In modern times, the options for continuing one’s education and pursuing a professional degree have expanded to welcome non-traditional students of all ages in many different ways. Programs are designed with the needs of busy professionals and those with families in mind, with unique training opportunities available, and to utilize online platforms as well as traditional classroom settings. Whether you’re looking to begin a career or pursuing a career change, there is something for everyone available right here in Lincoln.
Southeast Community College offers over 50 programs of study, most of which can be completed in 18-24 months followed with job placement assistance in the field. This includes 12 programs of study that are entirely online, as well as options for over 300 online classes. Along with its strong technical programs SCC also has a nationally-known Entrepreneurship Center, which teaches courses on starting a business and operates a successful business incubator that provides support for new, operational or growing ventures. “Adult learners comprise a large percentage of SCC students,” says Stu Osterthun of Southeast Community College. “The Lincoln Campus offers more part-time options than any other SCC location as well as providing child care. The College also works to offer more online courses each quarter, which offer more flexibility than face-to-face courses. Moreover, SCC is all about hands-on learning. Our career/technical programs pride themselves in offering the latest equipment and technology for students to train–the same equipment they will be using on the job. The combination of classroom theory and hands-on practice may not be unique to SCC, but employers continue to be impressed by our graduates. More than 100 businesses attend our Trades & Industry Career Fair on the Milford Campus, and dozens set up tables and recruit SCC students at career fairs on the Beatrice and Lincoln campuses.
We continue to monitor the ever-changing landscape of business and industry and work hard to supply qualified, skilled graduates to employers. New this year is the merger of Computer Programming Technology and Computer Information Technology programs, the Electronic Systems Technology program is being offered on the Lincoln Campus only beginning in July, the Human Services program has added an Alcohol and Drug Certificate, the Business Administration program has added a General Business Certificate, and the Criminal Justice program will now offer three focus areas: Homeland Security, Corrections and Community-Based Corrections and Juvenile Services. Furthermore, some programs that SCC offers are unique to the state and to the entire region. For example, SCC has the only Pharmacy Technician program in Nebraska as well as the only Nondestructive Testing technology program in the state (and one of only a handful nationwide). Our Land Surveying/Civil Engineering Technology program is the only land surveying school in Nebraska, our Polysomnographic Technology program (sleep study) is one of only 20 or so nationwide, and our Long Term Care Administration program is online only and is one of the few programs of its kind in the U.S. that offers an Associate of Applied Science degree. This is just a sampling of the wide variety of opportunities that are available at SCC—we are committed to offer high quality yet affordable options for those who wish to further their education.”
Concordia University’s MBA program is also designed with students of all ages and lifestyles in mind, with flexible class offerings that allow students to finish their degree in as little as two years. Classes start every 8 weeks and emphasis areas are offered so that students can customize their degree specifically towards their individual career goals. “Most of our MBA faculty and staff have been non-traditional students, myself included,” explains Jonathon Moberly, MBA Program Director at Concordia University, Nebraska. “We focus on making our students’ experience rewarding and hassle-free as they juggle families, careers and graduate work. This focus has led to the following:
• Our Organization Development clinic that is launching in May is one-of-a-kind for MBA programs in the Lincoln area. It provides students with hands-on experience working with real organizations that need help while receiving course credit.
• An annual Career Fair & Networking Event that is held at our campus with organizations that are interested in hiring Concordia MBA students.
• We are launching an Alumni Mentor program in the summer of 2015 where current MBA students have the opportunity to choose a mentor who is a Concordia MBA alum and who’s currently working in the student’s desired area of concentration. This mentor will provide guidance on a career path and progress through this program.
• Providing all the students with a free iPad and free textbooks that are personally hand-delivered to them each term.
• Removing the hassle of registering for classes by automatically enrolling students each term.
• Utilizing a cohort model to build a stronger community amongst the students while offering classes for each cohort on the same night throughout the program to allow for family and career planning.
