Course Catalog / BMU 104 / Syllabus
BMU 104 How to Choose a College: Course Syllabus
Welcome. You are an adult with a full life, and this course is built for that. This page shows what you will learn, why it matters, what you will do, and how to succeed. Come back to it any time you wonder what is next.
This page helps you
- Explain what success looks like in this course
- Find your next step and set your own target dates
- Find help when you get stuck
Why this course matters
Picking a school is a big money choice. This free course shows you how to pick one with evidence, using free federal tools. You list what you need, check accreditation, find the real cost with net price calculators, compare graduation, earnings, and debt on College Scorecard, and learn the red flags of predatory schools. You finish with a school comparison sheet and a choice. BMU 103 helps you plan a degree first, and BMU 203 shows you how to pay without debt.
This course is for you if:
- You are starting or going back to school
- You are comparing two or three schools
- A school is calling you and you want to check it first
What success looks like
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
- Write a needs list for a school search: goal, credential, state license requirement, and class format.
- Verify a school's accreditation and its accreditor on official lists (ED DAPIP, College Navigator, CHEA), and check program accreditation and transfer acceptance.
- Find and compare net price for two or more schools with net price calculators, including costs beyond tuition.
- Compare graduation rate, median earnings, and typical debt on College Scorecard, and get transfer credit answers in writing.
- Spot five red flags of predatory schools and complete a school comparison sheet with a choice, two reasons, and one dated next step.
You will know you got there in two ways. First, you pass the Posttest with 80% or higher. Second, your course project passes every automatic check on the Course project page.
Your next step
Start with the Pretest. It takes about 10 minutes and is not graded. Then open Lesson 1: Know what you need from a school.
Here is the full path through the course:
- Pretest: 10 questions, plus 3 quick confidence questions. Not graded. You take it once.
- The lessons, in order: 5 lessons, from Lesson 1: Know what you need from a school to Lesson 5: Red flags and your choice.
- Posttest: 10 questions. Pass with 80%. Retake as often as you need.
- Course survey: about 2 minutes, optional and anonymous.
- Your certificate: type your name and print it.
- A 30 day check in, if you opt in.
Your dates. BMU sets no deadlines. You choose them. Pick a start date and a target finish date now, and put both on your calendar. Each lesson's action step also says when to do it, such as tomorrow or this week.
Getting started
Welcome from BMU Learning. Thank you for starting How to Choose a College. This course is built to help you do one real task on your own, step by step, at your own pace.
About this course
- There is no instructor. BMU Learning wrote and checked the lessons, and every person in the examples is made up.
- The lessons are text you read. If a page has audio, the narration is an AI voice, not a real person. Your phone or computer can also read any page aloud.
- Support: BMU Learner Support answers questions by the contact form in the Help Center. See Getting help below.
Prerequisites
None. If you can open a link and scroll on a phone or computer, you can start.
How to move through the course
- This syllabus first. It says what you will do, how long it takes, and how you finish.
- Pretest: a short check that is not graded. It shows where to start.
- Lessons, in order: Lesson 1: Know what you need from a school; Lesson 2: Is it accredited? Check before you trust; Lesson 3: Find the real cost with a net price calculator; Lesson 4: Will you finish, and will it pay? Scorecard and transfer credit; Lesson 5: Red flags and your choice.
- Each lesson has the same order: why it matters and what you will learn, the steps, a worked example, practice with feedback, a Try it step, a self check with feedback, and a short summary. Use Next up at the bottom of each lesson to go on.
- Course project after Lesson 5, on the Course project page: build it in the guided builder and press Check my project. Each rubric row is checked for you, with a note on what to fix.
- Posttest after Lesson 5. Score 80% or higher. With your course project done, that earns your certificate.
- Keep and use: the job aid, the glossary of key words, and the follow up plan.
Technology you need
A phone, tablet, or computer with internet and a current browser. See What you need below for the full list.
How to finish
Your Certificate of Completion needs both of these:
- Pass the Posttest with 80% or higher. Retakes are unlimited.
- Finish your course project (the capstone) on the Course project page after Lesson 5. Build it in the guided builder and press Check my project. The page checks each rubric row automatically and tells you what to fix. When every row passes, download or print it. It is what you keep and use.
Your certificate will say you passed its Posttest and completed the course project. The checks run in your browser; no person grades the project.
Common questions
I fell behind. What now?
Nothing is late. Open the lesson you stopped on and read its quick review. If a week went by, redo that lesson's self check before you go on.
