Thousands of dollars can potentially be saved by students who take some of their courses off campus through CSU-Pueblo’s Division of Continuing Education Colorado Springs program.
Undergraduate student tuition is the same as on campus tuition at $161.65 per semester credit hour and graduate student tuition is $190 per semester credit hour. The difference is that the CE program does not collect all the extra fees– over $50 per semester credit hour—a ssessed to students on campus, which could add up to a savings of $6,000 for 120 credit hours.
However, most students in the CSU-Pueblo Colorado Springs programs already have 80-90 credit hours from various places of higher education, so there is no historical evidence of a student taking 120 credit hours through the off campus program, CE Dean James Malm said.
Holly Nordholm is the Colorado Springs sites coordinator for CSU-Pueblo’s CE program. As coordinator, Nordholm acts as an adviser, assists with financial aid and works as an admissions counselor for students.
Nordholm, a graduate of CSU-Pueblo, said it is rewarding to help people and she likes the affordable tuition of the CE program.
According to Nordholm, enrollment for all the Colorado Springs program classes for the fall semester is 644. She said about half of the students are from the general population and the other half are from a military background, with the majority of students being women.
This fall, almost 50 classes are being taught at the Citadel, Fort Carson and Peterson AFB locations. Classes are offered mostly at night and on weekends to accommodate working adults, Nordholm said.
Also, two-way conferencing technology is enabling some master of business administration courses from the main CSU-Pueblo campus to be viewed in live streaming at the Citadel location.
Nordholm is the wife of a career soldier. She is familiar with the hardships active duty military lifestyle has. Her husband has been deployed to Iraq four times and she said she empathizes with the difficulties students in the military encounter while seeking to complete their degrees.
Michelle Wesolowski is the Fort Carson site manager for CSU-Pueblo’s CE military program in the Colorado Springs area. She handles the administrative part of it. She has been a military spouse for 18 years. Her husband is currently stationed in Guam.
Lee Ann Wade is the education adviser for the Colorado Springs area Air Force, Navy and Army for CSU-Pueblo’s CE military program. Wade handles the enrollment part of it. She said she has a love for the military and for higher education. Her sons are graduates of military institutions.
Courses leading to baccalaureate degrees in liberal studies (elementary education), history, social science, social work, sociology and sociology with an emphasis in criminology are offered through the CE Colorado Springs program. Also, the master of business administration degree has just been added to the program.
Classes are taught in eight-week sessions, creating the ability to complete twice as many courses each semester. The accelerated pace is an attractive option for individuals seeking to complete their degrees, program advisers said.
More information about any of these programs may be obtained by contacting [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected][P10] [KD11] .
