Columbus Monthly Special Section: Advanced Degrees

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Advancing Online Local higher education institutions have emphasized virtual learning for years to support adult students pursuing advanced degrees.

By Peter Tonguette

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Advancing Online

By Peter Tonguette

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Columbus Monthly MAY 2021

illustration: getty images

Local higher education institutions have emphasized virtual learning for years to support adult students pursuing advanced degrees.

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During the coronavirus pandemic, many colleges and universities have pivoted to online or hybrid models, but several Central Ohio institutions of higher learning have barely had to break a sweat over the transition.

To help adult students pursue advanced degrees, Franklin University, the Mount Carmel College of Nursing and Indiana Wesleyan University’s Columbus Ohio Education and Conference Center each are longtime players in virtual education. Online learning is one of several strategies the schools use to ease the burden on students seeking to balance their education with full- or part-time jobs, family obligations and other responsibilities.

We spoke with leaders at each institution about the various resources available—including flexible in-person experiences and tuition discounts—to help adults return to school.

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Franklin University Leaders at Franklin University aren’t shy about touting their home institution.

“Franklin is really a pioneer in online education, especially in Central Ohio,” says Sara Burris, the associate director of graduate admissions at the 119-year-old university geared toward serving adult students. “We have years and years of experience with this.”

Franklin offers 20 master’s programs encompassing everything from computer science to criminal justice and doctoral degrees in business administration, organizational leadership, health care administration and instructional design leadership.

To help make graduation attainable to its adult clientele, the school boasts a vigorous online component that dates back to long before the pandemic—so vigorous, in fact, that students are enrolled across the nation and around the world.

“There’s high flexibility with online learning, and you don’t have to go sit in the classroom,” Burris says. “If there are recorded lectures, students can go back and watch those recorded lectures.”

At present, each of the doctoral programs are administered online only, while some popular master’s programs, such as business administration, include in-person options engineered for those with busy schedules. “If students feel they need that classroom experience, we do have evening classes that run one night per week from 6 p.m. to 9:40 p.m.— when COVID is not happening,” Burris says.

With an average age for master’s students around 30 and doctoral students around 35, Franklin’s graduate programs cater to those who are seeking to advance their career prospects, whether through a promotion in

their existing job or a complete change in their profession. Burris points to the example of someone who might have earned a businessoriented bachelor’s degree but now finds themself working in human resources.

“Maybe they want to tack on an HR master’s degree to really hone those skills,” Burris says. “We feel that a master’s degree is kind of the new bachelor’s degree.”

Doctoral students are usually seeking to become an expert in their chosen field. “They want to do this for personal satisfaction,” Burris says. “They’ve always just wanted a terminal degree, or they want to teach for a university.”

Alert to the unique financial needs of students juggling academics and careers, Franklin offers scholarships up to $5,000 for master’s students and $9,000 for doctoral students. A tuition freeze remains in effect, and application fees at the master’s and doctoral level have been eliminated. The school also works with employers that have tuition reimbursement policies. “The student can pay us after the employer pays them,” Burris says. “We offset their tuition until they get that check, and then they can pay us.”

Many faculty members are in the same boat as students, with one foot in school and the other in “the real world,” as Franklin hires its professors based on their actual experience in a given field. “If you’ve done research your whole life, you’re not going to be a fit at Franklin,” Burris says. “A lot of our projects and curriculum content goes directly to what is involved in industry experience.”

Indiana Wesleyan University At its main campus in Marion, Indiana, Indi-

ana Wesleyan University operates as a traditional university. But, thanks to a series of education centers in its home state as well as nearby Ohio and Kentucky, the institution has considerable contact with adults seeking advanced degrees.

Offering master’s programs in 10 fields, ranging from business to nursing to religious and theological studies, IWU’s Columbus Ohio Education and Conference Center is located in Hilliard. These days, however, the facility itself functions more as a resource for students than a destination, according to Gregory Bond, the associate vice president of adult enrollment.

“Columbus is one of our larger centers that we have for on-site courses,” says Bond, adding that many of its master’s programs are online-only.

Yet there are advantages to pursuing a virtual education at an institution that retains a physical presence in a student’s area, including, in the case of Indiana Wesleyan, access to its library services. Plus, studies show that students embrace the arrangement.

“Research shows that 6 out of 10 [students] select an online institution in which they live within 50 miles of the facility,” Bond says. “Even though it’s online modality, having that presence there in the community does drive an increased enrollment.”

The school has expertise in managing adult students’ career responsibilities with their educational commitments; students take just a single six-to-eight-week class per term.

Bond, in his late 40s, is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in business administration, one of four online doctoral programs alongMAY 2021 Columbus Monthly

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side education, organizational leadership and nurse practitioner.

“The program is very conducive to the working professional,” says Bond, whose own program features synchronous elements—that is, Zoom-meeting style classes with live interaction with faculty—as well as “asynchronous” elements wherein work is completed and submitted independently on students’ time.

