Patten University Approved to Offer New Lower Cost, High Quality, Online Business Degree Programs Using UniversityNow's Award-Winning, Personalized Learning Platform
Oakland, CA (PRWEB) July 11, 2013 -- Patten University announces new online business degree programs, including a Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Arts in Management. Patten University’s accreditor, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), recently approved these new degree programs at the same time that it reaffirmed Patten University’s accreditation through 2018.
Designed specifically to meet the needs of working adults while addressing the nation’s skill gap, Patten University’s online degree programs are self-paced, outcomes-based and its courses are personalized to meet each student’s learning needs and individual schedule, significantly eliminating work-school conflict. Courses are offered on the award-winning learning platform developed by UniversityNow, Patten University’s parent company.
The approval of the online MBA and BA degree programs is a recognition of Patten University’s pioneering efforts to help working adults earn their college degrees debt-free by combining innovative teaching methods, world-class instructional technology, and affordable pricing models. In addition, it allows Patten to expand significantly beyond its campus in Oakland, California and serve working adults throughout the United States. Students can begin enrolling in these programs immediately, with new terms starting each week. Visit http://www.patten.edu to find out more.
“Working adults are the fastest growing segment of US higher education,” said Dr. Terry Rawls, President of Patten University. “Unfortunately, the traditional model of higher education is too inflexible and too expensive for many working adults to earn a degree without making enormous personal and financial sacrifices, putting a college degree out of reach for them. Through its self-paced, affordable degree programs, Patten University hopes to change this.”
Innovative Model Provides Personalization and Lower Tuition
Patten University’s offers the most affordable pricing model of any regionally accredited university in the United States.
Patten University’s flat annual online tuition is $3,948 per year for undergraduates programs and $5,988 for graduate programs. Tuition includes all required ebooks and course materials and as many courses as students can complete in twelve months. By comparison, according to the College Board, average tuition at public four-year institutions is $8,655 for in-state tuition and $21,706 for out-of-state tuition and average tuition at private four-year institutions is $29,056. These prices only include eight months of classes and do not include the cost of books and add on fees, which can run several thousand dollars per year.
Patten University is able to offer higher quality, low cost degree programs because, in large part, its parent company, UniversityNow, spent two years developing a world-class, personalized learning platform that makes learning fun and engaging for students. As the first learning platform of it kind, the UniveristyNow learning platform facilitates the interaction between faculty and students, while tracking student progress on a real-time basis. This data-driven approach helps faculty quickly identify students who need help. It also provides faculty and students with recommended learning resources and activities that students can use to improve. Additionally, each student is assigned a student advisor who functions as a success coach, regularly interacting with students and helping them balance the demands of their degree program with the shifting demands of their personal lives.
Patten University’s innovations go beyond the instructional process. In order to radically simplify the administrative processes and lower the costs associated with offering high-quality degree programs, Patten University voluntarily withdrew from the federal financial aid system. As a result, students are not faced with innumerable rules and regulations governing, among other things, how they enroll in school and their course load. Instead, Patten University passes along the administrative cost savings to students in the form of lower tuition and flexible, pay-as-you go payment options.
Patten Partners with Industry to Address Skill Gap
Each of Patten’s degree programs is developed in close collaboration with Industry Councils comprised of relevant industry employers. The Industry Councils meet quarterly to review program outcomes and refine program objectives to reflect changing industry needs. In addition, with UniversityNow’s support, Patten University works directly with large private and public sector employers to create affordable degree pathways that address their workforce training and skill needs.
“Patten University’s innovations, while significant, are only the first step,” said Gene Wade, CEO of UniversityNow. “Patten University and UniversityNow are committed to continuously innovating on behalf of students to improve the quality of higher education.”
About Patten University
Headquartered in Oakland, Calif., Patten University is dedicated to providing high-quality, accessible, and affordable undergraduate and graduate education. In addition to its campus degree programs, Patten University offers online degree programs in business and leadership designed to specifically for working adults. Patten University’s online programs use UniversityNow’s award winning self-paced, personalized, and outcomes-based learning platform. Through its innovative and affordable tuition model, Patten University helps students earn a degree without acquiring a burden of debt. Patten University was founded in 1944 and continues its decades-long legacy of mentoring and caring for students. Patten University is regionally-accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, and is a wholly-owned entity of UniversityNow (http://www.unow.com). Learn more by visiting Patten’s website at http://www.patten.edu, liking their page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/PattenU or following them @PattenU on Twitter by clicking here: https://twitter.com/PattenU.
About UniversityNow
UniversityNow’s mission is to make a high quality college education available to everyone who seeks it by building the most affordable and accessible network of accredited universities in the world. Headquartered in San Francisco, Calif., UniversityNow operates two universities that offer Associate, Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees: Patten University, which is regionally accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, and New Charter University, which is nationally accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council. UniversityNow’s breakthrough learning platform employs a unique model of individualized instruction, self-paced learning, and cutting-edge collaborative technologies designed to facilitate student-to-instructor and peer-to-peer learning and support that is customized to each student’s needs. Learn more by visiting UniversityNow’s website at http://www.unow.com, liking their page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/UniversityNow or following them @uNow on Twitter by clicking here: https://twitter.com/uNow.
Kathleen Farley, UniversityNow, http://www.unow.com, +1 6507998445, [email protected]
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