Is this you? You started your undergraduate degree with every intention of graduating until -- well, something happened. So here you are years later, working full-time, thinking it would be great to actually have that degree. You
are far from alone. Consider these statistics:
- Almost 60 percent of those attending public universities do not complete their degrees within five years -- and more than 70 percent of U.S. students earning four-year degrees attend public universities.
- Forty percent of university students are 25 or older.
- The average age of part-time undergraduates is 32.
Colleges and universities recognize the value of providing ways for you to finish that degree. Dr. JoAnne Shea, director of the University of Texas at Austin's Extension School, where many college returnees attend part-time, shares her views on the increasingly accommodating university.
"More people are returning," says Shea. "The increase in enrollment (at the extension school) has been 13 percent this year. More students are part-time students than ever before." Why are they returning to school? Shea reports three main reasons: "Professional development, a degree gives them more life options in choosing a career they find fulfilling and making more money and personal fulfillment."
Here are three options for finishing your degree:
1. Back to Campus Life: You can, of course, become a regular student. There may even be dormitories available for older students. For most working people, however, full-time day courses aren't an option.
2. Nighttime: Many colleges and universities have night programs, or "extension" schools, some of which offer degree programs of their own. These courses sometimes -- but not always -- are taught by the parent college or university's faculty.
For example, a returning student can take evening courses through UT at Austin's Extension School. While not a
degree-granting institution, the Extension School provides full-credit courses that can be transferred into the regular school. If you started your undergraduate work elsewhere, Shea recommends working with your former school to transfer the credits from the extension school so you can graduate from your original institution.
"In the past seven years, there's been a push to make extension school more serious," Shea notes. At the UT at Austin Extension School, courses are taught by UT faculty and meet UT's academic demands, and about 60 percent of
students are working towards a degree.
3. Bring Campus to Your Desk: Many colleges and universities also offer online courses for degree credit -- a boon for working people. Asynchronous courses -- those that don't demand attendance at a specific time of day -- can be squeezed in before or after work, or even during lunch hour. Many colleges and universities now offer online courses.
Interesting Options
Some schools have developed innovative programs that expand the traditional university model. Check with the schools in your area to see if any have unique features that might help you finish. Here are a few examples:
Metropolitan College at Boston University
BU has created a whole college dedicated to the needs of working people. Students enrolled in the Metropolitan College earn undergraduate and graduate degrees from Boston University. The school offers professional and certificate programs.
Brown University's Resumed Undergraduate Education (RUE) Program
Since 1972, Brown University has welcomed nontraditional students into its classes, offering them unique support services and a more flexible course load than traditional students.
Montana State University's Return-to-Learn Assistance
The Bozeman, Montana university understands that learning itself is a skill. An orientation program for returning students seeks to ease students back into the learning process by reteaching important study skills, introducing returning students to each other and explaining how to deal bureaucratically with the university system.
Just as in business, education responds to supply and demand. There are so many people who want to complete their undergraduate degrees that colleges and universities are working overtime to figure out how to respond. It's not easy
to return to school, but you now have more options and support in the academic community than ever before.
Questions for Extension School Administrators: Before you attend an extension school, talk with an administrator there and at your previous institution to find out exactly how to pursue your diploma. Here are a
few questions to consider:
- If I complete my studies here, who grants my diploma?
- Do your instructors also teach at the regular university? If the answer is no, is there a way to learn their credentials? If the answer is some, is it clear in the course catalog who teaches at the regular university?
- Are there academic differences between the regular university and the extension program?
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