“The good thing about the DBA program is it’s a blend of both,” Bond says. “Typically we have weekly Zoom meetings with the instructor, about an hour long, to talk about the research, ask your questions, get feedback. Then the asynchronous component is … doing your work on your own.”

For programs that feature in-person components, sessions take place one day per week in the evening, usually around 6 p.m., and are designed with predictability in mind.

“We like to keep that day locked in for the duration of their program,” Bond says. “If it’s a Wednesday evening, we like to say, with a 95 percent accuracy, we’re going to have this same evening throughout their program, so that they can know what to expect and their employer will know what to expect.”

Leaders recognize that costs can drive students’ decisions, making Indiana Wesleyan’s relationships with local businesses especially appealing. “We have hundreds of partnerships where we are able to provide a discount for our students,” Bond says, referring to tuition discounts for individuals working for a particular employer who wish to further their education. Other financial aid opportunities, including scholarships, are available.

Mount Carmel College of Nursing At Mount Carmel College of Nursing, educators are accustomed to saying goodbye to graduating students—but only for a short while.

Upon earning a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the college, which is affiliated with Mount Carmel Health System, some 68 percent of students say they intend to return for graduate-level education, according to Jami Nininger, the associate dean of academic affairs.

“It’s pretty common that they will go out into the workforce and then return,” Nininger says. “We have students who come back immediately—they pursue right after they finish their bachelor’s degree—[and] others feel there’s benefit in getting some realworld experience before they come back for advanced-degree options.”

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Mount Carmel offers a trio of master’s degree programs, each of which can be completed in 18 months: adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner, family nurse practitioner and nursing leadership-clinical operations. Online learning is blended with face-to-face instruction, including immersive experiences that, during the pandemic, have been reimagined to take place in concentrated periods, rather than spread out over time, to minimize the number of times students must travel to campus.

“Those types of experiences are when we’ll bring students on campus to really give deliberate practice to skills that they may not have gotten in their prior programming,” Nininger says. “We’re really helping get those higher-level competencies for those learners, but instead of short bursts, it’s an all-day-long, or a couple-day-long, type of classroom, clinical, lab and simulation types of experiences.”

Helping students balance their work, family and educational responsibilities is a top priority.

“We’ve done a lot of intentionality to make sure that there is balance,” she says.

“Students may take three classes in a given semester, but they’re never taking more than two classes at once.”

The college offers a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, which can also be earned in 18 months. “It has three specialty areas: We have academic leadership, clinical practice and health care executive,” Nininger says.

“It’s 100 percent online.”

Scholarships and tuition reimbursement programs with health care agency partners (including Mount Carmel Health System) are available.

“There continues to be strong interest in nursing,” Nininger says. “Even though we were innovative before [the pandemic], it challenged us to look at ways that we can continue to evolve in our innovation.”

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Graduate’s Guide An overview of the graduate and doctoral programs available in Central Ohio; tuition rates are in-state for the 2021–22 academic year and do not include room and board or fees, unless otherwise noted.

Compiled by Marlie Griffith

Ashland University Columbus Center

Capital University

1900 E. Dublin-Granville Road, Columbus; 614-794-0803; ashland.edu Status: Private Religious affiliation: Brethren Church Advanced degrees offered: Master’s degrees in arts in American history, business administration, education, fine arts, health risk communications and science in applied exercise science; doctoral degrees in leadership studies and nurse practice Program length: One to five years Tuition: All-inclusive tuition, one-year international MBA and online accelerated programs, $33,900; all other MBA programs, $860/ credit hour; master of education, $570/credit hour; executive doctorate in leadership studies, $965/credit hour; DNP, $695–$710/credit hour Accreditation: Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs

1 College and Main, Columbus; 614-2366011; capital.edu Capital University Law School, 303 E. Broad St., Columbus; 614-2366500; law.capital.edu Trinity Lutheran Seminary at Capital University, 2199 E. Main St., Columbus; 614-2366856; capital.edu/trinity Status: Private Religious affiliation: Lutheran Advanced degrees offered: Main campus: master’s degrees in education, music education, business administration and nursing; doctorate of nursing practice; CULS: master’s degrees in taxation and legal studies; juris doctorate; TLS: master’s degrees in divinity, theological studies, youth and family ministry and sacred theology Program length: Varies

Tuition: Master’s programs (including Trinity Lutheran Seminary), $624–$676/credit hour; doctoral programs, $950–$1,367/credit hour Accreditation: Capital University, Higher Learning Commission; Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada

Columbus College of Art & Design 60 Cleveland Ave., Columbus; 614-2249101; ccad.edu Status: Private Religious affiliation: None Advanced degrees offered: Master of Fine Arts in visual art; forthcoming Master of Professional Studies in retail design (pending accreditation; expected to launch January 2022) Program length: MFA, two years full-time; MPS, one year full-time or two years part-time

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Learn more about all of our graduate programs at www.mccn.edu/academics, or call 614.234.1085.

