New England College Launches Degree-completion Program

HENNIKER, N.H. — This January, New England College will launch a new degree-completion program that focuses specifically on individuals who want to advance their careers in health care. The Baccalaureate Completion program in health care will offer the working healthcare professional an opportunity to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration in as little as 18 months, completely on-line.

“Over the past few years, we have been running very successful master’s-level programs on site in hospitals and health care facilities across New Hampshire,” said Richard Keating, dean of NEC’s School of Graduate and Professional Studies. “We observed that many staff in this profession either held an associate’s degree or completed some college, and wanted to have a flexible opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree. We created this flexible program to serve this audience both locally and nationwide.”

The online component to the program features courses specifically structured for ease-of-use on the Internet. The courses use an on-your-own-time Web-based learning platform that creates a virtual classroom with student and instructor interaction, discussion boards, and assignment venues. The online component is complemented with an optional summer session that will meet in July on NEC’s Henniker, N. H. campus. This component provides students with an opportunity to accelerate their degree completion process.

The program aims to provide students with the skills to understand current organizational theory and apply it to contemporary health care issues, identify leadership qualities unique to the health care professional and recognize current public and community health issues and their impact on healthcare leaders.
Classes will run in eight-week terms beginning in January 2005.