Georgetown University is teaming up with Coursera to offer the online platform’s first liberal arts … [+]
Georgetown University and Coursera are teaming up to offer a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies, the first entirely online liberal arts degree on Coursera, the online learning platform and a pioneer of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCS).
The new program was announced in a blog post today by Betty Vandenbosch, Chief Content Officer at Coursera, who described the degree offered through Georgetown’s School of Continuing Studies(SCS) as “a bachelor’s completion program that offers an affordable, flexible way for adult learners to finish their degree.” She added that “We are honored to partner with Georgetown University, a leading U.S. institution known for producing mission-driven graduates from diverse backgrounds… Earning a degree from a top university like Georgetown can transform students’ earning potential, lives, families, and communities.”
The most recent on-campus cohort in the Georgetown program was composed of 62% students of color and 40% military-connected learners. Now, the program will be offered to students worldwide through the Coursera partnership.
The courses will be taught by Georgetown faculty and will be supplemented with student-support services, including academic advising. The curriculum includes core liberal studies courses as well as classes in job-relevant concentrations such as business, communications, and international relations.
The new bachelor’s program will not require any application fee or deposit. Students will be able to transfer up to 64 college credits, including military training, toward the program’s 120-credit requirement. Each credit hour is initially being priced at $400, which Coursera said is 22% more affordable than the average online credit hour from comparable private colleges.
Applications for the new program will open in early December, 2022. Classes are scheduled to begin in summer 2023.
“By partnering with Coursera, Georgetown will be better able to serve a critically overlooked population of learners that fall outside the traditional model of 18- to 22-year-old, residential undergraduate students,” says Kelly Otter, Ph.D., dean of Georgetown’s School of Continuing Studies. “We must meet this sizable and growing population where they are by providing access and affordability—on top of the world-class, values-based education that Georgetown already offers. Whether they are career changers, military-connected individuals, or those interested in later advanced degrees, this program empowers more students to finish their bachelor’s degree, but also transform their lives.”
Now, in its tenth year, Coursera has built a massive catalog featuring more than 5,400 courses, 3,400 guided projects, and 125 certificates, many of which are entry-level professional certifications. The new Georgetown BA is its 40th degree program; most of the other programs are at the Master’s level in computer science, engineering, business, and data science.
The platform continues to extend its scale, with more than 113 million registered learners, 21 million of whom are in the U.S. Year-over-year, worldwide registrants grew by 23% in 2022. Among its U.S. students, the average age is 34, and 51% are female.
The company’s partners now includes more than 175 universities as well as more than 100 companies across the world, offering content for college students, government workers, and private businesses.