MAY 2021 Columbus Monthly

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Tuition: MFA, $36,500/year; MPS, $25,000/ year full-time or $12,500/year part-time Accreditation: MFA, The National Association of Schools of Art and Design, The Higher Learning Commission; MPS, The National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Ohio Department of Higher Education, The Higher Learning Commission (pending)

seling ministries, practical theology, social justice; doctor of ministry Program length: Two to three years (master’s programs); four years (doctorate) Tuition: Master’s programs, $885/credit hour; doctorate, $19,500 if completed in four years Accreditation: Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada

Franklin University 201 S. Grant Ave., Columbus; 614-7974700; franklin.edu Status: Private Religious affiliation: None Advanced degrees offered: Master’s degrees in accounting, business analytics, business psychology, computer science, criminal justice administration, cybersecurity, data analytics, health informatics, health care administration, human resource management, informational technology, instructional design and learning technology, marketing and communication, nursing (including MSNFNP), public administration, business administration; doctorates in business administration, organizational leadership, health care administration, instructional design leadership Program length: 14–20 months (master’s programs) Tuition: Master’s programs, $670/credit hour; doctoral programs, $748/credit hour Accreditation: The Higher Learning Commission

Indiana Wesleyan University Columbus Education Center 3455 Mill Run Drive, Ste. 550, Hilliard; 614-529-7550; indwes.edu Status: Private Religious affiliation: Evangelical Christian Advanced degrees offered: Nearly 40 master’s programs in dozens of subjects, including business, education, religion, nursing, hard and soft sciences, and more; doctoral degrees in business, education, health sciences, organizational leadership and nursing Program length: Typically two to three years Tuition: $470–$617/credit hour Accreditation: The Higher Learning Commission, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Methodist Theological School in Ohio 3081 Columbus Pike, Delaware; 740-3631146; mtso.edu Status: Private Religious affiliation: United Methodist Church Advanced degrees offered: Master’s degrees in divinity, theological studies, coun-

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Mount Carmel College of Nursing 127 S. Davis Ave., Columbus; 614-2344266; mccn.edu Religious affiliation: Catholic Advanced degrees offered: Master of Science degree program options: adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner, family nurse practitioner, nursing leadership-clinical operations, psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner; Doctor of Nursing Practice with three track options: leader in clinical practice, executive leader, executive academic leadership Program length: 18 months Tuition: Master’s programs, $582/credit hour; doctoral programs, $722/credit hour Accreditation: The Higher Learning Commission

Ohio Christian University 1476 Lancaster Pike, Circleville; additional locations in Chillicothe, Columbus, Grove City and Lancaster; 855-628-4723; ohiochristian.edu/adult-degree-programs Status: Private Religious affiliation: Wesleyan tradition Advanced degrees offered: Master’s degrees in leadership, ministry, business administration; dual MBA/MA in ministry degree Program length: Two years Tuition: $338–$530/credit hour Accreditation: The Higher Learning Commission, Teacher Education Accreditation Council, Ohio Department of Higher Education

Ohio Dominican University 1216 Sunbury Road, Columbus; 614-2514615; ohiodominican.edu Status: Private Religious affiliation: Catholic in the Dominican tradition Advanced degrees offered: Master’s degrees in English, TESOL, theology, business administration, education, physician assistant studies and sport management Program length: 16–18 months (most programs) Tuition: $540–$939/credit hour Accreditation: The Higher Learning Commission, Ohio Department of Higher Education

Ohio State University 250 University Hall, 230 N. Oval Mall, Columbus; 614-292-6031; gradsch.osu.edu Status: Public Religious affiliation: None Advanced degrees offered: 127 master’s degrees, 101 doctoral programs and 26 certificates in 114 subject areas Program length: Varies Tuition: $719–$4,037/ credit hour Accreditation: The Higher Learning Commission

Ohio University Dublin Integrated Education Center 6805 Bobcat Way, Dublin; 614-367-9371; ohio.edu/dublin Status: Public Religious affiliation: None Advanced degrees offered: Combined Master of Science and dietetic internship; Doctor of Nursing Practice Program length: Varies Tuition: $334–$628/credit hour Accreditation: The Higher Learning Commission

Otterbein University 1 S. Grove St., Westerville; 614-823-3210; otterbein.edu/gradschool Status: Private Religious affiliation: United Methodist Church Advanced degrees offered: Master’s degrees in allied health - healthcare administration, allied health - exercise and health science, athletic training, business administration, education, educational mathematics, teaching, nursing; Doctor of Nursing Practice Program length: Two years (most master’s programs) Tuition: Most programs, $570–$662/credit hour; nursing programs, $630–$1,052/ credit hour Accreditation: The Higher Learning Commission, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Pontifical College Josephinum 7625 N. High St., Columbus; 614-8855585; pcj.edu/theology Status: Private Religious affiliation: Roman Catholic Advanced degrees offered: Master of Divinity; Master of Arts in Theology Program length: Four years Tuition: $41,015 (including room and board) Accreditation: Association of Theological Schools, The Higher Learning Commission, Ohio Board of Regents

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