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New Online Bachelor’s Degree Programs – May 2020

Arizona State University (ASU), Drake University, Fordham University, the University of Rhode Island (URI), and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) are among the accredited, non-profit schools that have recently announced the launch of new online bachelor’s degree programs. Among these online programs are Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BS) programs in fields that include technological leadership, journalism and mass communication, real estate, communication studies, and personal finance. All of these programs are currently accepting applicants.

Arizona State University (ASU) – Online Bachelor of Science (BS) in Technological Leadership Program

The Interplanetary Initiative at Arizona State University (ASU), an interdisciplinary initiative that aims to train the next generation of space explorers, announced the launch of its first degree program in November of 2019. The program is a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Technological Leadership program that provides training and instruction in the process of solving difficult technological problems through coordinated research projects that drawn on knowledge and proficiencies from a number of different disciplines. The 120-credit undergraduate program is designed to be completed in three to four years and consists of 40 college-level courses. It is offered at ASU’s Tempe campus through traditional classroom-based instruction and in an online format that requires the completion of an in-person internship. While the online BS in Technological Leadership offered by ASU does not require students to have completed prior college credits, applicants are required to meet a number of high school prerequisites, including: four years of mathematics; three years of lab sciences; two years of social science; and one year of fine arts or career/technical education.

Drake University – Online Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Journalism and Mass Communication Program

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Iowa’s Drake University will begin offering a new online Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Journalism and Mass Communication program in the fall of 2020. It is one of five new academic programs the university is launching this year. These include a graduate certificate in real estate program, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Cybersecurity program, and a Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence program that are offered in a traditional, campus-based format, as well as a Master of Science (MS) in Health Informatics and Analytics program that is offered online. The online BA in Journalism and Mass Communication program is designed for students who have already completed their undergraduate general education credits through prior college-level coursework, or through an associate degree program offered by an accredited community or junior college. Housed in Drake’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, the program includes 44 credits of core coursework in journalistic writing, digital and multimedia journalism, media research and analysis, theories of mass communication, and media law, as well as 30 credits of electives.

Fordham University – Online Bachelor of Science in Real Estate (BSRE) Program

New York’s Fordham University recently announced that it will be offering a new Bachelor of Science in Real Estate (BSRE) program online through its School of Professional and Continuing Studies (PCS). The 124-credit program gives undergraduate students the opportunity to study real estate markets, learn about property development, and cultivate an understanding of real estate law, economics, accounting, finance, investment, and valuation while completing their bachelor’s degree. Students can transfer into the program with up to 75 credits of prior college-level coursework and are given the option of taking all of the programs required courses online or attending in-person evening and weekend classes at Fordham’s Lincoln Center, Rose Hill, or Westchester campuses. The program will also incorporate real estate networking opportunities for enrolled students.

The University of Rhode Island (URI) – Online Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Communication Studies Program

The University of Rhode Island (URI) is now offering a new online Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Communication Studies program with start dates in the summer, spring, and fall. The program enrolled its first cohort of student in May of 2020. Designed as a bachelor’s completion program, the program requires applicants to have completed a minimum of 45 credits of undergraduate coursework at an accredited postsecondary institution prior to enrollment. The Communication Studies program then requires students to take a minimum of 36 credits of coursework in the Communication Studies major, including courses in public speaking, interpersonal communication, research methods, rhetoric, and communication theory. In addition, students can take electives in public relations, web-content design, social-media management, and other communication specializations. URI’s online bachelor’s programs use an accelerated format, offering courses during seven-week terms six times per year, which allows for the completion of the Communication Studies major in one to two years, depending on the number of courses students opt to take per term.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) – Online Bachelor of Science (BS) in Personal Finance Program

The University of Wisconsin-Madison recently launched UW-Madison Online, an initiative designed to provide adult and other non-traditional students with accessible online instruction and degree programs. Among the first programs to be offered by UW-Madison Online is a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Personal Finance program. The 120-credit bachelor’s completion program, which has a curriculum designed and administered by UW-Madison’s School of Human Ecology, is set to enroll its initial cohort of students in the fall of 2020. Applicants to the program are required to have completed a minimum of 24 transferable college-level credits prior to enrollment. Students in the program study principles of financial planning and development, and take courses in risk mitigation and insurance, taxation, and investments and retirement planning. In addition, the BS in Personal Finance curriculum includes several courses that can prepare graduates to sit for the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) exam.