Is Competency-Based Education Right for Me?

If you’re ready to earn a degree but need a format that works around a career, family responsibilities, or an unpredictable schedule, a competency-based degree may be worth exploring. This flexible approach lets you focus on demonstrating what you know, building skills where you need them, and progressing through coursework at a pace that fits your life.

For working adults, career changers, parents, and professionals pursuing advancement, a traditional program is not always the best fit. The six questions below can help you decide whether a self-paced learning model aligns with your goals, schedule, and learning preferences.

What is competency-based education?

Competency-based education (CBE) is a learning model where you progress through your degree program by demonstrating mastery of specific skills and knowledge rather than spending a fixed amount of time in a classroom.

• Demonstrate mastery: You prove understanding through practical assessments, projects, and other learning activities.
• Leverage your experience: Prior professional and personal knowledge allows you to move quickly through familiar concepts.
• Targeted skill building: Flexible pacing allows you to spend more time on unfamiliar concepts and developing new skills and less time on material you already know.

UMass Global MyPath combines this learning model with a self-paced online format, giving you more control over when and how you complete coursework.

Six questions to ask before choosing a program

The right program should support both your educational goals and the realities of your day-to-day life. As you compare your options, use these questions to evaluate whether the learning model will work for you.

1. What mode of education fits your needs and your life?

Start with an honest look at how you learn best and what your schedule can realistically support. 

• Do you value the structure and shared pace of a traditional class? 
• Or do you prefer the independence to plan your work around professional and personal commitments?

A self-paced format can offer meaningful flexibility, but it also requires consistency. You’ll need to manage your time, set milestones, and keep moving forward without relying on a weekly classroom meeting to create momentum.

Self-paced learning may be a fit if you:

• Work full-time and need coursework that fits around your job.
• Manage family, caregiving, military, or other responsibilities that make fixed schedules difficult.
• Have professional experience and want to move efficiently through concepts you already know.
• Are organized and comfortable setting goals independently.

If you’re comfortable using technology, can create a workable study routine, and are motivated by clear goals, a self-paced format may be right for you. 

Not sure which type of online learning best fits your needs? 

TAKE THIS QUIZ TO FIND OUT

2. How committed is the university to its self-paced program?

A quality self-paced program requires a university that has invested in curriculum, learning technology, accessible faculty, and dedicated support for students.

Ask how the institution supports self-paced learners specifically. 

• Are there academic advisors familiar with the program? 
• Can you connect with faculty? 
• Is help available when you have questions about coursework, technology, or your progress?

With UMass Global MyPath, you have access to support designed for self-paced learning, including program-specific advising and one-stop assistance. The goal is to give you autonomy while ensuring you’re not navigating your degree alone.

3. Are the required competencies clear and measurable?

Before you enroll, you should understand exactly what you’ll be expected to learn and how you’ll show that you’ve learned it. Clear competency requirements help you plan your progress and connect course content to your professional goals.

In a well-designed program, each course should explain its learning objectives, required activities, available support services, and assessment approach. UMass Global’s MyPath course overviews provide this foundation. You’ll work through modules that include learning activities or milestone assignments and quizzes, then complete a final assessment.

Transparency matters because it allows you to see the path ahead, understand expectations, and measure your progress toward degree completion.

4. How is your level of mastery assessed?

In a self-paced model, assessments should show what you can do with your knowledge.

Look for programs that use meaningful, relevant assessments. UMass Global MyPath’s final assessment is typically a paper or project built on the learning activities and milestone assignments completed throughout the course. This gives you opportunities to apply concepts, develop skills, and demonstrate mastery in ways that connect to real workplace expectations.

Before choosing a program, ask:

• What types of assessments will I complete?
• How will faculty evaluate my work?
• What feedback will I receive?
• Can I clearly see how each assessment connects to the stated outcomes?

5. How has the university engaged with external partners to develop the program?

A degree should prepare you to use your knowledge beyond the classroom. When evaluating your options, consider whether the curriculum reflects the skills employers and industries value.

Faculty with industry experience can help ensure courses are grounded in relevant workplace applications. UMass Global’s curriculum is designed with busy adult learners in mind and connects learning to professional practice.

This is particularly important if you’re returning to school to advance in your current field. You want coursework that helps you build confidence and capabilities you can use on the job.

6. What support is available to students?

Flexibility should not mean isolation. The strongest self-paced programs pair independent learning with reliable academic, technical, and personal support.

When researching a program, ask whether you can access:

• 24/7 technology and IT assistance through a service desk
• Academic advisors who understand the self-paced format
• Course-design support through an instructional innovation team
• Faculty and virtual office hours
• Online tutoring and library services
• Program-specific financial aid specialists

UMass Global MyPath offers these resources so you can get help with coursework, academic planning, technology, and university processes when you need it.

Why UMass Global might be right for you

UMass Global MyPath is designed for motivated adult learners who want the flexibility of an online program without sacrificing academic structure or support. The self-paced format can help you focus on what you need to learn, build on experience you already have, and move efficiently through familiar material.

Key benefits of competency-based learning at UMass Global include:

• Built-in learning materials: Course materials are integrated into the program, helping you avoid separate textbook purchases.
• Dedicated support: Access faculty, advisors, tutoring, library resources, virtual office hours, and 24/7 technology support.
• Flexible pacing: Make progress around your work, family, and other commitments.
• Potential savings: Tuition is charged by a set billing period, not per course. Moving through coursework efficiently and demonstrating mastery in more courses per session can potentially reduce the time and cost it takes to earn your degree. 
• Program options: UMass Global offers self-paced associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degree options, with additional programs in development.
• Recognition of experience: Use prior professional and life experience to approach familiar concepts with confidence.

Take the next step toward a self-paced degree

A self-paced, mastery-based learning model can be a practical option if you want greater control over your schedule, have experience you can build on, and are prepared to take ownership of your progress.

Explore UMass Global’s self-paced online degree options to see whether they align with your career goals. 

Ready to discuss your next step? Speak with an enrollment coach at (800) 746-0082.