Most people have heard of the articulation agreements offered by many learning institutions, but Cleary University in Ann Arbor is set to launch a program in conjunction with Henry Ford Community College that includes a different spin. Generally, articulation agreements between two- and four-year schools require that one pay community college rates for the first two years (while enrolled at the community college) and university rates for the third and fourth years, typically referred to as a “two-plus-two” agreement. The new agreement between HFCC and Cleary University, however, offers students the opportunity to transfer to Cleary, a four-year college, and continue to pay the HFCC rates for the first three years.
“The new program that we are launching this spring is our Applied BBA Program,” said David Castlegrant, Cleary University’s Dean, College of Management, “and the Applied BBA curriculum is designed to provide the non-business student with a business degree.
“So, for example, if a student is in the health care field—radiologist technology, alternative energy, electricians, welders, art, science, it doesn’t really matter—once they complete that associate degree and take an additional 30 credits of courses at HFCC (at HFCC rates), they can then come to the Cleary University Applied BBA Program, which will be offered at Henry Ford Community College. You take the last 56 credits (56 quarter-credits equal approximately 30-credit hours) with us, and at the end of that time you have your BBA.”
The Applied BBA curriculum is designed to provide students with a convenient degree completion program in one of four areas of study: Applied Business Management, Applied Entrepreneurship, Applied Health Care Management and Applied Sustainability Management.
What is sustainability management? The term is relatively new, and the curriculum could lead to a management degree that helps people think green in business. For example, students learn how to heat and cool buildings efficiently, and even how to turn the lights to help a company save money.
“You have to have a business background in order to maneuver the waters of your career path…having a business background will enable you to sustain your employ-ability in these tough economic times,” added Castlegrant.
Many faculty and staff at HFCC will admit that having a business degree will help students go further in the work force today. “Complementary degrees are the new trend,” said Julie Evans, Admissions Advisor at HFCC and Cleary University. “By complementary I mean that an individual can have three separate and unrelated degrees—associate, bachelor’s and master’s in three different curriculums—but together the degrees complement each other and make the individual more marketable.”
The new Applied BBA Program can save students time and money, and it is tailored to meet the needs of working adults. In addition, the all-inclusive tuition has a locked-in guarantee, and the required textbooks are shipped directly to the student’s home or workplace, eliminating a trip to the school’s bookstore.
Admissions requirements for new students include: an associate degree or equivalent, a 2.3 GPA and $25 for the application fee, which will be waived for community college students from schools with an articulation agreement.
To learn more about this program, call 1-800-686-1883 or visit www.cleary.edu.