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Beginning this fall, students at the University's four regional campuses will begin earning credits toward a new bachelor's degree that can be completed without transferring to a four-year institution.
The bachelor of arts in liberal studies degree (BLS) is the first offering of Palmetto Programs, administered by the University's Office of the Vice Provost for System Affairs and awarded by the Columbia campus. Faculty at the regional campuses will teach the majority of the upper-level courses in the BLS degree, which offers concentrations in arts and humanities, math and sciences, and social and behavioral sciences.
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| Chris Plyler |
"This is precedent-setting in that it's a Columbia campus degree earned by regional campus students," said Chris Plyler, vice provost for system affairs. "Our proposed tuition and fee structure for this degree--which still must be approved by the Board of Trustees--would make it among the least expensive bachelor's degrees in the state."
About 60 to 80 full-time students are expected to enroll in the BLS degree this fall at locations including the Lancaster, Salkehatchie, Sumter, and Union campuses, as well as Fort Jackson. Enrollment is expected to grow as the bachelor's of interdisciplinary studies degree is phased out on the regional campuses.
"The BLS degree will be a quality stand-alone degree and provide a foundation for graduate work," Plyler said. "We want our students to be critical thinkers and effective communicators, and the BLS degree will provide a foundation for that."
The BLS degree is expected to help increase student retention on regional campuses and attract students from throughout the regional campus communities who wish to earn a bachelor degree locally.
Currently, a limited number of degrees in education, business, and interdisciplinary studies have been offered at the regional campuses through Aiken, Upstate, and Columbia.
The BLS degree will feature a blend of distance education, Web-based, and face-to-face instruction.
"We have the infrastructure already in place for sophisticated distance education delivery in which the professor teaching a course originates in one classroom and is broadcast to multiple sites with live, real-time interactive video and audio," Plyler said. "It's a very efficient system that will help keep down the costs within this degree program."
Palmetto Programs, which has received approval through the state Commission on Higher Education and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, might propose more degree programs to regional campus students in the future.
5/07
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