A Business Degree Designed with Working Adults in Mind

In this video, Norlan Hernandez, Ph.D., program director for the Degree Completion business programs at FPU, shares what makes the programs unique, including eight-week courses, experienced and supportive faculty, a cohort model that builds community, and resources that help students succeed.

Watch: Discover FPU’s Business Degree Completion Programs

What Makes FPU’s Business Programs Different?

Students can choose from business-focused degree and emphasis options designed to meet professional and community needs. Norlan highlights several aspects of the FPU experience:

• Accessible eight-week courses designed with working adults in mind.
• Practical learning students can apply immediately in their careers.
• Experienced faculty committed to teaching, mentoring and student success.
• A cohort model that allows students to learn from and support one another.
• Academic support and resources to help students stay on track toward graduation.

For Norlan, the ultimate goal extends beyond earning a degree. FPU wants graduates to gain knowledge while also developing a desire to make a positive impact in their families, workplaces and communities.

Transcript of Video

I’m Dr. Norlan Hernández. I’m the program director for DC business. And the DC business program is such a phenomenal program because it’s so accessible. It’s eight-week sessions, so you have two sessions per semester. We have different emphases, and it’s such a versatile degree in general, right? I mean, it’s business administration, it’s project management, it’s business management, it’s healthcare, it’s these kinds of majors and emphasis that there’s a specific need in the community for it.

What makes the DC business unique, it’s always going to be the faculty. It’s a blend of their desire to give back, their desire to be in the classroom, their desire to instruct students and give them the knowledge and the information that’s in a contextual way, in a relevant way, in a practical way, so that they can go and apply it immediately. And they have this commitment to students, this unique, wonderful, loving commitment to students’ success, where they are willing to go the extra mile, they are willing to support them along the way, they’re willing to meet with them, they’re willing to mentor them.

One of the unique aspects of the program is the cohort model that we have. Many of our students are working full-time and therefore you can relate. The kinds of examples that they bring to the table are relevant, and we can learn from each other in that way. But when you join a group of people with similar mindsets, similar goals and you commit to one another, that you’re going to support each other to the end. That right there is a unique aspect of the cohort model because they know that there is an army, literally an army of people who are willing to go bat for them, who are so committed to their success that they will do anything and everything in their power to make that happen. You have the Academic Success Center, for example, who can do tutoring and you can reach out to them to create coaching opportunities between them and the students for academic progress.

When our students graduate, what we want for them is what our president wants for all of our students, which is not only that they have a big mind, right, that they understand, that they have gained knowledge, but they also have a big heart. To go and do something of positive impact within their families and communities.

The biggest advice that I can give any students is just do it. Higher education and this degree is more accessible than we might imagine. So taking a leap of faith, having conversations, doing the research, pursuing this with interest and with curiosity, I think will lead individuals to ultimately get a degree.