Marshfield, WI (OnFocus) New degree options are coming to the UW-Stevens Point at Marshfield campus, offering extra opportunities for students.
“We certainly know that our collective challenge as three campuses that are now comprising the UW-Stevens Point institution is to bring new programs and new enrollments to the communities that we serve,” said Greg Summers, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, in a presentation to Common Council. “We’re excited to be able to report that we’re going to make an effort to do that with new degree credentials.”
The campus will offer additional associate degrees that focus on courses that will teach immediately employable skills and provide a boost into in-demand bachelor’s programs. Six new associate degree credentials include human services, health sciences, information science, applied finance, leadership and project management, and environmental science and management.
Beginning the fall of 2019, two bachelor degree programs in Business Administration and Social Work will be available. Instead of a traditional semester schedule, courses are offered in four and eight-week periods.
“We’re going to be offering them in hybrid formats so that students who are holding down jobs, maybe have families, maybe have other constraints on their time, focus on one or two classes at a time but still make progress toward that four-year credential,” said Summers. “These degrees are going to be a little different than we’re accustomed to offering at Stevens Point. They’re going to be designed for working students of all ages.”
An MBA in applied leadership and decision-making is coming to the Marshfield and Wausau campuses. Students pursuing the new bachelor’s in Business Administration can enter a 5-year path to complete both the bachelor’s and MBA program.
“Increasingly, the master’s credential is becoming very important as a professional, almost entry level credential in many fields,” said Summers.
Conversations are currently taking place about a possible engineering degree in partnership with other universities that offer those types of programs. A budget request has been submitted to the State to facilitate efforts to offer an accelerated pathway for students to complete their bachelor’s degree program in three years instead of four.
“We are absolutely open to working with other UWs to bring credentials that we don’t offer here,” said Summers. “One example of that is the Masters of Social Work degree. We think that would pair very well with the baccalaureate degree that we want to bring to the branch campuses.”
To draw students into these programs, up to a $1,000 scholarship for a bachelor program and up to $500 for an associate’s are offered.
Additionally, there may be future opportunities for non-credit professional development, like physical therapy and rehabilitation. There has also been dialogue on crafting programs for artists and performers, and potentially a degree path for Education to address the statewide teacher shortage.
Author: News Desk
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