Raj Soin College of Business launches Degree Completion Program

A new program designed to expand the number of adults who return to college to earn a bachelor’s degree in business has been launched by the Wright State University Raj Soin College of Business with the support of DP&L.

The Wright State Business Degree Completion Program is aimed at Miami Valley residents between the ages of 25 and 45 who have completed at least 60 semester credit hours — with some credit hours in business — and want to return to college to complete their bachelor’s degree in business.

“The Raj Soin College of Business is committed to the development of graduates who are outstanding business professionals that improve society through excellence in business practices that improve economic and other community outcomes, particularly in Greater Dayton,” said Thomas Traynor, dean of the college. “This program will add to that.”

An analysis of U.S. Census data shows that between 25,000 and 30,000 residents of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area are between the ages of 25 and 45 and have at least 50% of the credits needed for a bachelor’s degree.

The gap between the average annual income of individuals with some college experience but no degree and those with a bachelor’s degree in business exceeds $25,000. For an individual who returns to college and earns a bachelor’s degree in business, the expected total income increase over 30 years is nearly $560,000.

While the Degree Completion Program will welcome anyone who has begun but not completed a bachelor’s degree program, it plans to target those who stand to benefit the most. The goal is to attract and enroll 10 students in the program during its first year and to add 20 to 30 new students per year after that.

A key factor in attracting larger numbers of students is Wright State’s planned Fall 2021 rollout or the next year of two online bachelor’s degree programs, in management and marketing, which will further remove barriers to degree completion for adults.

In support of economic and workforce development, Dayton Power & Light, a longtime university partner, has committed seed money at $35,000 annually for five years for the initiative.

The funding will support a wide range of individualized services and resources to help students stay on a steady track toward degree completion, including:

• Scholarships (up to $500 per semester)
• Schedule planning that includes off-campus obligations
• Reimbursement of public transportation expenses
• Unlimited tutoring hours
• Tutoring for business courses not normally covered
• Other unexpected support needs

More information about the program is available at wright.edu/finishyourbusiness.

Interested persons can also call the Raj Soin College of Business information line at 937-775-2437 or contact JoAnn Bevelhymer at joann.bevelhymer@wright.edu.