Online Degree Completion
Program
Why the Need?
It is increasingly difficult to earn a comfortable
living without a baccalaureate degree.
 The adult undergraduate audience is predicted to
grow by 21% in the next ten years.
 Adult degree seekers bring different needs and
expectations.
 Wisconsin ranks 8th in number
of Associates Degrees, but
34th
in number of Bachelor
Degrees.

Snapshot of the Adult Learner





38.8 years old (mean)
Employed full-time
Married with dependent children
Predominantly female
Possess a strong desire to finish
their degree!
Other UW Campuses Are Already
Addressing These Changing
Demographics!
Existing UW Degree Completion Programs
(Online/Hybrid/Collaborative)
◦ UWGB
6 Programs
◦ UWO
6 Programs
◦ UWSP
2 Programs
◦ UWS
4 Programs
◦ UWP
2 Programs
◦ UWRF
1 Program
◦ UWW
2 Programs
◦ UWM
7 Programs
Number of Undergraduate
Online/Hybrid/Collaborative
Programs at UW – Eau Claire?
BSN @ Home
 College of Business degree completion
program currently being developed

Bachelor of Professional Studies

What is a Bachelor of Professional Studies
(BPS) degree?
◦ The BPS degree has been established as an accepted
title for liberal arts degree completion programs
targeting working adults. The degree program will
allow for the creation of an unlimited number of
majors designed to serve the target population.
“A multidisciplinary
program emphasizing
creativity and leadership”
http://www.drexel.com/o
nline-degrees/bachelorsdegrees/bsprst/index.aspx
[The BPS]…“provides graduates
with both theoretical and
practical educational experiences
tailored to enhance their current
professional capabilities as well as
prepare them for new career
opportunities”
http://www.umw.edu/professional
regional/bps/
Curriculum for the Organizational
Leadership and Communication Major
(Draft Proposal)
Year 1
Year 2
Fall I (1st 8-week session)

BPS 30X Introduction to Organizational
Leadership and Communication

CJ 3XX Communication in Relationships
and Cultural Contexts
Fall II (2nd 8-week session)

BCOM 3XX Business Communication for
Today’s Workforce

MGMT 349 Human Resource
Management
Spring I (1st 8-week session)

SOC 385 Sociology of Work

MKTG 330 Principles of Marketing
Spring II (2nd 8-week session)

BPS 351 Using Data to Make Decisions

CJ 3XX Communication in Organizations:
Perspectives and Applications
Summer

IS 290 Introduction to Database
Applications

IDIS 3XX Literature and Art
Fall I (1st 8-week session)

BSAD 3XX Principles of Management and
Leadership

CJ 3XX Communication in Groups and
Teams
Fall II (2nd 8-week session)

Econ 375 Urban Economics

CJ 4XX Organizational Message Design
Strategies
Spring I (1st 8-week session)

BSAD 3XX Accounting for the Workforce

PHIL 3XX Ethics in Business and the
Community
Spring II (2nd 8-week session)

IDIS 3XX Science and Society

POLS 342 Public Opinion and Political
Behavior
Summer

HIST 3XX Local History and Global
History

BPS 4XX (Capstone)
Points to Ponder…
Student demographics are shifting.
 Nontraditional/returning students have
nontraditional needs and expectations.
 We have the chance to be trailblazers—
offering a quality education to students who
do not fit the traditional model of the college
student.
 This growing student population should not
be marginalized by for-profit institutions who
offer questionable quality at supreme prices.
