Summerville Journal Scene ®
More adults are returning to the classroom, and Charleston Southern University’s Bachelor of Management Arts program is making it easier for working adults to earn a college degree quickly.
Students with an associate’s degree can earn a business management degree in less than two years and take all their classes online through CSU’s Evening College.
BMA students earn 48 credit hours through BMA’s 16 online Business Cohort Courses, each worth three credit hours. BMA courses are accelerated and five weeks long, CSU’s Dean of Evening College Stan Parker said.
Students meet in a classroom for the first session then meet entirely online in a “virtual classroom” that’s “like a big chat room” for two and a half hours every Wednesday, Parker said. The virtual classroom uses discussion boards for peer-to-peer and faculty-to-student learning, he added. Students are given scenarios requiring critical thinking and take a quiz at the end of every online lecture, he said.
Lectures are in book format while quizzes and chapters are online, keeping students from buying pricy college textbooks and eliminating the “fluff” in traditional textbooks, the dean said. CSU uses the popular Moodle software for lectures, assignments, discussion boards and chat rooms.
“The program developed five years ago based on characteristics of adult learning,” said Parker, who’s worked at CSU 10 years. “Adults have different needs than students.”
The BMA program employs 37 professors and currently enrolls 300 students, including one from Kansas City, Mo. and another from northern Pennsylvania. Fifty-eight BMA students graduated this past December, the dean said. “(We) are trying to help the older student to interchange or advance careers,” Parker said.
BMA students should be at least 23 years of age or older and have three years of significant, full-time work experience.
The program is more accessible than regular classes for adult students who have homes, families, jobs and other responsibilities, the dean said. Parker works closely with students and uses an early warning system if a student needs more engagement. Professors can also meet with students if needed.
According to Parker, a student in an online environment is not at a disadvantage from a face-to-face teacher-classroom environment because some students may not participate in face-to-face classroom activities while 100 percent of online students participate in the virtual classroom.
Reading and writing are more important online, and all research for BMA courses can be done online, Parker said.
The next BMA semester begins Feb. 18 and the next on April 1. BMA students have May and December off. To graduate from CSU, a student needs 125 total credit hours, including the liberal arts core and electives. For more information, visit www.csuniv.edu.
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This is an amazing program for working adults. I have accomplished more in one year than several years at Tech. A note to MP BMA class of 2008 - I can tell by your natural desire to blast this program that your true issues have nothing to do with your degree. You are struggling because your poor attitude in general. The management skills I have gained from this program, taught by very experienced professionals and PhD's, have already earned me several promotions and I am not even finished. Then again, my attitude and work ethic have driven me to use this education to my advantage and not look for others to blame when things go wrong.
Posted by: A.
I am currently in the BMA program and I have to comment that it is a great learning environment that gets right to the point. The professors are very understanding of your schedule and they help you succeed. It is easy to learn in that environment. Too bad MP BMA had a bad experience. That's what happens when you are seeking a piece of paper that proves your degree rather than seeking the education the degree offers.
Posted by: Current BMA student
This is for "MP BMA class of 2008": I wonder if you really graduated from CSU in the BMA program or if you're a just a big joke. I say this because the first BMA Cohort started back in 2003 and the classes were not online at that time; the online classes didn't begin until 2006. So, since half of what you wrote is not true, I have to wonder about the other half. I graduated from the BMA Program and it has helped me tremendously. I guess the old saying goes "you get out of it what you put in."
Posted by: KDB
I graduated with the first small cohort of BMA students, and I found the online courses a waste of time. They're so easy anyone could pass them. Now I'm paying back loans on a useless degree in a bad job market.
Posted by: MP BMA class of 2008
As a former student in Charleston Southern's BMA Program, I can attest to the value of the education and the "tried and true" success of the online environment. I would recommend the Program to anyone looking to further their education and career opportunities. I have achieved both personal and business success through the help and guidance of the Evening College staff and would encourage others to at least take a look and see what the Program has to offer. As a full time worker and student, the accelerated pace and online format was a perfect fit for me. Kudos!
Posted by: Keith Parker
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