Adult Education

Universities make it easy for grown-ups to advance.

At these two institutions of higher learning, education doesn’t stop when you reach your 20s – far from it!

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY WISCONSIN

For Alonzo Williams, Concordia University Wisconsin is a ticket to the future.

Williams, 46, has been a student at Concordia’s Miller Park Way campus since 2013. He’s in the school’s Adult Accelerated program, and his progress has been rapid. He got his undergraduate degree in 2015, and he’s aiming for a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership Administration this spring.

The Accelerated program offers certificates and associate, bachelor’s and graduate degrees in a variety of areas, the school says, and classes meet one night a week so students can fit in work and family life.

Williams is a union steamfitter and a crew leader, a good paying job in these parts, he says, but a few years ago he and his wife, Jacyna, started talking about relocating down South, where the pay for steamfitters can be much less. He decided more education would help him qualify for management jobs down there – or at Milwaukee Public Schools, where he’s now employed.

Jacyna was already taking health care management courses at Concordia, and Williams found the university was generous with credits for his training in the military and during his apprenticeship. That let him finish an undergraduate degree in just two years, with the help of the GI Bill.

Now in his graduate studies, he’s taking a challenging load of classes, on top of his full-time job at MPS, and he’s developed the habit of coming in to study on the days he doesn’t have classes. “I really love this campus,” he says. “They make you feel like family. I’ll come in and they’ll say we’ve got your office set up in room whatever.”

He says the Accelerated program is “a little fast-paced, but like anything, you can get acclimated to it.”

MOUNT MARY UNIVERSITY

Another local university helps adults meet the challenges of returning to school.

For many adults, the idea of going back may be overwhelming. Mount Mary University is on a mission to address their concerns and to help them realize that finishing their degree or getting an advanced degree is more achievable than ever.

Challenge No. 1: “I don’t know if I can find classes that fit my schedule.”

Many higher education institutions offer convenient classes on nights and even weekends. In addition, accelerated classes like those in Mount Mary University’s MBA program are available in an eight-week format instead of taking a whole semester. There are also programs such as Mount Mary’s RN to BSN Nursing Completion program which can be completed entirely online or done in a hybrid of online and on-campus classes.

Challenge No. 2: “It’s going to take me too long to get my degree.”

Students who continue their undergraduate education at Mount Mary can transfer up to 72 credits from a two-year or technical school. And there’s no limit to the number of credits to transfer from another four-year institution. Credits completed at the graduate level can also be reviewed for transfer into a graduate degree program.

Challenge No. 3: “I don’t know if I can afford to go back to school.”

Mount Mary awards 100 percent of incoming, full-time undergraduate adult students a scholarship. Graduate students can also apply for scholarships, graduate assistantships and loans. Plus, corporate partner discounts at area partner companies allow employees to receive grants or tuition discounts in select academic programs in addition to potential tuition reimbursement programs at your company.

To learn more about continuing your education at Mount Mary University, visit mtmary.edu/adult.