Online Degree Completion offers track to B.B.A. for adult learners
Anthony Dykes is a numbers person, and for the past few years, he has been building on his career as a business process analyst for a health care company.
After a year on the job, he began crunching the numbers on his career possibilities.
“I’m approaching my plateau as far getting promotions without having a bachelor’s degree to tack on to my resume,” Dykes said. “So, I wanted to do something to keep advancing and progressing in my career.”
He had already earned an associate degree by completing online courses at Virginia Western Community College, and soon thereafter began looking for a university where he could work toward a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Living in Salem, Virginia, Dykes sought a program that could conveniently fit into busy work and life schedule.
A career counselor at Virginia Western recommended Radford University’s new online Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) degree offered through the Davis College of Business and Economics.
The B.B.A. Online Degree Completion (O.D.C.) track is 100 percent online and is designed for adult learners with work, family and other commitments. Students enrolling in the program must have either completed a transferrable associate degree or are within six credit hours of completing all general education requirements.
“Radford accepted all of my credits from Virginia Western,” said Dykes, who is 27. “Everything matched up and it was very convenient.”
Dykes just finished his first semester at Radford after completing three courses during the fall semester: Business Analytics (MGNT 333), Data Management and Analysis with Spreadsheets (ITEC 281) and Principles of Marketing (MKTG 340). Those courses, he said, are not only preparing him for the path ahead, but have provided him with new knowledge that has enhanced his role in his current job.
“I’ve been able to incorporate things I’ve learned in class into presentations and elevator speeches to stakeholders,” Dykes explained. “The managerial statistics course has helped and adjusted the way I make decisions with stakeholders in my job.”
The convenience of the online program allowed him to work on class assignments at times that did not interfere with his day job.
“It’s nice to be able to work out of the comforts of my own home, and for the most part, set my own schedule,” Dykes said. “I can set my pace and plan ahead. It fits my everyday flow for work and my personal life.”
The ultimate goal for of the Davis College online B.B.A. O.D.C. program is to allow students to complete a degree without sacrificing their personal and professional responsibilities. The academic program provides students with the access, support and customizable options needed to complete a degree.
“It has made for some long nights, but that’s OK,” Dykes said. “The professors are really supportive and helpful. Everyone has been incredibly helpful. They always have time to answer questions I have, and this program is helping me get to where I want to be in my career.”
“The B.B.A. O.D.C. track’s flexibility, and the fact that it is entirely online, are ideal for students like Dykes during this time when many people are taking courses and working from home in order to suppress the spread of the coronavirus,” said Davis College of Business and Economics Dean Joy Bhadury, Ph.D.
To learn more about the program, contact Davis College of Business and Economics Associate Dean Angela Stanton, Ph.D., at (540) 831-5187 or onlinebba@radford.edu.