Are you an adult who started college but for whatever reason, never finished earning your degree?
Rogers State University can help.
Through Reach Higher, working adults with some college credit can finally complete their education by using existing college credits and – with the help of a program coordinator – develop a custom degree completion program that works with their schedule.
A program coordinator like Ronna Hatley.
“Reach Higher is an initiative that was started by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education,” said RSU Reach Higher Coordinator Ronna Hatley. “The program was put together for people who had 72 hours of college credit but who had never completed their degree.”
Reach Higher offers affordable eight-week classes, on-campus and online class options, flexible course schedules, multiple enrollment periods throughout the year, and a Bachelor of Science in organizational leadership upon graduation.
“Reach Higher entails two paths of study: FlexFinish, which offers the option to finish an associate degree in enterprise development or a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership,” Hatley said, “and DirectComplete, designed to help adults with some college credit complete a degree linked to a critical occupation as designated by Oklahoma Works’ Oklahoma’s 100 Critical Occupations list.”
Hatley said Reach Higher participants are typically adults in their 30s or 40s who are seeking to elevate their personal or professional potential through a college degree.
“Some people come to us (about the program) because they just want to finish their degree. It was something they were never able to do and they had always wanted to, but for most of them, it’s because without a degree, they can’t advance in their jobs,” she said. “They have a good job, a job they like, but they’re unable to get promoted or advance because of their lack of a college degree.”
Since 2007, RSU has been one of only nine universities in the state which offers the Reach Higher Adult Degree Completion Program.
To be considered for the program, candidates must be at least 21 years old, have earned a minimum of 72 hours of college credit with a minimum 2.0 GPA, and have completed some general education requirements.
For those needing additional financial assistance, a Reach Higher Finish Line Scholarship is available to eligible adult students.
“As many of our adult students pay for their education either out of pocket or through loans, being able to assist them financially is a great help to them,” Hatley said.
For more information about RSU’s Reach Higher program, contact Hatley at 918-343-6819 or [email protected], or visit www.rsu.edu/ReachHigher.
For information about Reach Higher at the statewide level, visit www.reachhigherok.org.