|
Troy expands area’s access to post-grad education
By Jessica Johnson
Contributing Writer
Another opportunity for graduate education will come to the Charleston area this fall.
Troy University, based in Troy, Ala., plans to open one of its University College centers in the Fairfield building on Gardner Road off Sam Rittenberg Boulevard.
The Charleston site will open its curriculum with a Master of Science in Management program because business degrees are usually the most popular with working adults, said David White, director of Troy’s southeast region.
Troy began in 1887 as a teacher’s college under the name Troy State Normal College. In 2004, the school voted to change its name from Troy State University, which it had been known by since 1969, to Troy University.
In the 1950s, Troy began offering classes at military installations near Fort Rucker in Dothan, Ala., and Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala. The two programs were the beginning of the school’s University College program, which now features 60 physical locations in 17 states and 11 nations.
“We are committed to move into areas where we think working adults would be interested in coming to our school,” White said.
The Charleston site will be the 13th campus in Troy’s southeastern division.
“Charleston is beautiful and there is definitely an interest and a need here. It’s always good to have more educational opportunities for folks,” said Lisa Bennett, director of Troy’s Charleston site.
Troy’s University College programs offer a full line of undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Classes are offered year-round on nights and weekends, as well as on the Internet, White said.
“I’m a graduate of Troy and it’s the only way I could do it of course, because I work in the daytime and classes are offered in the evening,” Bennett said.
An aggressive student could complete a master’s degree in as little as 14 months, she said.
The classes at Troy’s satellite campuses are on an accelerated schedule of 10-week terms. Classes requiring additional contact hours will be offered on Friday, Saturday and Sundays. Troy usually limits graduate students to no more than two courses a term.
Troy allows students to chose whether to take night or weekend classes or a mix of both, Bennett said.
Internet classes will also be available, but White said graduate students generally like to take their classes on site.
The home campus is typical university with students, a football team, cheerleaders and a marching band. The University College centers offer a physical location for classes or for online students who need additional services.
“You have someone in town, a campus in town if you have problems or issues to deal with, instead of just an e-mail or a toll-free number to call,” White said.
While Troy offers a full line of two-year, four-year and graduate degree programs, the Charleston site will focus primarily on graduate programs, Bennett said.
The need for graduate education in the area is well documented. The Lowcountry Graduate Center in North Charleston opened in 2001 to offer graduate programs by pooling the resources of several area universities.
“There are higher educational opportunities there, but the market isn’t saturated,” White said.
A group of people is interested in Troy’s Master of Criminal Justice program, Bennett said, and she expects to add that program to the Charleston site next. She also plans to explore adding Troy’s graduate programs in public administration and in human resources management.
People from the Charleston area showed interest in Troy before the announcement of the Charleston center’s opening. Troy also has a site at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, S.C.
“They get queries from the Charleston area every once in awhile,” White said.
White expects the center to open for classes in October. His goal is to recruit 50 active students during the first year.
For now, the center will occupy three suites, totaling about 4,000 square feet, in the Fairfield building. Bennett and White said the current site leaves room to grow.
“We’ll get a sense of the market while we are there and we are going to add additional programs,” White said.
|
E-Mail This Article
Printer-Friendly Version