By Zach Taylor, University Relations Student Writer
Adults kept busy with jobs and families who have wanted to earn a UTC degree but could not commit the time to attend classes on campus have a new option to earn a bachelor’s degree online.
UTC’s Achieve Degree is being established as the University’s first adult completion degree program. According to Program Coordinator for Bachelor of Integrated Studies, Dr. Gretchen Potts, the program targets working adults over the age of 25 who already have earned a number of college hours. The Achieve Degree classes are delivered online and begin in August.
For more information about the UTC Achieve Degree, visit www.UTC.edu/Achieve-Degree.
Some studies estimate that more than 100,000 individuals in the Chattanooga area hold some amount of college credits but did not finish a degree.
“The main goal of the UTC Achieve Degree is to assist working adults to complete their college educations so that they can advance in their careers,” said Potts. “We need more college graduates to grow our economy, and this online degree program offers a route for some students to achieve that goal.”
Graduates of the Achieve Degree program will earn a Bachelor of Integrated Studies degree with a concentration in Professional Studies.
The Achieve Degree joins other UTC online degree programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, including criminal justice, nonprofit management, nursing, physical therapy, education, and engineering.
Governor Bill Haslam has made college degree attainment an important element of his economic development plan for the state. Within five years, more than half of Tennessee jobs will likely require postsecondary credentials beyond a high school degree.
Haslam set a goal of increasing the percentage of Tennesseans with postsecondary credentials from 32 percent to 55 percent by 2025. To reach this goal, the growing population of working adults who went to college and left before graduating must be addressed.
“UTC wants to serve this important audience of students and help the state reach this critical goal,” said Potts. “Juggling families and jobs does not leave a lot of time for people to take traditional classes. By taking classes online, students can work around their busy schedules and achieve their educational goals at the same time.”
