CSCC’s Advance Program is Coming to Monroe County!

Holly Vincent
Friday, May 31, 2019 12:00 AM
All

CLEVELAND, Tenn. – Exciting news for working adults in Monroe County! Starting this fall, Cleveland State Community College will now offer these students the opportunity to earn their Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree in Business in 16 months at the Monroe County Center. An information session on this program has been scheduled for Tuesday, July 30 from 5-6:30 p.m. at the CSCC Monroe County Center located at 121 Grand Vista in Vonore from 6-8 p.m.

The Advance Business program is the college’s accelerated program that offers students a quick and convenient way to obtain a college degree. This option is suitable for highly motivated and mature adults that are seeking an A.A.S. in Business. Many business students obtain their A.A.S. in 15-18 months at Cleveland State and a bachelor’s degree in two additional years at a selected four-year college or university.

“I really enjoyed the program and only had to go one night a week,” stated former Advance Business student Liz Mathurin. “I had such great classmates and instructors. They were patient and kind, very nice people…I had such a good experience.”

According to Candice Patterson, Associate Professor/ Director of the Advance Business Program, the majority of Advance students are working adults who thrive in this program because they are enrolled with their peers, those with similar responsibilities and obstacles. “Since students go through all of their classes as a group, they form incredibly strong bonds and connections. At times, we have even seen these connections lead to job opportunities and / or job advancement.”

The schedule for the Advance program is so accommodating that the majority of students are able to work and go to school.

Mathurin stated, “Although the work load is heavy, it is only one night a week, which gives you a lot of flexibility to try to manage your time at work and still get your school assignments done.”

According to Patterson, the common factor for all Advance students is the relentless pursuit of a degree and the willingness to do what it takes to be successful. The benefits of the Advance Business program include attending class one night a week, completing the degree in a fast-paced format and working with the same group of students throughout the program.

“I loved the timing of this program,” stated Travis Torbett, former Advance student. “It really fit into my schedule. With a full-time job, two daughters, a wife and a lot of other activities going on, just having to come to class one night a week helped fit into my schedule, and the curriculum was excellent for my current job at work.”


In a recent survey conducted of Advance students, 46 percent said that during the program, they had received a raise or promotion, which 62.5 percent anticipated receiving further incentives upon graduation.

Cleveland State also offers the Tennessee Reconnect Scholarship, a scholarship for adults to earn an associate degree or technical certificate, tuition-free. In addition, CSCC has recently added many new and convenient scheduling options that are specifically designed for adult students, such as evening, weekend and online classes, as well as block scheduling.

For more information on the Advance program, contact advance_business@clevelandstatecc.edu or call (423) 478-6245 or (423) 884-2338. For more information on the Tennessee Reconnect, contact Natalia Williams at (423) 478-6217 or email her at nwilliams@clevelandstatecc.edu.