't a bad thing! No news is good news.

[bjcheung77]

@FM1, UMPI is a public/state institution. Just like many Australian/Canadian or UK institutions that are public/state, or similarly funded ones... It's as legit as can be, you're not going for a private for-profit institution that's there for your cash! You're asking similarly this question, is Heriot Watt or Open University in the UK accredited, is it legit to get a degree from them? HW allows an entire Masters to be completed with 10 exams.

Yes, some employers would ask you questions in regards to your degree. You tell them truthfully, you've taken a while to complete your requirements and transfer into the degree at UMPI, you only completed the UMPI portion recently and that's it. You're transferring 90+ credits or 3 years worth to the degree, you can 'finish' at UMPI or any of the recommended institutions, it didn't take just 2 sessions to complete the entire 4 years.

Edit to Add: You're going on the right path, from reading your previous threads, you just need to go forward and not second think everything. You may want to follow through with the addendum/template and provide more details on what you're trying to do... A previous post/thread was a spreadsheet, but that didn't materialize, nor did the ENEB option to transfer backwards...

[CCCollege]

I have 18 years of work experience and have hit a glass ceiling because I don't have a degree. I'm planning on completing the BABA at UMPI over the next several months to rectify this. 

However, I have a concern about employment background checks - do employers ever question how a degree was obtained in a year? Is the UMPI BABA recognised as a legitimate and accredited degree?

Due to age bias, I recommend you don't list the years of your degree on your resume anyway.  Just list the school and degree type.

[ashkir]

Don't list your graduation year on your resume to begin with. I haven't really had many question why it was able to be done so fast. Why would they question it? When they ask if you have a four year degree your answer is yes. You did 4 years of work faster. You earned it. You did 4x the coursework of a normal student.

[LevelUP]

The TESU transcript only listed the date the degree was conferred. There is no start date listed. 

It's the same for digital diplomas that you can validate online.

[ss20ts]

The TESU transcript only listed the date the degree was conferred. There is no start date listed. 

It's the same for digital diplomas that you can validate online.

That's TESU not UMPI. UMPI's transcripts list your start dated, end date, and degree conferral date. They list each course for each semester. I have a semester with 12 courses which looks kind of ridiculous.

[Duneranger]

Don't list your graduation year on your resume to begin with. I haven't really had many question why it was able to be done so fast. Why would they question it? When they ask if you have a four year degree your answer is yes. You did 4 years of work faster. You earned it. You did 4x the coursework of a normal student.

To be fair I think one could argue against the 4x the work aspect, especially with Sophia/ACE credits. I did 24 in one week. That was certainly not the same as my BM undergrad degree which required a lot more work and material in similar classes.

I think it's fine to put the year completed otherwise it gets confusing with multiple degrees. Some jobs may ask for time periods if there is a gap in employment (i.e full-time student status), so you might need to explain that.

[bjcheung77]

It won't really matter about the start dates, it's the end dates that determine you have completed the degree. People from all walks of life finish at different paces, it may have taken you X years to get the first 90 credits, but taken you the final 30 credits a couple of sessions. You're explaining to them exactly that (if ever asked, which is rare), you've transferred all your credits to the degree... You're not cheating or doing anything illegal, why be scared of what others think and say? You've done the hard work in completing all the requirements, that's all there is to it...