Published August 2002

Cogswell’s management degree for working adults

By Kimberly Hilden
SCBJ Assistant Editor

When Henry Cogswell College was developing its bachelor of science in professional management program, it was with the working adult in mind.

As part of the degree-completion program, professional management classes are held once a week — a four-hour block in the evenings. And they are facilitator driven rather than lecture driven to encourage lively discussion among classmates — and take advantage of their cumulative experience.

“You have to remember that most of the adults in this program, they’ve worked in the workplace. They know what’s going on, and they bring their experience into the classroom,” said Charles Claytor, director of the degree completion program at the Everett-based college.

Led by a facilitator, an expert in the field he or she is teaching, students are presented with an issue, which then leads to student participation and an opportunity for students to see how their peers handle situations within their own organization, Claytor said.

Along with this give-and-take, the two-year program also focuses on writing and communication skills, Claytor said.

“In every course, (students) have to write,” he said. “Some like that, some don’t, but if you want to be a successful manager, you have to be able to write and communicate effectively.”

And that’s what the program aims to produce: successful managers.

Designed for people who are in management — or want to be — the program includes courses dealing with strategic planning, human resource management, group and organizational dynamics as well as finances and accounting.

“Most of our students already are primed for management positions or are in management positions and they want to move up,” Claytor said, noting that the average age of students in the program is 35.

Just 2 years old, the professional management program is still building its reputation, but enrollment has been good, Claytor said, with six sequences currently under way and a seventh set to begin Sept. 4.

“Students like the small class size,” he said, adding that they also like the cohort-based setup, which enables them to take classes with the same students from start to finish and also offers opportunities to build friendships with their peers.

To be accepted into the program, students must be at least 21 years old and have 30 or more hours of transferable college credit, Claytor said.

That 30-credit requirement is there to ensure the class load is manageable for students, Claytor said, as some will enter the program with more credits toward their bachelor’s degree than others.

“But if you have at least 30 (credits), it won’t completely take up all of your time,” he said.

Of the 120 credits needed for a student to graduate, 59 are covered by professional management courses, 47 fall under general education requirements and 14 are electives.

Professional management cohorts are limited to 20 students, and Cogswell College offers financial aid as well as tuition deferral, which works well for a student whose company typically pays for the tuition after the course is completed and a grade has been given, Claytor said.

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