• Students now go through the program together as a cohort group where they take core courses for the program together for eight terms, concentration courses for three terms, and then finish the program together for the final term in a Strategic Management course. Through this model, our students are building relationships that support their academic and career achievement goals.
• Offering options for students to make up courses through both face-to-face and online methods in case they have a timing conflict with a course in the sequence, while continuing their forward progress with their degree.
Our goal with the service we provide to our students is to eliminate all hassles, allowing them to focus on their class preparation and engagement. Our program is focused on providing a foundation of knowledge through hands-on experience that in turn produces ethical leaders who can make immediate decisions for an organization that leads to its success.”
Wesleyan Advantage programs are another excellent option for adult students pursuing professional growth and mobility, as they offer accelerated programs with their specific needs in mind. “Here at Nebraska Wesleyan, we offer undergraduate and graduate programs for working adults,” emphasizes Melissa McCoy, M.A., Director of Wesleyan Advantage. “A very large percentage of students are what we call ‘post-traditional,’ that is, they aren’t 18 years old and just out of high school. Our programs offer night classes that are accelerated while giving our adult students the opportunity to be connected with our campus, use facilities such as the library and the career center, and to have classes taught by our full-time professors as well as experienced part-time professors who are leaders in their fields of expertise. The students in our graduate and adult programs typically work full-time and also have family obligations, so we respect the multiple pressures these ambitious students juggle and do all we can to provide convenient services to them. We have after-hours textbook pickup, after-hours advising appointments, and provide spaces where students can relax and heat up dinner in between work and evening classes. Our students appreciate the class formats — five and eight week sessions, courses that are hybrid (a mix of face-to-face and online work), and some courses that are fully online.
One thing that is unique about the NWU adult programs is that they all have some experiences built into the curriculum. Students work on real projects, do internships, or reflect on their work life in a formalized way. Our goal is that all students very quickly learn things that will have immediate impact on their work and careers. Over and over again, our graduates tell us that they feel their educational experiences here had significant value and they are proud to have earned a degree at Nebraska Wesleyan.”
Degrees in the many business-related fields definitely continue to be popular, offering valuable knowledge and experiences that prepare students for real world opportunities with the clear focus of harnessing their potential in the business world. In fact, continued enrollment growth at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Business Administration combined with an increase of 36 new faculty hired in the last four years has heightened the urgency for a new CBA building. Record enrollments at CBA approached 3,900 students this fall with an additional 1,300 students enrolled in the popular business minor program for non-business majors.
“The quality of applicants is increasing each year for our programs and we want to continue that trajectory,” emphasizes Sheri Irwin-Gish, Executive Director of Communications, Marketing and External Relations at CBA. “The $84-million, 240,000-square-foot CBA building is the largest academic building project in recent history at UNL. Designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects of New York and Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture of Omaha, the building is funded exclusively from private donations from CBA alumni and business partners. Furthermore, our new undergraduate certificate program in sales excellence was made possible by a $1.5 million donation from the National Research Corporation. Students who complete the program will be prepared for outstanding professional sales positions. Our partners in the community are indeed one of our great strengths, allowing us to go above and beyond by offering learning opportunities outside of the building for our students.”
She adds, “Preparation is key when starting a degree program, so right from the very beginning an advisor in the undergraduate programs office helps non-traditional students transition to the College of Business Administration. Non-traditional students are encouraged to take advantage of the many resources offered through CBA including Career Services at CBA and to get involved in the CBA community through one of our 24 student organizations, our study abroad programs in Brazil, China, Oxford, France, Italy and Japan and other opportunities. We are also very proud that we jumped 21 spots in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings and are currently number 51 nationally out of 426 undergraduate business programs.”
With so many opportunities to further your career through continuing education programs locally, a clear path towards achieving your goals and living the life you’ve always imagined for yourself is well within reach. There’s no better time to start the journey towards your degree than the present!