Catholic university now offers online degree programs

Catholic university now offers online degree programs

Adults who wish to receive a Catholic education, but cannot commit to the financial, time or transportation demands of a traditional campus-based school, may want to consider enrolling in an online university. Many web-based programs are designed for nontraditional learners who seek a secular education.

For example, StraighterLine, an online education company, recently partnered with Worcester, Massachusetts-based Assumption College to allow the transfer of online credits to be counted at Assumption, reports the Worcester Business Journal. The company offers freshman-level and introductory courses that can be completed online, and can be used toward a degree at 12 different schools throughout the country.

Students who complete these courses through StraighterLine can now use the credits toward an associates or bachelors degree at Assumption College's Center for Continuing and Career Education's (CCE) online business program.

The school's CCE brings affordable education, career planning assistance and flexible scheduling to adult learners seeking rigorous academics and a values-based curriculum. Available courses of study include bachelors degree programs in business administration, humanities, human services and rehabilitation studies as well as social sciences. The school also offers certificate programs in criminal justice, graphic design, paralegal studies and accounting.

Assumption's offerings, and other similar online degree programs, are designed to meet the needs of students who may otherwise be unable to earn a degree due to familial, career or church obligations.

Recent research from the Sloan Consortium indicates that enrollment in online colleges has increased by 17 percent over the past year.

By Mark Danson