Florida Gulf Coast University is keeping its commitment to offer more educational opportunities for working adults in Charlotte County with the launch of a pilot degree-completion program. The program, known as FGCU Complete, enables people with a year-and-a-half or more of college credit to pursue an FGCU bachelor’s degree. The FGCU Complete Charlotte County pilot starts in October.
“We are enthusiastic about expanding our presence in Charlotte County and enhancing our service to its citizens,” said FGCU President Mike Martin. “The completer program, to be offered in collaboration with Florida SouthWestern State College, will, we believe, meet a real local need while serving as a model for similar applications elsewhere in the region. It could also serve as a platform for offering more comprehensive undergraduate and graduate programs.”
Three degree programs are part of FGCU Complete: Bachelor of Arts in Integrated Studies, Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Entrepreneurship Studies, and Bachelor of Science in Resort and Hospitality Management.
“These three degrees are ideally aligned with Southwest Florida workforce needs. Furthermore, the multidisciplinary approach of these degrees—which combines courses across programs—provides flexibility and adaptability well-suited to adult learners’ unique academic and professional needs, making these majors perfect for degree-completion,” said Dr. Paul Thornton, executive director of continuing education at FGCU.
The Charlotte County pilot courses will be offered in eight-week terms instead of the traditional 16-week semester at FGCU. Beginning in the spring of 2019, FGCU Complete will formally launch across Lee, Collier, Hendry, Charlotte and Glades counties. FGCU Complete is pending approval of The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
“Our overarching objective is to provide adults, especially working adults, a means to expand their horizons and be more productive members of the local workforce,” Martin added.
Students interested in the Charlotte County pilot program are invited to attend an information session at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 29, in the FGCU Herald Court Centre at 117 Herald Court in Punta Gorda.
For more information, contact FGCU’s Office of Continuing Education at (239) 745-4700 or email [email protected].