Raj Soin College of Business creates degree completion program for nontraditional students

Michelle Foxx enrolled in a program offered by the Raj Soin College of Business that helps nontraditional students return to complete a bachelor’s degrees in business.

Wright State’s Raj Soin College of Business has developed a new program to help nontraditional students complete a bachelor’s degree in a personalized and timely manner.

The program helps students who have been away from college for several years by completing a personalized graduation planning strategy for their bachelor’s degree. The strategy provides tuition assistance, tutoring and the Fresh Start program, which resets their GPA if beneficial.

“We’re trying to make degree completion a little smoother for students,” said Thomas Traynor, professor and chair of the Department of Economics.

“The College of Business values them as students and knows that they have a lot to contribute to our campus and college community,” said Amanda Spencer, assistant director of academic advising and enrollment management at the college. “We want to show how much we value them by providing these resources and programs to help make their transition as seamless as possible.”

Benefits of completing this program include improved employment and earnings opportunities.

Census Bureau statistics indicate that individuals with a bachelor’s degree in business earn an average of $23,325 more annually than individuals without a bachelor’s degree. The unemployment rate for individuals with a bachelor’s degree is approximately 50 percent below the unemployment rate.

Nontraditional students have benefited from the tutoring they received through the program while at Wright State.

“These benefits made it possible for me to earn my undergraduate degree in finance — for example, proactive advising, tutoring and tuition assistance,” said Michelle Foxx, who completed the program. “Tutoring was helpful for me because I had not been to school in a few years. I had to learn self-discipline for studying again.”

“The magnitude of my appreciation cannot be expressed with words,” said Foxx. “I hold the Business Degree Completion Program with high regard. I encourage business majors to take advantage and utilize the benefits.”

Students who participate in this program must have at least a 2.5 GPA to receive tuition assistance. Applying for financial aid is required and students must present their previous college transcripts.

The program is designed for students who have been out of college a minimum of three years and have earned 30 credit hours.

For additional program information, contact Thomas Traynor at 937-775-3070 or thomas.traynor@wright.edu.

For admission information, contact Amanda Spencer at 937-775-2415 or amanda.spencer@wright.edu.