Fairfield University offers online bachelor's degree completion program | Press Releases

Partnership with community colleges in Connecticut allows 75 transfer credits

Fairfield University is offering a new online degree completion program giving students the opportunity to earn a bachelor's degree in Professional Studies. This new degree opportunity from University College is designed for the convenience of busy adults.

Visit http://www.fairfield.edu/uc_degreecomp.html for an application. Contact an academic advisor to find out more at (203) 254-4110 or e-mail. More detailed information can also be found online at www.fairfield.edu.

Fairfield will accept up to 75 qualifying credits from previous college or university experience, which is more than half required for the degree. The individualized, multidisciplinary curriculum has been designed for students who wish to apply prior school, work and life experience toward completing an undergraduate degree. Credits earned by the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams can be accepted. Curriculum adjustments can be made to suit the educational goals of each particular student. All students will ultimately need 120 credits to graduate.

The program will be a great opportunity for community college students. Fairfield has agreements with several community colleges in Connecticut to help ease the transfer process via "articulation" agreements, which enable community college students to transfer up to 75 qualifying credits. There will be scholarship and special "cohort" programs to help reduce the cost per credit for those transferring students.

Students have the option of earning a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies, a degree that students can customize by choosing an interdisciplinary area of study. The options for a B.S. in Professional Studies are Liberal Studies, Organizational Leadership, and Information Technology, while the option for a B.A. in Professional Studies are Liberal Studies, Behavioral Science, or Professional Communication. Please visit www.fairfield.edu/uc_degreecomp.html for details. The program is very flexible in that students can pick from a growing list of four, five, seven and fourteen-week course formats throughout the school year. With the online classes, there are no class ‘meeting' days when students have to be online at the same time. A typical class scenario involves a faculty member posting curriculum, assignments, due dates, and other vital course information on a course web page. Some course web pages include videos, podcasts and interactive features. Students then log on to a respective course web page at a time that they find convenient to their own schedules.

Aaron Perkus, Ph. D., associate dean of University College, said that there is a large amount of faculty-to-student interaction that takes place. "Despite the lack of meeting face-to-face in a classroom setting, there is a lot of student-to-student interaction. Students read each other's assignments and e-mail each other about what is being taught."

According to Neil A. Landino, Jr., assistant dean and director of Advising Services, students receive personalized advising throughout the course of their academic career at Fairfield.