CIU Today Fall 2017

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ACADEMICS
CIU Adds Online Business Degrees
Joe has been working at the big home improvement store for
years. Lately he has been feeling a twinge in his back when
doing the heavy lifting. And he’s not getting any younger. How
long can he stay on this job? Will he ever get promoted to one
of those office positions with more pay and less stress on the
body? His wife keeps asking him if he’ll move on to a more
stable career. But he knows his resume is short on the kind of
business education he needs to see any change, and quitting
his job to go back to college to get an advanced degree is out
of the question.
It’s for people like Joe that Columbia International University is
now offering three business degrees entirely online including
a Master of Business Administration (MBA), the first graduate
degree to be offered by the CIU College of Arts & Sciences.
The other two online degree programs are Associate of Arts
in Business and the Bachelor of Science in Business. These
degrees are the first undergraduate programs offered entirely
online by CIU.
Associate Provost for Online Studies, Dr. Brian Simmons, says
CIU is making an affordable business degree available to
people who are looking for upward mobility in their careers.
“We have a robust online set of business options for adults
regardless of their current educational backgrounds,” Simmons
said. “For a lot of people what is holding them back in
advancement of their careers is a degree.”
The Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a 36-hour
online graduate degree that can be completed in as little as
18 months. The Associate of Arts (AA) with a concentration in
business is a 60-hour online undergraduate degree that can be
completed in 30 months, and the Bachelor of Science (BS) with
a business major is a 120-hour online undergraduate degree,
which after successful completion of the AA degree, can be
completed in an additional 24 months.
Simmons says in addition to the programs being taught with
excellence at an affordable cost, they align with CIU’s mission
to educate from a biblical worldview.
“We offer quality programs that are a good value taught by
people who are experienced and outstanding in their fields, as
well as devoted followers of Jesus Christ,” Simmons said. “We
also look at the learning objectives within every course, making
sure they align with our values as a university and are consistent
with principles found in the Bible.”
Simmons adds that people in a variety of professions benefit
from the new online business degrees because of the
leadership and life skills taught in a business
program.
“Virtually everything in our world revolves around
business,” Simmons said. “I can’t think of an area
where business principles are not important.”
So whether your name is Joe or Jane, and you
need to advance in your career, CIU has an
expanding list of online degrees to fit your needs.
See for details. Or contact the Admissions
Office at (800) 777-2227,
New CIU president, Dr. Mark Smith, is unveiling
numerous new initiatives to increase the
enrollment and mission impact of CIU. He is
excited these new business programs will expand
the CIU footprint.
“With God’s help, this is the beginning of great
days ahead,” Smith said.
“We offer quality programs that are a good
value taught by people who are experienced
and outstanding in their fields, as well as
devoted followers of Jesus Christ.”
–Dr. Brian Simmons
Associate Provost for Online Studies
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ACADEMICS
CIU Today Fall 2017