Cascadia Community College in Bothell will begin classes Sept. 27, and with the start of the new academic year comes several new academic degrees and certificates specifically geared for people who are crunched for time.
Sharon Buck, dean for student learning, said Cascadia will now offer a data-warehousing certificate, a two-year associate’s degree in applied science in network technology and a two-year associate’s degree in integrated studies based solely on online courses.
“A lot of people want to get ahead, but they can’t figure out how to do that,” Buck said.
The three options could be just what busy individuals are looking for.
The database-design certification requires five courses and will take one year to complete, Buck said.
It is ideal for people who already have full-time jobs in integrated technologies.
“It’s not meant for beginners,” Buck said. “(It’s meant for) people looking to become managers in data fields.”
All of the classes needed for the certification are offered in the evenings to meet the needs of employed students. It requires one course in the fall, two in the winter and two in the spring, one of which is an internship component that could be combined with the student’s current employment, Buck said.
The network technology degree could also be ideal for someone working full time. This AAS-T degree requires seven quarters of study and no previous experience or knowledge is needed, Buck said.
“This one is targeted for career-changers,” Buck said.
The degree is part of Cascadia’s FleXpress program, which means the courses are offered evenings, Saturdays and online, which is optimal for people who work full time, Buck said.
She said many businesses are moving to networks, and because networking cannot be outsourced, this degree is considered a very solid background to have for those interested in integrated technologies.
“There’s not a decline in those opportunities,” Buck said. “The employment outlook is good.”
WorkFirst provides funding for low-income parents, and worker retraining funds are available to people who are on unemployment insurance or who have been on it during the last two years.
Also new at Cascadia this year is a two-year, transferable degree that fulfills many general requirements needed at four-year colleges. What makes this integrated-studies degree different than ones previously offered is that it can be earned solely through online classes.
Cascadia will offer English, math, science and other general education requirements online, with the only exception being for lab work in some science courses, Buck said.
“This is another option for people looking for other alternatives,” Buck said.
She said the creation of this online degree was a response to the number of students enrolling in online courses.
Busy schedules and the heavy traffic probably affect people’s decision to take classes online, Buck said.
“Commuting is becoming a bigger issue in people’s lives,” Buck said. Online options provide the necessary relief.
Many people are finding that they are able to communicate with the instructors and use college resources, so the quality of online classes does not differ from ones taught in a classroom, Buck said.
“They aren’t diminishing the quality of education, but they are diminishing the commute time,” she said.
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