Lipscomb Online makes education accessible around the world

Access to a Lipscomb University education is literally at your fingertips wherever you live across the globe.

Kim Chaudoin | 04/02/2019

Now students have more options for earning a Lipscomb undergraduate or graduate degree through Lipscomb Online, because of a significant university commitment to expand this program.Degree programs are designed to help students who are busy with careers and life complete degrees and achieve their dreams on their schedule.

“At Lipscomb Online we offer students the opportunity to earn the same high-quality academic degrees they would get on our campus, but with the flexibility to fit their busy lives,” says Nina Morel, dean of the online program. “Through a unique mix of innovative learning methods and strong support from academic coaches and one-on-one relationships with faculty coaches, we help students develop their own personalized learning plans, paced so it works for them. Students are also served by accessible, accomplished faculty who help students build an intentional foundation with a faith perspective.”

Morel said one of the hallmarks of the Lipscomb Online program is the care the program takes with their students. 

“Taking care of our students and helping them be successful in accomplishing their educational and life goals is very important to us,” said Morel. “We have a caring and compassionate team that supports our students every step of the way as we walk with them through this transformative experience.”

Lipscomb Online offers undergraduate programs in business leadership, data analysis, entertainment management, psychology, RN-to-BSN, strategic leadership, technology management and integrated studies; and graduate programs in business leadership, competency-based design, global leadership, performance coaching, strategic leadership and sustainability. Lipscomb University also offers a variety of graduate education programs and a Doctorate of Education degree in learning organizations and strategic change in online and hybrid delivery formats.

In each of the Lipscomb Online programs, students have the advantage of the university’s competency-based education program that awards college credit for specific skills and abilities they have learned in their careers. Students can earn up to 30 college credits through the College of Professional Studies’ CORE Competency Assessment Center.

"There are a number of options available to students,” says Ted Meyers, associate dean of admissions and enrollment services in the College of Professional Studies. “Lipscomb’s approach is unique because of its competency-based education component. Combine that with our online program and students find a flexible option at Lipscomb that helps them accomplish their educational goals in a way that is tailored to meet their needs more than a traditional online program. This program is a benefit to the ‘new normal’ adult who has a busy life.”

Lipscomb Online offers two formats for students: FlexPACE and SetPACE. FlexPACE is a subscription-based program through which students can take as many hours as they can complete in a six-month period. SetPace is a traditional online approach with a per-semester hour cost, that is a 50 percent discount from Lipscomb’s day-student tuition rate.

This past December, the first Lipscomb Online graduates celebrated the completion of their educational journeys.

Ryan Lawson (’18) is a senior network engineer at Dollar General Corporation, a husband, a father of two young children and a newly commissioned officer in the Tennessee Army National Guard. Though he had taken some college courses at other institutions, Lawson had never completed his bachelor’s degree.

“What motivated me to pursue my degree was my commission as an officer in the Tennessee Army National Guard,” he recalls. “I wanted to continue my education not only for myself and my family, but also for my brothers and sisters in arms standing next to me knowing that they would depend on my skills as a leader.”

As an officer in the National Guard, Lawson often travels, making the traditional pursuit of a college degree impossible. But he discovered Lipscomb’s FlexPACE program and knew that was the pathway for him to follow to complete his dream of a college degree.

“I chose the program because it allowed me the flexibility I needed to work at my own pace while being in multiple places all over the country,” Lawson says. “During my time in the program I was placed on Temporary Duty Assignment with the military, twice far away from Tennessee. So while attending college, I managed a full-time role as a network engineer, I was assigned as the S-6 (Communications/Information Technology Support) Officer in Charge of the 1-181st Field Artillery Battalion and juggled the role of being a father and husband to a very patient and understanding family. Yet I was still able to work with my professors to accomplish my goal and complete my degree from Lipscomb.”

“This is a huge stepping stone for me in moving forward and progressing,” says Lawson who began the program in Fall 2016. “It has also opened up so many other opportunities for me not only in my military career but in my civilian career that would have been closed without it. I am proud to have achieved this accomplishment as a first-generation college student in my family. I am paving the way for my children and setting an example for my peers and soldiers that no matter how old you are, or how much is on your plate, you can earn a degree.”

Beverly Richardson (’18) has worked as a dental hygienist for 26 years. In August 2017, she made a decision to make a career change. Although she says she has had a wonderful career, the profession has taken a physical toll and she began to consider what she wanted to do next. She knew that her next career move would mean she needed to complete the college degree she began more than 25 years ago. When she began to explore her options, Richardson says she discovered Lipscomb’s online degree option and its unique competency-based component.

“I chose Lipscomb’s program because of the CORE assessment program. I was able to combine the 24 hours received in the one-day assessment with previous hours transferred through the dental hygiene program,” says Richardson. “The online classes were not only the best way, but essentially the only way that I have been able to complete my degree. I have continued to work full time while completing the 18 hours remaining to earn my bachelor’s degree. I only took one class at a time due to financial restraints, and it was very manageable to do so while working.”

Richardson, who earned her Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in psychology, says “Lipscomb’s online program is extremely user friendly, and I had excellent communication with all of my instructors. Everyone I have interacted with in person as well as online has been supportive, patient and incredibly encouraging in helping me reach this goal.”

When Jenna Henderson (’18) came to Lipscomb University in 2003 she had her mind set on pursuing an undergraduate degree in journalism.

But after a few years of writing and working on the student newspaper staff, Henderson felt called to pursue photography — a major not offered by Lipscomb. She transferred to a local art college and completed an Associate Degree in commercial digital photography. Her photography business grew and she busied herself with her career. But in 2017 she learned about Lipscomb’s online program and decided to finish her degree by enrolling in the FLEXPace program.

Henderson got right to work once her term began and completed her first course in only eight days. She says she was “highly motivated by the flat rate tuition to complete as many courses as possible within each six month term, so that I could maximize the value of the program as well as avoid student loan debt.”

She earned the full 30 hours of college credit possible through the CORE Competency Assessment Center, cutting her work load nearly in half.

“I have an incredible feeling of accomplishment, both because something that was left unfinished is now complete, and because I was able to realize a difficult goal that many work long and hard for in such a short amount of time,” says Henderson, a wife and mother of two. “I would highly recommend this program to anyone who is self-motivated and flourishes in an autonomous environment. And to anyone considering finishing their degree, I would simply quote the line, ‘A year from now, you'll wish you had started today.’ It's been almost a year exactly since my impulsive decision to make an appointment, and while there were some times it might have felt like I'd never be finished, in the blink of an eye, one whole year has passed and now I have a completed degree.”

Learn more about how Lipscomb Online can help you reach your educational goals.