CHESTER and MIDLOTHIAN, Va. – Students who require more flexible scheduling, who cannot travel to campus, or who simply prefer online learning now have even more choices at John Tyler Community College. Starting this fall, students will have the opportunity to complete five degrees completely online. The degrees include General Studies, Liberal Arts, Business Administration, Business Management, and Criminal Justice.
“We know many students have jobs and significant family responsibilities that limit their ability to attend on-campus classes,” says Dr. William “Bill” Fiege, vice president of academic affairs. “Online courses enable students to learn at times convenient to them. The technology is advanced, and students are expected to learn the same course outcomes as the equivalent on-campus classes. A common misperception is that online classes are at your own pace. They are on your own schedule, but students need to understand that assignment deadlines still apply.”
The General Studies, Liberal Arts, and Business Administration degrees are transfer programs, designed to parallel the freshman and sophomore years of baccalaureate programs. Students who graduate from one of these programs have the ability to seamlessly continue their educations through guaranteed admissions agreements John Tyler has with more than 30 four-year colleges and universities. A complete list of those agreements may be found at www.jtcc.edu/transfer. Tyler’s Business Management and Criminal Justice degrees are designed to prepare students for entry into the workforce; although, some four-year universities will accept these degrees for transfer as well. For students who prefer in-person class time, all five degrees will continue to be attainable through a combination of course formats, including on-campus, hybrid (taught partially online and partially in the classroom), and online. To find out more about the classes required for these degrees, visit http://www.jtcc.edu/academics/online-degree-programs/, and click on the link for the degree in which you are interested.
To find out more about what’s involved in taking online classes, the College is offering a new Student Development course (SDV 101) entitled Orientation to Online Learning. This one-credit course fulfills the institution-wide student development course requirement and is an excellent way to learn more about online learning while simultaneously meeting your student development requirement.
Students ready to get started in one of Tyler’s new online programs or who are interested in any of the College’s other degree or certificate programs may sign up for fall classes now. Go to www.jtcc.edu, and click “Getting Started at Tyler” for step-by-step information on how to apply, how to get placed into a program, and how to register for classes. A complete list of the courses being offered may be found at www.jtcc.edu/schedule.
John Tyler Community College is the fifth largest of the 23 community colleges in Virginia. With campuses in Chester and Midlothian and off-campus classrooms throughout the area, John Tyler offers quality and economical opportunities for students who want to earn a degree or certificate, transfer to a four-year college or university, train for the workforce, or switch careers. The College, which served nearly 14,000 students during the 2013-14 academic year, offers 18 associate degrees, seven certificates, and 36 career studies certificates. The institution also serves more than 13,000 non-credit trainees and over 1,000 companies and government agencies annually through the Community College Workforce Alliance.