Penn Foster offering upper level courses?!

[4dkids]

I recieved word today from Tom in the workforce customer service that Penn Foster college has chosen to move in to the Bachelor level. He is to return a call to me on Monday as to the upper level courses to be offered in Sept. or Oct. Keep you posted.

[BrandeX]

I just hope they are also ACE reviewed, or you won't be able to transfer them to any of the big 3

[ShotoJuku]

It's about time that PFC moved the bar upward and offered bachelors degree programs!!

[ShotoJuku]

Here's a little bit more info.....

[SIZE="3"]Bachelor, Master degrees in Penn Foster College's Future[/SIZE]

I came across a press release from Penn Foster College today while looking for something else online. At first, I didn’t see anything that looked all that newsworthy. It mentioned Penn Foster’s ownership and name change, which actually happened earlier this year. But as I read further, I came across a piece of info I had never seen before.

It was a quote from Penn Foster College’s new CEO, Stuart Udell. According to Udell, bachelor and master degree programs are in Penn Foster College’s future. Currently, Penn Foster College offers only associate degrees while Penn Foster Career School offers vocational diploma programs. However, bachelor and master programs likely won’t be offered directly through Penn Foster College itself.

"We have reviewed our options and are most interested in acquiring or merging with a campus-based institution offering bachelor degree programs,"said Udell, adding, "Our goal is to strengthen a regionally-accredited institution's traditional campus operation while adding a national and international distance learning component that would position the college or university as a nationally recognized provider of quality education."

It would be interesting to see a partnership between a nationally-accredited institution like Penn Foster College with a regionally-accredited university. It wouldn’t be the first time such an arrangement was made, but they are not common. This would provide an avenue for associate degree students at Penn Foster to continue their education at a regionally-accredited school.

Continuing from the news release…Dr. Richard Ferrin, President of Penn Foster College sees this as a unique opportunity for a traditional campus-based institution with the right mix of boldness and vision. "Capitalizing on our financial resources and marketing expertise," said Dr. Ferrin, "an institution will be in a position to provide campus-based and online students with a broader range of programs, flexible learning modes and accelerated study options.”

It sounds like the folks at Penn Foster have a particular college in mind to offer both bachelor and master degree programs. Obviously, it wouldn’t be another distance learning-only institution like Western Governors University or American Military University, both DETC accredited schools which also hold regional accreditation, because Ferrin mentioned they are looking for an institution which also serves campus-based students. Perhaps they are looking at other for-profit schools like the University of Phoenix or DeVry University, which do have campus-based operations as well as online programs.

No timeline was given for this expansion of Penn Foster College’s programs, but it’s nice to see these changes are on the horizon. I hope they are able to implement them while continuing to offer low-cost, self-paced options to distance learning students.

[BrandeX]

So... It's past monday

What was the word?

[ShotoJuku]

So... It's past monday

What was the word?

[COLOR="Navy"]
...Offered in Sept. or Oct......[/COLOR]

[BrandeX]

[COLOR="Navy"]
...Offered in Sept. or Oct......[/COLOR]

Cleary, haha.

He is to return a call to me on Monday as to the upper level courses to be offered...

[cbrchris]

Little more info.... information is copied below. Both links have same story which is copied below.

Penn Foster College to Launch Two New Bachelor Degree Programs - MarketWatch

and

Penn Foster College to Launch Two New Bachelor Degree Programs - Forbes.com

Penn Foster College to Launch Two New Bachelor Degree Programs


Last update: 10:20 a.m. EDT Sept. 16, 2008
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Sept 16, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Penn Foster College, one of the nation's largest online colleges, will be launching two new Bachelor's Degree programs in Business Management and Criminal Justice at the end of September.
Penn Foster College has been offering Associate Degrees exclusively for more than 30 years and only recently decided to expand its programs of study.
According to Dr. Richard W. Ferrin, President of Penn Foster College, the institution has been receiving requests for more advanced degree for years. "Offering BA programs was a logical extension of our mission statement," said Dr. Ferrin, adding, "Students interested in the Bachelor's programs will have the same affordable, accessible, and flexible education as our Associate Degree students."
Dr. Ferrin points out that the Bachelor's Degrees are completion programs. Students must have an Associate Degree or a minimum of 60 college credits from an accredited institution. Students without the minimum requirements can enroll in Penn Foster's Associate Degree programs and then transfer their credits to the Bachelor's program.
Penn Foster College has more than 24,000 active students worldwide. Students study independently and, in many cases, more quickly than a traditional college. The college is ideal for those who have family and employment obligations. Penn Foster also offers individual financial plans to match students' needs and financial resources. To learn more go to Penn Foster College - Associate College Degrees.
About Penn Foster, Inc.
Penn Foster College is part of Penn Foster Inc. ( http://www.pennfosterinc.com), a global leader in distance education. For more than 117 years, Penn Foster has been providing career-focused training programs in the fields of healthcare, business, and technology. Penn Foster College ( http://www.pennfostercollege.edu), based in Scottsdale Arizona, offers an alternative to traditional classroom attendance with its 20 online Associate Degree programs in health, business, technology, and engineering.
CONTACT: Thomas O'Keefe
570-961-4600
thomas.okeefe@pennfoster.edu
Vice President, Business Development

[ShotoJuku]

[SIZE="4"]Excellent PFC [COLOR="navy"]News!!

Look for their website www.pennfostercollege.edu to be updated on October 1st.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[gus]

Edit: I must've missed the thread above before making a completely redundant post. My apologies. Thanks for merging.

Penn Foster will apparently start offering Bachelor level degrees in October:
My Penn Foster College Experience : Penn Foster to Offer Bachelor Degrees

Unfortunately, I gathered that they have also announced price hikes, raising the cost of credit for their Associate programs to $90. I think it would be safe to assume that the industrial division will charge similar/same amounts.

On the upside, this could mean relatively cheap upper level courses if they get them ACE reviewed. More options for the masses.

They will be starting with two programs, Business Management and Criminal Justice, so there won't be as many upper level courses as we would have liked to see but it's still promising.