Need direction for selecting degree and uni

[Alpha]

In order to keep your path or journey as safe/smooth as possible, just work on your Sophia.org courses and decide on your "degree/school" while working those courses.  It seems you're going in a few tangents and it'll just hamper your progress.  Work on Sophia.org until you get your general education/free elective courses done - to say like 60 credits, then decide while you're working on your next 30 credits - all of these courses are transferable to multiple institutions to select from.  The hardest step is starting... deciding on the program/school will come when you're ready.  Look at each program/school more in depth... if you have tuition assistance/reimbursement - go the NON CBE option, if you don't and are a fast student, then CBE programs are for you!

 Maximizing your credits is all about choose a school and degree FIRST, and then deciding the best way to go about getting credits.

I think this is good advice and in general a good approach to goal-setting of many types.  Decide where you want to go and then figure out how to get there.