I am stuck on a lesson.
Read the worked example again, then try the practice and open its feedback. Still stuck? Write to BMU Learner Support with the lesson name and the step.
I did not pass the Posttest.
Look at which questions you missed. Each one names the lesson to review. Review it, then take the Posttest again. There is no limit on tries.
Who checks my capstone?
The Course project page checks it for you, automatically, in your browser. You build the project in guided boxes, tables, and choices, then press Check my project. Each rubric row says Passed or Not yet, with a note on what to fix. Fix it and check again as often as you need. You do not grade yourself, and no person grades it.
Where is my progress saved?
In this browser only, like your lesson badges and Posttest score. If you switch devices or clear your browser, redo the course project step.
Course schedule
Every lesson has the same parts, so you always know what is coming. You get a short read, a Try it action step you do in real life, and, in most lessons, a quick check. Times come from each lesson page.
| Lesson | Read | Action step | What you do (Try it) | Builds outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pretest | 10 min | None | See where you start | All |
| Lesson 1: Know what you need from a school | 14 min | 10 min | Write your needs list | O1 |
| Lesson 2: Is it accredited? Check before you trust | 13 min | 15 min | Check one school | O2 |
| Lesson 3: Find the real cost with a net price calculator | 13 min | 20 min | Compare net price | O3 |
| Lesson 4: Will you finish, and will it pay? Scorecard and transfer credit | 14 min | 20 min | Compare outcomes | O4 |
| Lesson 5: Red flags and your choice | 16 min | 30 min | Capstone: your school comparison sheet | O5, O1, O2, O3, O4 |
| Posttest | 10 min | None | Show what you can do (80% to pass) | All |
| Survey (optional) | 2 min | None | Tell us what to improve | None |
Suggested pace
Two lessons a week. That is about two and a half weeks. Lesson 5 asks you to finish your school comparison sheet, so plan one longer sitting for it. Go faster or slower if your life calls for it.
| When | What to do | About how long |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Pretest, Lesson 1, Lesson 2 | 62 min |
| Week 2 | Lesson 3, Lesson 4 | 67 min |
| Week 3 | Lesson 5, Posttest, Survey (optional), Certificate | 58 min |
How much time it takes
- Each lesson: 13 to 16 minutes to read, in one sitting.
- Each action step: 10 to 30 minutes, done in your real life within the window the lesson gives.
- At the suggested pace: up to about 67 minutes a week.
- The whole course: about 3 hours and 7 minutes, including the tests and the survey.
What you will do and why
Each task below practices or checks one of the outcomes above. Nothing here is busywork.
| Task | What you do | Counts toward the certificate? |
|---|---|---|
| Pretest | Answer 10 questions and 3 confidence questions before Lesson 1. It shows where you start, so you can see your growth later. | No. Not graded. |
| Check your understanding | Answer 3 short questions at the end of a lesson. Every answer tells you why it is right or wrong. | No. Try as many times as you like. |
| Try it action steps | Do one real task after each lesson. Each one builds a piece of your capstone. | No, but they are where the change happens. |
| Capstone | Your school comparison sheet from Lesson 5: two or three schools, the same checks for each, your choice, two reasons, and one dated next step. The Course project page checks it automatically. | Yes. The Course project page checks each rubric row automatically and tells you what to fix. You do not grade yourself, and no person grades it. |
| Posttest | Answer 10 questions and the same 3 confidence questions. Each retake mixes the order and swaps in some new questions. | Yes. Pass with 80% or higher. |
| End of course self check | Mark how sure you feel on each goal and pick one to review. It is not a grade. | No. It is for you. |
| Survey and 30 day check in | Tell us what helped and what to fix. Opt in to a check in at 30 days. | No. Both are optional. |
Your capstone rubric checks these parts:
- Needs
- Accreditation
- Net price
- Outcomes
- Red flags
- Decision
How the course checks each goal
Each goal below is taught in a lesson, tested on the Posttest, and, where it can be, built and checked in your course project.
| Goal | Lessons | Posttest questions | Course project rows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Write a needs list for a school search: goal, credential, state license requirement, and class format. | 1, 5 | 1, 2 | Needs |
| Verify a school's accreditation and its accreditor on official lists (ED DAPIP, College Navigator, CHEA), and check program accreditation and transfer acceptance. | 2, 5 | 3, 4 | Accreditation |
| Find and compare net price for two or more schools with net price calculators, including costs beyond tuition. | 3, 5 | 5, 6 | Net price |
| Compare graduation rate, median earnings, and typical debt on College Scorecard, and get transfer credit answers in writing. | 4, 5 | 7, 8 | Outcomes |
| Spot five red flags of predatory schools and complete a school comparison sheet with a choice, two reasons, and one dated next step. | 5 | 9, 10 | Red flags, Decision |
Grading and your certificate
- Pretest: not graded. You take it once. It is fine to miss questions. They show where to start.
