ASU has begun devising a plan to create an off-campus, lower-cost degree program, designed for obtaining a three-year baccalaureate degree in select majors.
The program, if approved by the Arizona Board of Regents, is expected to call for three to four locations off campus, all of which will provide degrees in ASU’s most popular programs: business, education and arts and sciences.
Over three-fourths of the ASU student population is enrolled in these majors, making the off-campus locations convenient for some students, particularly “place bound ones,” said Elizabeth Capaldi, ASU executive vice president and provost of the University.
“We have a goal to provide an excellent education to as many qualified Arizona students as possible,” Capaldi said. “This expands our ability to do that by offering our degrees in more locations.”
Students who enroll in the program will be offered tuition at a lower cost than the university campuses and will have an opportunity to finish their degree quickly and efficiently.
Morgan R. Olsen, executive vice president, treasurer and CFO of ASU, said that the plan is to price the programs around that of a full PELL grant, about $5,500 annually.
Students involved in this low-cost tuition program will not have access to extracurricular activities and opportunities that on-campus students do — a sacrifice students may be willing to make for a more focused lower-paying option.
“[The program] really is about providing a lower-cost option for students interested in four-year degrees in an instruction-intensive setting, possibly including a higher integration of technology into its delivery,” Olsen said. “There are many students we believe will want to experience the types of education offered at our four existing campuses, but this is another option that would be available for those who would prefer it.”
Students looking for majors not offered at these locations and who want the university campus life still have the option to do so, Capaldi said. Those people, however, will need to choose the university campus and pay the full tuition fees.
By allowing student to choose this option, ASU will be able to “achieve their mission in a way that is more affordable,” she said.
“Students who want to finish a baccalaureate degree as quickly as possible with very few extracurricular activities might prefer this new alternative,” Capaldi said. “This increases the range of options. It doesn’t change the current options, just adds more choices.”
These choices open the boundaries to students currently enrolled at ASU and also to the general student public.
With these options being offered, the new program model is expected to attract many students, pushing ASU’s enrollment more than 100,000 students, Olsen said.
“The high demand for an ASU degree and the demographic projections for our region suggest that these campuses will be needed,” Olsen said. “It is a way to ensure that necessary resources can be generated to support all ASU campuses appropriately, while meeting the state of Arizona’s need for more baccalaureate degree recipients to bolster the economy and the livelihood of its citizens.”
Talk about the locations and the program itself are currently in progress.
ASU will be seeking partnerships that will invest in the capitalization of the program and also benefit from the location, Olsen said.
“Talks with potential partners are well underway,” she said.
Reach the reporter at
christine.harvey@asu.edu
