Among "Best" and "Most Affordable" Online

 

July 2014

Rowan University has been named one of “the best online colleges in America” and among the “most affordable” online institutions by two independent rankings sites for the 2014-15 academic year.

 

The sites, bestcolleges.com and OnlineU.org, respectively, compared only accredited colleges and universities that offer full academic programs online.

 

Bestcolleges.com ranked Rowan 17th out of 50 colleges and universities on the basis of acceptance, retention, graduation and enrollment rates.

 

The site noted Rowan’s wide range of online offerings from across seven academic disciplines and programs including a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities/Social Science, an RN to BSN hybrid degree, 11 Master of Science and Master of Arts degrees, two education-oriented doctorates, and more than a dozen certifications and endorsements.

 

Four-year schools included in the survey had to offer at least one fully online bachelor’s degree.

 

Including Rowan on its list of the most affordable online schools, OnlineU.org cited a wide and varied list of web-based programs. Rowan, through the College of Graduate and Continuing Education (CGCE), offers 29 online and hybrid program options, from certificates to bachelor’s degrees to doctorates.

 

The site noted a “low net price” overall, regional accreditation, and such valuable programs as a Master’s degree in Engineering Management (the site’s #2 ranked engineering degree), a Master of Business Administration (the site’s 20th ranked MBA program) and the site’s 28th most affordable teaching degree.

 

CGCE Founding Dean Dr. Horacio Sosa said offering online education can be a challenge for both students and educators, but many students, especially adults and non-traditional learners, prefer it because of the convenience and flexibility.

 

“For many students, the option to study online and off-campus is a great one because it enables them to pursue or complete a degree program while meeting the demands of a job and/or raising a family,” Dr. Sosa said.

 

He said the most recent rankings are gratifying because Rowan is relatively new in online education, and because they reflect Rowan’s commitment and investment of resources to maintain high quality curricular standards and support.

 

“Converting course content from in-class to online poses technological as well as pedagogical challenges. We are grateful for the work of our faculty and staff for producing courses and programs that are being recognized well beyond our state,” Dr. Sosa said. “Our goal is to deliver the highest quality education both online and in the classroom and to do it affordably.”

 

Kim Wetter of SR Education Group, the Kirkland, Wash. company that produces OnlineU.org, said 532 public and private colleges and universities were reviewed for the first annual “most affordable” survey.

 

She said OnlineU.org is a non-profit web site for which no advertising is accepted.

 

“We wanted to provide clear, unbiased information and help shift the conversation from the high cost of higher education to which colleges are offering an affordable online degree,” Wetter said.

 

The latest rankings add to the growing body of recognition Rowan has received. In the last five years, Rowan has jumped 10 places in U.S. News & World Report rankings for Regional Universities (North) category, which includes universities that primarily offer undergraduate and master’s level programs. For 2014 Rowan ranked third among public universities in its category and tied for 18th in its category overall.

 

U.S. News ranked Rowan’s College of Engineering 33rd nationally and 12th in its category among public universities.

 

The University for 2014 also ranked #2 for veterans in its category in the first such survey by U.S. News.

 


Rowan University Nursing Program Heads West

 

July 2012

The R.N.-to-B.S.N. program at Rowan University continues to grow, adding new locations for health care employer-based cohorts — the latest about 2,500 mile west of the Glassboro campus.

 

For the last four years, Virginia Wilson, M.S.N., R.N., has been crafting, developing and growing a program at Rowan to provide educational opportunities for South Jersey nurses to earn their bachelor’s degree, adding the letters B.S.N. after the R.N. they already have achieved.

 

The R.N.-to-B.S.N staff and faculty now work with more than 400 students in South Jersey, offering classes at Rowan, Gloucester County College, Camden County College and four regional health systems in four counties: Virtua, Shore Memorial, Cooper and Underwood-Memorial

 

Earlier this year, Wilson unveiled Rowan’s nursing program in Palo Alto, Calif., coordinating classes for the prestigious Stanford University Medical Center and its nearby affiliate, Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital.

 

The first cohort, with 15 students, began in January.

 

While that is considerably smaller than the groups in South Jersey, it holds promise for future endeavors outside of the Delaware Valley and is a testament to what Rowan has developed.

