Outreach Highlights
March 2008

UWW expands programming to meet job opportunities

UMass student Madonna Bosomprah and Arts Extemsion's Maren Brown

Where are the career opportunities in Massachusetts?

Running a nonprofit arts organization? Journalism, communications or public relations? Health and human services?

The answer is that all of the above are pretty good bets. That’s why UMass Amherst’s groundbreaking degree-completion program, University Without Walls (UWW), has expanded its reach with new programs in arts administration, journalism studies, and health and human services. In doing so, UWW is targeting coursework to meet the demands of some of the region’s fastest-growing economic sectors.

Participants benefit from UWW’s 37 years of experience nurturing adult learners. Each student works closely with one advisor from start to finish; the advisor helps the student choose courses from among the university’s expansive offerings and design a degree that best meets the student’s needs. UWW students generally earn their bachelor’s degrees in five semesters of part-time study.

With its generous credit acceptance policy for life experience and previous learning, degree completion through UWW is “accessible and doable,” says the program’s director, Cynthia Suopis. “We really value what students bring to the table,” says Suopis. “For those who think that getting their degree just isn’t in the cards for them, we’re here to tell you it truly can happen.”

Keeping that experiential, real-world focus is key. Most UWW coursework encourages students to apply new skills and knowledge immediately on the job, and in turn to use workplace experience as feedback in their next interactive learning session.

Click on these links for a brief description of these exciting new programs: arts administration, journalism studies, and health and human services. For more information, visit www.umass.edu/uww or contact Heather Miller at 413-545-4195.

Arts Administration

Running a nonprofit arts organization may not be anyone’s first thought when it comes to job opportunities, but in light of recent figures on the growing “creative economy,” training good arts managers may just be good business.

“Arts administration has become a very viable career over the last 25 years,” says Hampshire County’s Barbara Schaffer-Bacon, co-director of the Animating Democracy initiative at Americans for the Arts. In fact, the U.S. Department of Labor projects a 30 percent rise in arts- and entertainment-related jobs by 2016, making it a top growth field.

Offered in partnership with UMass Amherst’s nationally distinguished Arts Extension Service, the arts administration focus is expected to attract artists and others interested in leading their own businesses or nonprofits, as well as professionals in non-arts sectors seeking careers more closely aligned with their life interests. A participant may choose to earn a Certificate in Arts Management in addition to a fully accredited UMass Amherst bachelor’s degree.

The program’s format makes it uniquely appealing to working adults, with courses available completely online or in blended-learning formats that meet on campus as little as one weekend a month. That sort of accessibility – the hallmark of all UWW programs – means that adults can earn their degrees while keeping up with work and family obligations.

That’s a big selling point for the arts administration area of study as well, according to Schaffer-Bacon. “Because the program is nationally recognized, participants meet online with artists and administrators from all over the country,” she says. “It’s a great way for people to get the degree they never got while learning from seasoned professionals working in the field. And the topics are right on the mark in terms of what people need to know in order to do well.”

Journalism Studies

Matt Johnson, U.S. Army communications specialist in Afghanistan, prepares for his UWW journalism class.

The concentration is offered in partnership with UMass Amherst’s Certificate of Journalism, recently named a Program of Excellence by the University Continuing Education Association – the most prestigious award given in the field of distance learning. Applications are currently being accepted for fall 2008.

The program was developed in response to rapid changes in the field of journalism as well as an increased need for flexible learning environments for working adults. “News has been moving online for the past ten years,” says Norman Sims, professor of journalism at UMass Amherst and coordinator of the Certificate of Journalism. “This revolution in the delivery of the news requires both general understanding of the field and specialized online skills. That’s what we’re trying to teach.”

Because all Journalism Studies coursework is available completely online, participants enjoy extensive interaction and networking with diverse professionals from around the globe who could not otherwise meet. “Our students participate rigorously,” says Sims. “There’s a tremendous range of experience and background that you’d never find in a traditional classroom. As a result, the discussions are informed with lifetime experience and have an incredible richness to them.”

Offering specialized training in such areas as news writing, war reporting, photojournalism, and sports journalism, the concentration is expected to attract adults seeking careers in journalism, public relations, education, and related fields. “The success of UWW amazes me,” reports Sims. “Many students go right into careers that are related directly to their studies.”

Health and Human Services

An outgrowth of the program’s popular Human Services concentration, the new degree area serves the dual purpose of giving working adults the satisfaction of earning their degree while also preparing a highly trained workforce in the burgeoning, interconnected fields of human services and health care.

“With the population growing and aging, these are extremely high-growth fields,” says UWW academic program manager Lee Manchester. “This new concentration gives students the latitude to cross over into a variety of jobs in both areas, and for those currently in the field to move up into management or other roles that offer better paying, more fulfilling work,” says Manchester.

The concentration is expected to attract a wide range of applicants with experience as mental health and substance abuse counselors, child or elder care providers, health technicians, clerical support staff, and others who wish to accelerate their career growth.

The expansion was made possible through a grant from the Sloan Foundation, which enabled UWW to convert existing university courses into blended-learning formats suitable for adults whose life commitments prevent full-time study. Most courses meet on campus just one weekend a month, with the bulk of coursework completed online in interactive virtual classrooms. Students generally earn their fully accredited UMass Amherst bachelor’s degrees in three years.

For more information, visit www.umass.edu/uww or contact Heather Miller at 413-545-4195.