WILLIAM WOODS INTRODUCES COURSES

Southeast Missouri State University isn't the only four-year school offering college courses in the Bootheel. William Woods University, which serves over 1,000 students on its Fulton campus, is venturing into the Bootheel.

The formerly all-women's college is bringing three degree programs to the Bootheel.

Williams Woods, a private college, is offering a master's in education degree program in Chaffee. Classes will be held at Chaffee High School, beginning Wednesday.

The Fulton school will offer a master's in business administration program at the New Madrid industrial park for employees of Associated Electric and Noranda Aluminum. That program is slated to start in late October.

The school will provide lap-top computers to students in the MBA program. After they complete their course work, they can purchase the computers for a nominal price, school officials said.

In addition to classes at Chaffee and Malden, Williams Woods plans to offer classes in Poplar Bluff.

The school wants to offer a bachelor of science degree in management.

"All of the programs are designed to meet the needs of full-time working adults," said John Dubinski, the school's associate dean in charge of graduate and adult studies.

Classes are offered in the evenings or on weekends.

Dubinski said the school identifies a group of adults who want to earn a particular degree and then offers the program a course at a time.

A minimum of 15 students is needed to begin a course.

"We limit each group to 25," Dubinski said. The classes involve a lot of discussion and application of knowledge.

More than 20 people are signed up for classes in Chaffee and 25 are signed up for classes in New Madrid.

Dubinski said Williams Woods decided to offer the class in Chaffee at the urging of a teacher there.

William Woods currently offers degree programs at 14 sites in the state, not counting the Southeast Missouri sites.

The school has about 540 people enrolled in its two off-campus master's degree programs and another 175 in its undergraduate degree program.

By next semester, the university expects to have 1,000 students enrolled in courses at their off-campus sites.

Dubinski said the outreach effort has been successful. "More and more working adults realize a need for more education," he said.

The cost ranges from $150 a credit hour for an undergraduate program to as much as $290 a credit hour for a graduate program.

A master's degree program can be completed in 80 weeks and a bachelor's program in about 70 weeks.

The university uses a lot of adjunct faculty. They hire practicing professionals to teach the outreach classes. They must have at least five years of work experience in the subject they are teaching.

Dubinski said Williams Woods is moving into offering courses over the Internet too.

Persons wishing information on the programs offered by William Woods can contact the school at 1-800-995-3199.