 

To teach the classes, Rowan has retained three adjunct professors — all Stanford nurses, with specialties in leadership, quality and advanced practice. They hold onsite classes in Stanford’s Center for Education with the support of and overseen by their director, Suzanne Taylor, M.S.N., R.N. “They all actively practice in the areas they teach,” Wilson said.

 

Wilson began work on the Stanford offering in May 2011 in conjunction with Taylor, whom she had known from professional organizations and conferences. “We had discussed how to deliver the R.N.-to-B.S.N. program in a format other than online or video, which is more typical,” Wilson said.

 

Taylor asked Wilson to present the Rowan program to the nursing leadership at Stanford, and they were very receptive.

 

“We’re another delivery mode,” Wilson said. “Nurses enjoy the face-to-face contact and direct communication with their professors. Long-practicing nurses are not always interested in online classes. There’s a level of concern for the technology and losing the face-to-face contact.”

 

The first cohort, which also includes Stanford-area nurses not affiliated with the hospital, already has taken three of its nine required nursing classes: Comprehensive Health Assessment, Health Care Policy and Finance, and Ethics in Healthcare. Students also have to complete general education requirements, which they may do at local community colleges or online via Rowan prior to earning their Rowan nursing degree.

 

Wilson said Stanford is exploring starting a second cohort for the program, which usually takes 20 months to complete. “Stanford’s interest is high for a continued relationship with Rowan’s nursing department,” she said.

 

The Rowan administrator does not expect the California-based program to be the last one Rowan coordinates outside of New Jersey. “If the demand is there, I can conceive of us offering this elsewhere as a strong alternative to solely online or video programs. It has been well received, the students enjoy their classes, and the feedback has been very positive.”

 

Rowan University founded the R.S.-to-B.S.N. program in 2003 in conjunction with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey to help meet the increasing educational demands of and on nurses. The R.N.-to-B.S.N. program today stands as an independent program at Rowan and is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 530, Washington, DC, 20036., (202) 887-6791.

 

The R.N.-to-B.S.N. program is designed for RNs with an associate’s or diploma degree who want to complete their bachelor’s degree and possibly go further with their education. The program focuses primarily on undergraduate studies, offering two graduate-level classes that provide a steppingstone for nurses who want to pursue a master’s degree in their field. A part-time offering that can be completed in as little as 20 months (121 credits), the R.N.-to-B.S.N. program allows students to stay in their professional positions while attending classes.

 

For more information about the R.N.-to-B.S.N. program, visit www.rowanonline.com/programs/rn_bsn or call (856) 256-4747.


Rowan University Nursing Program Earns Accreditation

 

June 2012

The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) recently accredited the baccalaureate program (R.N.-to-B.S.N.) at Rowan University for five years. According to CCNE, the organization determined that the program met all four accreditation standards and did not exhibit any compliance concerns related to key elements. The standards include mission and governance, institutional commitment and resources, curriculum and teaching-learning practices and aggregate student and faculty outcomes.

 

Rowan’s R.N.-to B.S.N. program comprises more than 400 students attending classes at Rowan; Gloucester County College; Camden County College; four South Jersey regional health systems in four counties (Virtua, Shore Memorial, Cooper and Underwood-Memorial); and Stanford University Medical Center and its nearby affiliate, Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto, Calif. Courses also are offered online and in hybrid formats.

 

Virginia Wilson, M.S.N., R.N., oversees the nine-year-old program, which is designed to help meet the increasing educational demands of and on nurses. The R.N.-to-B.S.N. program is designed for registered nurses with an associate’s or diploma degree who want to complete their bachelor’s degree and possibly go further with their education. The program focuses primarily on undergraduate studies, offering two graduate-level classes that provide a steppingstone for nurses who want to pursue a master’s degree in their field. A part-time offering that can be completed in as little as 20 months (121 credits), the R.N.-to-B.S.N. program allows students to stay in their professional positions while attending classes.

 

For more information about the R.N.-to-B.S.N. program, visit www.rowanonline.com/programs/rn_bsn or call (856) 256-4747.

 

The baccalaureate program (R.N.-to-B.S.N.) at Rowan University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 530, Washington, D.C., 20036 (202) 887-6791.


U.S. News & World Report Honors Rowan Online Grad Programs

 

March 2012

U.S News & World Report acknowledges what thousands of students a year already know: Rowan University offers exceptional online graduate programs.

