The University of Wisconsin System began accepting applications Monday for the Flexible Option Degree Program, a service that will help adult students receive college credit in nontraditional ways.
The program was announced in June 2012 to help individuals learn new skills needed for the current job market by breaking down the traditional barriers of obtaining a UW college degree.
Its self-paced, competency-based format will allow adults to obtain an online degree while still balancing work and family schedules, Ray Cross, the chancellor of UW Colleges and UW Extension said at a press conference Monday.
Cross also explained the ongoing need for college degrees in the current workforce, noting only 30 percent of Wisconsin residents currently have college degrees, and by 2025, it is expected 60 percent of jobs will require them.
According to Cross, although there are no direct relationships between students and professors, the Flexible Option Degree Program will be just as rigorous as a typical UW course.
“Essentially, if you know it, and you can do it, and you can prove it, then you can earn a UW degree,” Cross said.
The program will address skills that are lacking in the Wisconsin workforce, according to Barb Daley, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee College Nursing professor and Dean for Academic Affairs. She said Information Technology, Business and Health Care are a few degrees the program will focus on.
Aaron Apel, an employee in the Registrar’s Office at UW-Madison, submitted his application at the press conference, distinguishing himself as the first official applicant.
