Eastern Michigan University has entered into a 5 year agreement with Academic Partnerships, a private company, to offer four fully online degree programs.
According to Kevin Kucera, EMU's Vice President for Enrollment Management, the programs will increase educational opportunities for non-traditional students while generating revenue for the University.
"This on-line marketplace is really one where we can assist primarily working individuals who would have a difficult time accessing ground-based courses because of their work and family commitments," said Kucera.
"All of the admissions decisions will be made, as it always is, by Enrollment Management here at Eastern," Kucera said, adding that EMU faculty will have total control over the content and delivery of the courses.
Kucera said that Academic Partnerships will be responsible for all the marketing and student recruitment and associated costs.
EMU and Academic Partnerships will evenly split the tuition and fees generated by the online students brought in by Academic Partnerships.
Kucera said the hope is that EMU will go from being a small presence in the distance learning market to being a significant Midwest regional presence.
The first four programs under the agreement are:
- RN2BSN (Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing)
- Master's in Educational Leadership
- Master's in Curriculum and Instruction
- Bachelor of General Studies (degree completion)
EMU expects to phase in more programs in the future.