 

The prestigious publication recently cited the Rohrer College of Business, College of Education and College of Engineering at Rowan in several areas, including those listed below.

 

Rohrer College of Business MBA program:

No. 1 in New Jersey for Faculty Credentials and Training (31st in the nation) No. 2 in New Jersey for Student Engagement and Accreditation (31st in the nation) No.2 in New Jersey for Student Services and Technology (134th in the nation)

 

College of Education No. 1 in New Jersey for Student Engagement and Accreditation (28th in the nation)

 

College of Engineering No. 1 in New Jersey for Student Engagement and Accreditation (19th in the nation)

 

Rowan’s College of Graduate and Continuing Education (CGCE), founded just six years ago, oversees the online graduate programs in partnership with the University’s six academic colleges (Business, Communication, Education, Engineering, Fine & Performing Arts, and Liberal Arts & Sciences).

 

The Rohrer College of Business, College of Education and College of Engineering all have national reputations and are accredited. AACSB International (the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) accredits the Rohrer College of Business, which also earned accreditation for its Management Information Systems program from ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology). The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education accredits the College of Education, whose programs have met the national guidelines of numerous professional organizations. ABET accredits the College of Engineering. Additionally, U.S. News ranks the College of Engineering 16th in the nation (seventh among public schools) among all colleges and universities whose engineering programs offer a bachelor’s or master’s degree as their highest degree.

 

The awards for the online programs are an important new achievement for those colleges.

 

“Rowan University has spent several years honing its online offerings to meet the needs of today’s traditional and non-traditional students,” said Dr. Ali Houshmand, interim president of Rowan University. “While our students are our most important ‘evaluators,’ we are honored to be recognized by such a prestigious publication as U.S. News & World Report in its inaugural assessment of online programs.”

 

And students indeed have been enthusiastic about Rowan’s offerings.

 

During a given year, the college offers more than 1,000 courses to more than 13,000 students (includes traditional on-campus graduate, summer session, online and off-campus courses). In CGCE, the RN-to-BSN program alone has grown about 700 percent in just a few years, and it now offers classes at four health systems and Gloucester County College, as well as at Rowan.

 

Steve Jagels, 38, is one of the students benefitting from an online graduate program at Rowan.

 

A technical manager for Precision Polymer Engineering, headquartered in England, the Pine Hill resident started in the online MBA program last summer.

 

“I think it really meets my needs for good business education without the hassle. They make it easy to get a good education for a good value,” said Jagels, 38, who earned B.S. in molecular biology from Tulane University.

 

CGCE primarily serves the adult student population, including college graduates pursuing graduate or doctoral studies, former college students taking classes to complete their bachelor’s degree and employees seeking professional development. Rowan offers traditional-format graduate-level (including post-bac and doctoral) courses for part-time and full-time students. The school also offers non-traditional format courses and programs from undergraduate through doctoral levels online, off-site, on Saturdays only, in an accelerated timeline or some combination of these. Rowan also offers professional development and personal enrichment non-credit courses, workshops and seminars.

 

Through CGCE, Rowan currently offers more than 55 graduate, seven post-bac, one doctoral, three dual degrees and four undergraduate degree completion programs.


 

Rowan University Online Website Survey

 

October 2011

 

 

Rowan University Online is carrying out a short, anonymous survey to help improve our new website. It should only take 5 minutes to complete. We appreciate and look forward to your feedback.

 

 

 

Click here to take the survey.


 

GRE & GMAT Prep Courses

 

July 2011

 

 

The College of Graduate & Continuing Education (CGCE) will be offering six-session preparation courses to prepare students for the GRE and GMAT tests.

 

 

 

Fall 2011 classes are currently forming. To receive updated information about upcoming GRE and GMAT courses, please click on the desired course below and fill out the form.

 

 

 


New Sustainable Engineering (COGS)

 

February 2011

 

 

The Rowan University, College of Engineering recognizes the increasingly important need to introduce sustainable development concepts to students and working professionals and has therefore established a new Certificate of Graduate Study in Sustainable Engineering scheduled to begin fall 2011.

 

 

 

Don't wait until fall to get started. Register now for the course being offered this summer and get a glimpse of this innovative program while earning graduate-level credits that may be applied toward the certificate of graduate study. Click here to learn more about the program.

 

 

 

For more information on the entire Sustainable Engineering Certificate of Graduate Study program please contact us.

 

 

 

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