- Posttest: you need 80% or higher. You can retake it as many times as you need. Your first try is the one BMU uses to see how much the course helped, so there is no need to rush it.
- Course project (capstone): you start it in Lesson 5 and build it on the Course project page. The page checks each rubric row for you and says exactly what to fix. Fix it and check again as often as you need. A row that says Not yet just shows you where to look next.
- Certificate of Completion: it unlocks when you do two things: pass the Posttest with 80% or higher, and pass every automatic check on your course project. The survey is optional and never blocks it. Type your name on the certificate page and print it.
Your Certificate of Completion lists the skills under What success looks like, the course time (about 3 hours), and the standard you met: you passed its Posttest and completed the course project.
What you need
- Cost: free. There is nothing to buy.
- Device: a phone, tablet, or computer with internet and a current version of Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox.
- Skills: you can open links, type in a box, and scroll. Printing is optional. You can also save pages as a PDF.
- A phone, tablet, or computer to use College Scorecard and net price calculators
- A list of schools you are thinking about, or a goal
- Job aids and tools: School Comparison Sheet (printable).
How this course works
This course is self paced and online. There are no live classes, no group posts, and no one checks when you log in. Taking part means three things:
- Read each lesson in order, in one sitting if you can.
- Do the Try it step in your real life. That is where the learning happens.
- Be honest with yourself on the self checks and the end of course self check. Your reflections are private, and you never have to share them.
Policies and flexibility
- Pace: go at your own speed. There are no late penalties. If you miss a week, pick up where you left off.
- Retakes: lesson checks and the Posttest have no limit on tries.
- Your progress: lessons, notes, and test scores are saved in this browser on this device. They are not tied to your name. If you clear your browser data, use private browsing, or switch devices, your progress will not follow you.
- Honest work: take the Pretest and Posttest on your own, without notes, other people, or AI. Please do not share test answers. Your certificate says you passed, so let the score show what you can do.
- Using AI: You may use AI to brainstorm, explain an idea in simpler words, or practice. If AI helps you draft your capstone, check every fact and make it sound like you. Never paste passwords, account numbers, or medical details into an AI tool.
- Keep it accurate: This course is education, not legal or financial advice. Facts are dated; recheck the official tools before you act. Never enter your Social Security number in a net price calculator.
- Changes: if BMU changes this course, the date at the top of this page will change, and we will say what changed here.
Getting help
This course is self paced, so there is no live instructor. You are not on your own, though. Here is where to go:
- Quick answers: the BMU Help Center covers progress, certificates, billing, and technical problems.
- Ask a person: use the Contact BMU support form and pick a topic. We read every message and reply as soon as we can. Please do not send card numbers or passwords.
- Something not working: refresh the page and try a current browser. If it still fails, contact support, choose Technical problem, and tell us the page, your device, and your browser.
Accessibility
We want every page to work with a keyboard, a screen reader, and zoom. Tables scroll on small screens, and answers open with a tap. If anything gets in your way, or you need a lesson in another format, tell us on the contact form. Choose Technical problem, say it is an accessibility issue, and describe the page. We will work to fix it or get you the content another way.
Check your understanding of this syllabus
Can you answer these three questions? If so, you are ready to start.
1. What does success look like in this course?
You can do the 5 things listed under What success looks like. You pass the Posttest with 80% or higher, and your capstone rubric shows Ready to use.
2. What is your next step?
Take the Pretest, then start Lesson 1: Know what you need from a school. Put your own start and finish dates on your calendar.
3. Where do you get help?
Try the Help Center first. Then use the contact form. We read every message and reply as soon as we can.
Recap
- Start with the Pretest. It is not graded.
- Do one lesson at a time, and do each Try it step in real life.
- Pass the Posttest with 80% and finish your course project to earn your certificate. Retakes are unlimited.
- Need help? Use the Help Center or the contact form.
Sources
This syllabus is built from the course design record. The research behind each lesson is listed at the end of that lesson.