Alverno Launches New Accelerated Bachelor's Degree Program

May 19, 2020

Alverno College is launching Alverno Accelerate, an accelerated, affordable and flexible pathway to earning a bachelor's degree in three or fewer years. Designed for working adults who may be juggling a family and a career, the program is open to women and men and is offered completely online. All previously earned college credits will transfer, regardless of subject matter.

“Our goal is to prepare highly skilled, critical-thinking, mission-centered professionals ready to fill the region's employment and leadership needs,” says Kate Lundeen, vice president for Enrollment Services, noting that recent national student data shows that almost 700,000 Wisconsinites have earned some college credit but have not completed a degree. “Alverno pioneered adult learning more than 40 years ago, so we're well-positioned to reimagine the ways in which we offer opportunities for meaningful experiential learning.”

Grounded in Alverno's abilities-based curriculum, Alverno Accelerate will advance the work of the college's strategic plan, which aims to support workforce development in southeastern Wisconsin and beyond.

Based on the number of credits already earned, Alverno Accelerate students will be placed in one of three levels: beginning, intermediate or advanced. Each level is 40 credits, for a total of 120 credits. Learning activities and projects are applicable to individual career goals, and all work will be done with a faculty coach and core group of fellow students. Five program starts per year allow for maximum flexibility.

“By centering learning upon activities that are connected and immediately applicable to the real world, students will be intellectually engaged and professionally challenged,” says Patricia Lewis, Ph.D., director of Alverno Accelerate and associate professor of religious studies. “Graduates of Alverno Accelerate will be designers of and leaders in a complex and evolving world.”

The program is accepting applications now. To learn more, visit alverno.edu/accelerate.