One of GC’s proudest accomplishments is its high-ranking graduate programs. Many of its online graduate programs are included in U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Online Programs” national rankings.
These programs provide students who might be balancing employment or other outside obligations with a more cost-effective option to earn their graduate degree. According to U.S. News & World Report, these rankings are a reflection of the faculty credentials and training, services and technologies available to students, student engagement and expert opinion on the academic quality of programs.
The GC business, education, and criminal justice online graduate programs are ranked in the top 100 nationally. These qualifications include the programs being predominantly virtual and not requiring in-person attendance for the classes.
The GC online graduate programs offer its virtual students unique opportunities to further their education outside of the classroom.
Dr. Michael Stratton is the dean of the College of Business and Technology here at GC. He thinks that one of the factors that differentiates GC from other schools is its individualized attention to students.
“Even our master’s in management information systems program has premium student support hours on a weekly basis,” Stratton said. “Because it’s an asynchronous program, this gives them synchronous attention.”
This personalized education is what sets GC apart from other schools. The online class range for these graduate programs is from 20 to 40 students so that each student can get that individualized education experience.
Cassie Napier is the graduate admissions recruiter at GC. She thinks that for their students to be successful, they need that personal interaction with their industry-leading faculty.
“That personalized interaction and the networking of both knowing their faculty and their faculty knowing them and making connections is something that distinguishes us quite apart from other schools,” Napier said.
The students in these programs are also able to get their degrees while saving both their time and money by being able to take these classes virtually.
According to Stratton, the faculty coordinators for each of the graduate programs are the point of contact for the students in the programs. They use their jobs as educators to pay it forward to the students currently enrolled in these programs.
“In addition to our full-time faculty, we have exceptional part-time faculty who teach in the graduate programs,” Stratton said. “These are experienced practitioner experts with advanced degrees in their field.”
One of the unique graduate programs offered at GC is the Double Bobcat Pathway. It is a program that allows college undergraduates to begin taking graduate-level courses while they are still in their undergrad. The credits taken go toward both the student’s undergraduate and graduate credits.
This allows them to accelerate the amount of time it would take to earn their master’s degree, which is very beneficial in today’s competitive job market.
Baylee Browning is a junior biology major who just got admitted into the biology Double Bobcat Pathway.
“It’s a really great thing to put on applications,” Browning said. “Plus, I’ll be getting credits for my master’s and undergrad at the same time, so it’s a no-brainer.”
At GC, 24 online graduate programs are offered, one of the most popular of which is the nursing program.
Ranked at No. 1 in the state, the GC online nursing program offers its students a wide variety of skills and knowledge that they can use in the workforce. The online nursing programs offered at GC vary from a concentration in Nurse Educator to Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner and more.
Josie Doss is a professor and director for GC’s School of Nursing. She thinks that something that sets the GC nursing program apart from others is its Simulation and Translational Research Center.
“It is an accredited center where they can do standardized patient experiences or high-fidelity mannequin experience that will help them practice their skills in a safe and controlled environment,” Doss said.
GC offers its students a variety of different graduate programs to choose from that can take their education to the next level. The experiences they gain and skills they learn, whether virtually or in person, will make it so they are fully prepared for when they graduate.
