RBA degree question

[Djwhiteman]

If one resides outside of WV what's the point of an RBA? Why not just go for a BA?

I live in Massachusetts. I'm earning My RBA through Marshall University because:
1) They took my entire Pierpont BOG AAS as a block transfer. All of my Sophia courses were applied without issue when I send the transcript through Parchment.
2) WVROCKS UL courses are only available to RBA students, which are $250 per credit and delivered entirely online. In my state, community college classes cost at least that much.
3) The academic forgiveness policy that the BOG program has also applies to RBA. All failing grades more than 4 years old can be excluded from your GPA, but you become ineligible for honors.

They also waived the $100 enrollment fee and the class descriptions list if they are writing intensive, which are a nice bonus.

[bjcheung77]

If one resides outside of WV what's the point of an RBA? Why not just go for a BA?

I live in Massachusetts. I'm earning My RBA through Marshall University because:
1) They took my entire Pierpont BOG AAS as a block transfer. All of my Sophia courses were applied without issue when I send the transcript through Parchment.
2) WVROCKS UL courses are only available to RBA students, which are $250 per credit and delivered entirely online. In my state, community college classes cost at least that much.
3) The academic forgiveness policy that the BOG program has also applies to RBA. All failing grades more than 4 years old can be excluded from your GPA, but you become ineligible for honors.

They also waived the $100 enrollment fee and the class descriptions list if they are writing intensive, which are a nice bonus.

Why did you chose the RBA over the Big 3 or UMPI, and other CBE programs?  To be clear... Are the residency requirements the 15 UL credits that I mentioned earlier in a post or the 24 UL credits residency?  If you can transfer everything into the degree except the 15 UL credits (15x$250=$3750), it's a pretty good and inexpensive program.  If the 24 credits residency (24x$250=$6000) is the only thing required and everything can be transferred, that'll be on par if not more expensive than the Big 3 or CBE programs.

[durain]

If one resides outside of WV what's the point of an RBA? Why not just go for a BA?

I live in Massachusetts. I'm earning My RBA through Marshall University because:
1) They took my entire Pierpont BOG AAS as a block transfer. All of my Sophia courses were applied without issue when I send the transcript through Parchment.
2) WVROCKS UL courses are only available to RBA students, which are $250 per credit and delivered entirely online. In my state, community college classes cost at least that much.
3) The academic forgiveness policy that the BOG program has also applies to RBA. All failing grades more than 4 years old can be excluded from your GPA, but you become ineligible for honors.

They also waived the $100 enrollment fee and the class descriptions list if they are writing intensive, which are a nice bonus.

Asking for a friend. Anyone can confirm whether WVROCKS courses counted as RBA residency credits?

[bjcheung77]

It's best to confirm with the institution you're going to graduate the RBA from, as the list of courses they have, it mentions the few universities that offer the course. If it's all coming from that same institution and you're graduating from, it should count as residency credits as you're actually taking the course from them... To be on the safe side, contact them, and also verify for yourself the school availability. https://wvrocks.org/schedules/

[staceydiane]

I am still considering getting the RBA. I'm still not sure which university I'll pick. I'm probably getting another associate's before I get the RBA, though, because I want to get a degree in addiction counseling.

[staceydiane]

I am still considering getting the RBA.  I'm still not sure which university I'll pick.  I'm probably getting another associate's before I get the RBA, though, because I want to get a degree in addiction counseling.

I applied to Fairmont State (Pierpont used to be a part of it) and I sent my transcripts today.  I spoke to the admissions counselor and she said she'd let me know what all transfers when she receives the transcripts.  

I decided on Fairmont State because they have a lot of Community Health classes and those would go well with the noncredit Community Health Worker certificate I got from Berkeley City College in California.

[midnite123]

Definitely tell your friend that they're better off getting a Liberal Studies degree from one of the schools we recommend here. It'lll be easier, cheaper, and faster in 99.9% of cases.

What is a Regents degree?

[bjcheung77]

Regents degree is the Bachelors equivalent to the Board of Governors Associates, people who have a BOG AAS from Pierpont or one of the other nine colleges in WV can apply towards this degree. Essentially, it's not much different than a very general Liberal Studies degree where you have to take at minimum 24 credits in a WV institution.

[ReyMysterioso]

Definitely tell your friend that they're better off getting a Liberal Studies degree from one of the schools we recommend here. It'lll be easier, cheaper, and faster in 99.9% of cases.

If the friend is in W. Virginia, I don't necessarily agree. Network and relationship with the school in question can have intangible value if you live in the same geographic region as the school vs. a random school in say Maine or New Jersey you may never visit if you have no connection to those regions.

For some that's more important than a manageable price/time increase. But for others, that stuff doesn't matter at all. Just depends on need, budget, and what's important to the student. If I was from the W. Virginia region, I'd have gone with Marshall over the Big 3.

[staceydiane]

Definitely tell your friend that they're better off getting a Liberal Studies degree from one of the schools we recommend here. It'lll be easier, cheaper, and faster in 99.9% of cases.

If the friend is in W. Virginia, I don't necessarily agree. Network and relationship with the school in question can have intangible value if you live in the same geographic region as the school vs. a random school in say Maine or New Jersey you may never visit if you have no connection to those regions.

For some that's more important than a manageable price/time increase. But for others, that stuff doesn't matter at all. Just depends on need, budget, and what's important to the student. If I was from the W. Virginia region, I'd have gone with Marshall over the Big 3.

Yeah, that's why I'm going with the RBA.  It's funny that when I first applied to Pierpont last year, I had no idea that I'd ever move to West Virginia, ha ha!