Pilot Program Aims to Break Down Barriers to Graduate Degree Completion - Home - excelsior.edu News

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff--

In an effort to address cost containment, Excelsior College launched the development of partnership programs to allow employees (and their spouses or domestic partner) of an organization to pursue degrees from any of Excelsior’s four schools – Business & Technology, Liberal Arts, Health Sciences and Nursing - at a reduced rate of tuition and fees.

Until now however these agreements covered only undergraduate degree programs. Beginning on January 1 though, Excelsior’s articulation agreements will cover an expanded number of educational offerings. Under a new pilot program announced today, Excelsior College will offer a 15 percent deduction on tuition to any individual enrolled in a graduate level program through a corporate or veteran organization partnership.

These types of partnerships have played an integral role in Excelsior’s efforts to help build a more highly educated and diverse labor force capable of competing in the 21st Century economy, by allowing greater access to learning for those who might not otherwise be able to afford it.

For potential students, this means access to any one of Excelsior’s graduate-level degree pathways, including its MBA (with eight concentration options), newly-launched Master of Science in Cybersecurity, Master of Arts in Liberal Studies, Master of Science in Criminal Justice, as well as Master of Science in nursing programs.

“We expect this initiative to prove quite popular, and help strengthen the structure of our existing academic, veteran and corporate partnerships” said Lisa LaVigna, executive director of Outreach and Access at Excelsior.”For employees, a master’s degree is a signal to their company that they are ready for career advancement.”

“Veterans entering the job market are doing so during difficult economic times and are increasingly seeking ways to distinguish themselves in a tough labor market,” said Judy Reed, director of veteran services and outreach for Excelsior College’s Center for Military Education. “A degree is the best way to do that and extending this reduced tuition rate through our graduate programs will allow veterans to earn an advanced degree giving themselves an edge in the job market.”

According to LaVigna, students who enroll during the the pilot program will be eligible for the reduced rate while pursuing their chosen master’s at Excelsior, provided they maintain continuous enrollment. The pilot program will run from January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2013.

Excelsior has partnered and allied with a variety of community colleges as well as corporations like GE Renewables and veterans organizations such as the New York and California state VFWs.