Universities collaborate with online education provider

Universities collaborate with online education provider

Many campus-based and online universities are creating initiatives that allow two-year degree candidates to transfer into a bachelor's degree program, in an effort to cater to the growing number of adults who are seeking higher education.

For example, City University of Seattle (CityU) and Concordia University Chicago are joining with Altius Education - a provider of online curriculum. The partnership is an expansion of Altius' Ivy Bridge College model, which gives students the opportunity to earn a bachelor's degree after they have successfully completed an online associate's degree program.

Paul Freedman, founder and CEO of Altius Education, said that more and more learners are seeking a two-year bridge program through which they can obtain a traditional bachelor's degree, while four-year institutions are looking for well-prepared junior transfer students.

The CityU and Concordia partnerships were created to offer students a streamlined path to a bachelor's degree.

More than 4.6 million students nationwide were enrolled in online courses during the 2008 academic year, according to a recent report by the Babson Survey Research Group and the Sloan Consortium.

By Mark Danson