Enrollment up in NAU's bachelor's degree at PVCC
By Robert Coulter, October 2009
Staff Writer
These students earned their Bachelor's of Science in Business Administration and participated in the graduation exercises in Flagstaff on May 9, 2009. The students enrolled in the PVCC program in fall 2007. (Photo courtesy James Latham)
The Northern Arizona University Bachelor of Business Administration program at Paradise Valley Community College gives community college students the chance to earn a four-year degree without having to relocate to Flagstaff.
Students with associate degrees in business can transfer directly into the NAU program and attend classes on PVCC’s campus. Those students who never took the SAT or ACT are still eligible.
The cost of attending is about $400 less per semester than NAU’s main campus, according to Erin Mc-Gehean, academic advisor for the program at PVCC. Mc-Gehean adds that students at PVCC save money by avoiding the myriad of fees associated with a traditional university experience, such as housing, parking and health plan fees.
Benefits boasted by the program include smaller class sizes and improved student-teacher interaction.
“The student feedback I received from my students with regard to faculty is phenomenal,” says Mc-Gehean. “I can't think of many universities whose faculty members know each one of their students.”
Mc-Gehean goes on to praise the accessibility of the program’s advising department, saying students don’t have to put up with long waits to see their adviser.
Enrollment in the program has increased substantially since its inception – a reflection of its popularity. In its first semester, fall of 2006, 10 students made up the entire class; this fall, that number has risen to 120.
James Latham, associate professor of business at NAU, says that once enrollment reaches 200-250 students, the program will be replicated at another Maricopa County Community College.
The flexibility of the NAU program – offering night and online classes – is a trademark, but so its rigor. The curriculum demands the same amount of focus required at any university, but compared to similar programs, such as the ones at ASU or NAU’s main campus, Mc-Gehean thinks the one at PVCC has an edge: “I believe students get much more out of the program here.”
|
