Degree Programs Available at Charter Oak State College
Charter Oak State College appears in our ranking of the Top ten Online Colleges for Adults.
Charter Oak State College provides options for students who need to complete their degrees and those who want to study new subjects. The college’s Associate of Science in Early Childhood Education helps students become more familiar and comfortable working with children in preschool and other settings. It includes Introduction to Early Childhood Education; Early Language and Literacy Development; Health, Safety and Nutrition; and other classes. Students also do offline practicums. The college offers both an Associate of Science and an Associate of Arts in General Studies too.
The bachelor’s degrees available for online students include general subjects and specialized work. American studies, political science, paralegal studies, and human resources are a few examples of the college’s general programs. The college’s business administration program follows a bachelor’s track and includes Principles of Management, Business Law and Organizational Behavior. It also features concentrations in general business, organizational management, human resources, project management, and small business. Though the college’s public safety administration program does not include concentrations, it does feature courses such as Ethics in Public Safety Administration, Political and Legal Systems in Public Safety Administration and America’s Homeland Security. Students can also major in health care administration, criminal justice, cybersecurity, sociology, nursing, psychology, health information management or early childhood education.
Graduate students attending Charter Oak State College can major in organizational effectiveness and leadership. They learn how to assess the needs of an organization, make an organization more effective, use financial tools and become better problem solvers. The eight-core courses in this program include Group Process and Team Dynamics, Personal Leadership, Organizational Development Landscape and Developing and Leading Others. Students will also take three courses after picking a concentration in either nonprofit leadership or business leadership.
About Charter Oak State College
Charter Oak State College is a public liberal arts college that uses the slogan Degrees Without Boundaries. Established in 1973 as the Board of State Academic Awards by the state of Connecticut, it served as a small institution that awarded just one degree. It received approval from the state in 1980 to become a full college, which led to it choosing the name Charter Oak College and then Charter Oak State College. Also called COSC, it added graduate degrees to its curriculum in 2009 and became one of several schools operated by the Connecticut Board of Regents. Unlike other colleges that offer programs designed for traditional students, COSC always catered to nontraditional learners. Though its original programs included distance education options, the college now offers all of its programs through an online campus.
Named after the state’s famous Charter Oak, COSC now offers awards and accepts credits to students who worked on degrees and other schools, served in the military or gained professional experience through other programs. Most students receive an average of 30 credits when they start at the college. All programs include a final capstone in which students receive three credits when they do research and produce a paper or project based on that research. Though the college has a main office in New Britain, Connecticut, it welcomes students to apply and enroll in its programs no matter where they live.
Charter Oak State College Accreditation Details
COSC is one of the few distance education colleges with full regional accreditation. This is especially important because of how many students transfer credits to complete their degrees. The regional accreditation that the college holds is from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). It is the same accreditation that lets students who need help paying for college complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to get a financial aid package.
Charter Oak State College Application Requirements
As COSC provides an online learning program that allows students to complete the degrees they started elsewhere, it asks that they have at least nine credits of transfer credits available when they apply. Those who do not have the minimum number of credits will need to submit a high school transcript, but all other students will submit their college transcripts. All transcripts must be official copies that come directly from the schools too. Students can also submit the scores they earned on standardized tests and their military records, which the college will use to award them credits for their military experiences.
Students who do not come from the United States will need to submit a form that lets the college verify their identities. All students will also use the COSC application and pay a small fee. It typically takes 10 days for the college to process an application after receiving it online and the student’s transcripts. Those accepted by the college must complete an advising worksheet, which they will receive via email from their advisors. There is also a $150 enrollment deposit that students need to pay. COSC uses that deposit to make sure the student has a spot in the next class and will apply the deposit to the amount he or she owes.
Graduate students pay the same enrollment deposit and a $50 application fee. They need to complete the online application and upload a copy of a driver’s license or another type of government ID that features a full name and photo. Once students submit their transcripts, the college will make an application decision and notify students of that decision via email.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Both the bachelor and associate programs offered by COSC charge the same rate. Students pay $319 per credit hour as a Connecticut resident and $419 as a nonresident. They also pay student services technology fees of close to $300. Graduate students pay fees of more than $400 and tuition of $540 per credit hour as a nonresident and $333 per credit hour as a resident.
COSC offers a number of ways for students to save on the cost of their degree programs. It can award them credit when they attended another college and when they have more professional experience. Students can also get financial aid from the Connecticut and federal governments and from the college. There are several loan programs available and some grants as well as scholarships. All the degree programs available at Charter Oak State College give online students the option of borrowing money and using other types of financial aid.
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