Online Associate’s Degree Programs Available at Cowley College
Cowley College appears in our ranking of the Top 20 Affordable Associate’s in Entrepreneurship Online.
Cowley College offers accredited degree programs for students in Kansas and other states. Though the college’s online learning platform, students can earn Associate of Arts (AA), Associate of Applied Science (AAS), Associate of Science (AS) and Associate of General Studies (AGS) degrees. The entrepreneurship and leadership studies major is one of the college’s AAS programs. It includes Introduction to Leadership, Human Relations in Organizations, Leading Without Power, Business Law, and Business Communications. Students learn how to build a business from the planning stage through the later years of that company as well as how to work with others. The online system offers an AGS in Leadership too.
Many of the programs offered online by the college prepare students for working in fields such as the health care industry. In the AAS in Medical Coding program, they learn how to work in a coding and billing department as they bill patients and their insurers. It includes courses on medical terminology to make sure students understand the terms that doctors use. Students can transfer to another campus to finish a bachelor’s degree in medical coding or take an exam to get certified in medical coding.
AA degree programs are available in sociology, psychology, sports management, and other fields. The college designed a social work program that helps students meet the basic requirements needed to transfer to a bachelor’s program, which will help them become licensed social workers. Sports management majors take classes in sports administration, sports ethics and business communications to learn about operating a sports organization and taking care of athletes. Political science, history and hotel and restaurant management are some of the other AA majors available from the college.
Online students can earn an AS in Computer Science too, which includes classes in computer languages and software development. It includes a minimum of three science courses with an attached lab and a course called Introduction to Computer Science. Though the computer information science program is similar, it allows students to earn an AA degree. The college now offers a secondary education major that is available online and on-campus. Those who want to work in elementary schools or early childhood education will find that those programs are only available online. Some of the other majors that students can choose from in the college’s online associate’s degree programs include business administration, agribusiness, nondestructive testing, law and health services management and community development.
About Cowley College
Cowley College is a public community college formerly called Cowley Community College. It was established in 1922 as the Arkansas City Junior College because it was in Arkansas City, Kansas. Arkansas City High School opened its doors to the college and allowed students to take classes on the upper floors and later in the basement, which led to some calling it Basement University. After moving to a separate campus, the college became Cowley County Community College and Vocational-Technical School, though most just called it CCCC. This name would remain for many years before it became Cowley College. Some call it Cowley or CC. In 2017, the college announced plans to open a new campus in Wellington, which opened the following year as the Sumner County Campus of Cowley College. Though most of the college’s students come from Kansas, a large number come from Oklahoma.
Cowley College Accreditation Details
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) awarded Cowley the regional accreditation that students need to use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This form is available every year and lets students qualify for some of the financial aid that the federal government offers and the programs offered by the state. The college also has accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF).
Cowley College Application Requirements
Cowley College believes that every student has the right to affordable education opportunities, which is why it accepts those with or without a high school diploma. Students can enroll in the college while still in high school and if they spent time in the military or attended another college. Admissions officers can help students too. The college’s admissions application features several sections and saves the student’s progress. They can use the key given to them on the bottom of the page to retrieve and access an application they already started.
Though students do not need to apply for financial aid, the college recommends that they do so. They will need to send official transcripts to the college from their high schools or colleges and submit an ACT or SAT score. Those who do not submit a score will need to take a placement exam. Cowley allows students to submit a score when they enroll in classes later. They can then meet with an advisor online or in-person to register for classes. Online classes are available through a Blackboard platform that students can access from home. Online students need to complete the Blackboard orientation before the semester starts.
Tuition and Financial Aid
The cost of attending Cowley depends on whether students live in the county. Cowley County residents pay $104 per credit hour, which includes the college’s fee. The cost rises to $115 per credit hour for those who live in a different Kansas county and $125 per credit hour for residents of Oklahoma. Students who come from any other state to attend the college pay $163 per credit hour. Cowley also offers discounts for high school students that let them pay $55 per credit hour if they live in Kansas and $75 per credit hour if they reside in Oklahoma. Those taking online classes pay an extra $25 per credit hour.
Cowley asks that students submit the FAFSA and give the college time to determine if they qualify for financial aid. It offers an online video that lets students see how to fill out this form online. Not only can they qualify for federal loans and grants, but they may qualify for work-study and scholarships too. Students will need to visit the financial aid portal on the college’s site and log in to their accounts to accept or decline the awards that they get. Most of the students in the Cowley College online associate’s degree programs qualify for financial aid.
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