JACKSON, Tenn. — June 5, 2007 — 51社区鈥檚 department of continuing studies will offer a bachelor鈥檚 degree in organizational leadership with a concentration in project management, beginning with the fall 2007 semester.
The degree will be offered through Union鈥檚 LAUNCH program, created about 10 years ago specifically for working adults. Accelerated classes are held from 6-10 p.m. one night each week.
Beverly Absher, chair of the continuing studies department, said the new degree with a concentration in project management will be ideal for adults working in the fields of construction, project management, communications or engineering.
鈥淭he project management concentration was developed in response to requests by both employees and employers,鈥� Absher said. 鈥淎 number of firms indicated a need for a more flexible and accelerated program for their existing supervisors and managers that would allow them to earn a degree while remaining on the job.鈥�
The new program will provide interdisciplinary training in the fields of business, psychology, English, computer science, communications and leadership, in addition to project management courses that will cover such topics as scheduling, estimating, work design, environmental and project management and engineering economy.
鈥淎lthough employees have gained valuable experience on the job, having a four-year degree is often necessary to remove the final obstacle in the way of advancement and promotion to higher level managerial positions,鈥� Absher said. 鈥淎ttending traditional classes on a part-time basis could take the employee as long as nine or 10 years to graduate, whereas with the accelerated LAUNCH program, students can earn a bachelor鈥檚 degree in as little as 18 months.鈥�
For more information about the program on the Jackson campus or in Corinth, Miss., call Carroll Griffin at (866) 392-6700 or e-mail him at cgriffin@uu.edu. For information about the program on Union鈥檚 Germantown campus, call Keelan Cook at (901) 759-0029, or e-mail him at kcook@uu.edu.