Popular Adult Education and Degree Completion Majors
Liberal studies is the most popular major, with many liberal studies majors planning to continue on for a master's degree in education to complete teaching licensure in Massachusetts. As Joseph-Collins notes, these students "want to get to know as much as they can about their particular field or passion so that when they're serving others they're doing it to the best of their ability....A lot of them are in helping professions, in counseling, education, the non-profit arena, teaching -- all of those kinds of service professions."
Financial Aid and Continuing Education
All One-Day Program students receive financial aid of some kind, while continuing education loans make up a portion of most financial aid packages. The school offers access to an interest-free payment plan for continuing education costs through Tuition Management Systems, with a $40 per-semester fee. 2010-2011 tuition is $470 per credit hour. Burlington, Mass. residents can qualify for a $2,000 annual scholarship.
Advice for Adult Learners Seeking Degree Completion
Joseph-Collins advises any adult learner considering the One-Day program for degree completion to meet with an administrator. "By talking to someone you can get a really good sense of how others have been able to accomplish it, and I think that you can also get the kind of support you need coming in to the program by establishing those relationships early on in the process."
Olsson adds her advice to any adult learner with doubts: "Once you get back into the swing of things, and you study again, you write a paper again - once you get over those initial hurdles you realize that you have never forgotten how to be a student and, you know, you've actually gotten smarter over the years. You become a better student as you age and as you gain life experiences. Our students do extremely well once they get going.
"No one's here on a Saturday if they don't want to be. Education matters to these students."
Bay Path College Quick Facts
- Enrollment in the One-Day Program: 1,400
- Alumni from the One-Day Program: 1,100
- Cost per credit: $470
- Since 2003 Bay Path College has been included in the top tier of U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" in the North for traditional and non-traditional college programs.
For more information, visit Bay Path College One-Day Program or call 413-565-1273.