Newswise — The University of Illinois at Chicago has launched a new program that will allow community college students to finish their bachelor’s degree on UIC’s campus. Starting in the fall 2019, students who qualify can earn a bachelor of business administration, or BBA, under UIC’s College of Business Administration.

UIC will continue offering its BBA completion program online.

“Making the BBA available both on-campus and online allows the college to more fully engage with Chicago-area community colleges, which are the primary pipeline for current BBA program students, as well as transfer students for campus-based programs,” said Angela Prazza Winters, assistant dean, UIC Business Student Services.

While a traditional bachelor of science degree focuses specifically on one field of study, the Bachelor of Business Administration Degree Completion Program centers on preparing students in all aspects of running a business, including economics, MIS, business strategy and operations.

“We hope to attract students who are completing their general education work at local community colleges who want a business education, but may not be interested in one of the bachelor of science degrees,” Winters said.

There is a need for a program that allows a student to gain business acumen and also be able to add additional areas of interest to their degree, Winters said. “The campus-based BBA students will also have the option to choose a minor within the college or in another UIC college.”

Winters said the BBA program may also appeal to people who have reached a ceiling in career advancement due to the lack of a completed bachelor’s degree, or to businesses that want a mechanism to offer employee development benefits.

Application deadline for the on-campus degree-completion program is March 1.

All business programs are accredited by AACSB, the top accreditation organization for business schools; only about five percent of the business schools worldwide — including about 30 percent of U.S. business schools — have this distinction.

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