As Distance Education continues to grow, student body becomes increasingly diverse
Just a little over three years since it launched, Unity College Distance Education has seen growth beyond the College鈥檚 loftiest expectations. In its first term, 10 students were enrolled in the master鈥檚 program. Now, Unity College Distance Education is serving more than 700 undergraduate and graduate students. Each year, the number of place-bound and diverse students working toward a degree from 础尘别谤颈肠补鈥檚 Environmental College increases, enabling the College to truly live its mission.
After evaluating the effects of our growth, Unity College has found that economies of scale have enabled the College to reduce its tuition from $870 per credit hour to $650, and from $783 for active military and veterans to $585. The change will start with the next term, which begins Aug. 17. This news comes on the heels of undergraduate tuition costs being re-evaluated and reduced just last year.
鈥淭his is important to us. Projected growth allows us to make a quality private environmental education more affordable. Access and affordability are two of the pillars on which we built Unity College Distance Education, and as a result, we鈥檝e also seen a dramatic increase in diversity within the Unity College community, reaching learners where they are,鈥� said Unity College President.
In fact, 18 percent of Unity College Distance Education students self-identified as 鈥渄iverse鈥� in a recent survey, and students reside in 49 states. While we have a long way to go to reflect the true diversity of our nation, it is another step in the right direction.
鈥淏eing a first-generation American myself, having grown up in The Gambia, making our programs easily accessible to students all over the world from all types of backgrounds is encouraging and inspiring to me,鈥� said Dr. Khoury. 鈥淥ur mission is more critical than ever, and it is my vision that Unity College becomes even more inclusive, so that the sustainability leaders of tomorrow truly come from all walks of life.鈥�
Unity College Distance Education also continues to expand its course and degree offerings for both its graduate and undergraduate programs. This summer, the College is hoping to add new masters in disciplines such as marine biology, animal science and behavior, and environmental law.
鈥淭he new programs that we鈥檙e hoping to introduce, in concert with this reduction in tuition costs, will open up a lot of opportunities to reach more working professionals looking to advance in their careers,鈥� said Dr. Amy Arnett, Vice President of Unity College Distance Education. 鈥淭he feedback we have received since launching Distance Education has been outstanding, and we鈥檝e had some great outcomes from our master鈥檚 program. I鈥檓 looking forward to seeing their continued success as we expand.鈥�
鈥淗aving the ability to reduce our tuition rates for graduate students as we continue to grow is a huge step in reaching more professionals. As I鈥檝e said many times before, the world needs more Unity College graduates, and I recognize that Unity College needs a more ethnically diverse alumni base. Through Distance Education, we are truly opening up our world to learners who may not have thought that getting a quality, environmental education was an option for them,鈥� said Dr. Khoury. 鈥淢y hope is that next time we evaluate tuition costs, our numbers are such that we can continue this trend of reducing costs.鈥�
Those interested in applying for the online degree program can apply and learn more by visiting unity.edu/distance-education.
