Online degree program to kick off distance education intiative
Former college dropouts will soon be able to earn a bachelor’s degree from USC from the convenience of their computers.
This year, the university began the admissions process for Back to Carolina, an online degree completion program for former USC students over the age of 25 with at least 60 accumulated credit hours. The program’s first two students have already been admitted and will register in April for classes in the Fall 2012 semester.
Currently offering a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies, “Back to Carolina” has been hailed as a segue into the larger Palmetto College initiative, a distance education effort by USC’s extended university programming. Palmetto College would serve as an online degree-completion option for non-graduates and Associate’s Degree holders who are unable to attend classes at one of USC’s eight regional campuses.
“I think USC will always hold that image of being the place on the hill, but in order to compete in the 21st century, we must open up new paths for college education,” said USC President Harris Pastides of the initiative.
Palmetto College would offer degrees in vocational fields such as criminal justice, business administration and health sciences and would be governed separately from USC, though sharing the university’s accreditation. Earlier this year, the university asked the legislature for a $5 million annual appropriation to fund the beginning years of Palmetto College, which is currently scheduled to launch for Fall 2013. The request was included in the House version of the state budget passed two weeks ago, along with $12.5 million for deferred maintenance and law school repairs, but that bill is only at “second base” according to USC state relations officer Trey Walker.
“It’s a large initiative in a very short period of time, so there’s a lot of work that needs to be done in the next year,” Vice Provost Lacy Ford said. “If we get that appropriation, that will cover the expenses we have in doing what we need to do.”
Such expenses mostly consist of translating and developing courses for online format. If the grant does not find itself in the final version of the state budget, Provost Michael Amiridis insists that the program would still move forward, but at a “much slower pace,” over five to eight years.
In the meantime, the Office of the Provost has already spent $200,000 on Back to Carolina, most of which has been doled out among professors to cover web course development. The program will offer 12 online courses for the Fall 2012 in areas such as criminal justice, psychology, English and history; 14 additional courses will be added in Spring 2013. Registered students will pay $375 per credit hour, slightly less than regular USC Columbia tuition. Tentatively, this will be the amount charged for students in Palmetto College, which the provost’s office hopes will eventually include 1,500 students.
According to a progress update issued by the university in February, Palmetto College is expected to bring in anywhere from $800,000 to more than $2.2 million over the next five years, with the worst-case scenario stemming from low enrollment with losses of $920,000 the first year of operation.
“At this point we have already invested a finite amount of money expecting that we will recover this money,” Amiridis said.