BRENAU UNIVERSITY

Online College
Gainesville, Georgia

Brenau University, which was founded in 1878, is a historic, private, comprehensive university in Gainesville, Georgia. The University serves two populations: a coeducational population of adult and nontraditional students online, in the evenings and on weekends, and a single-gender population of women in traditional daytime classes at the picturesque north Georgia main campus.

Brenau University offers online classes for a population of students who are unable or unwilling to attend campus-based classes. Degree and certificate programs are offered entirely online, with a focus on collaborative learning. Evening and weekend classes serve a growing population of working adult men and women by offering degree and certificate programs and other classes in four locations across the state (Atlanta, Augusta, Gainesville, and Kings Bay). Daytime classes have provided a single-gender liberal arts education since the University's founding.

Brenau University is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Distance Learning Program

Brenau's Online College provides high-quality educational experiences through the delivery of graduate and undergraduate programs utilizing the latest distance learning technology. Programs delivered in the online format are designed for working adult students, providing maximum flexibility without compromising learning outcomes or academic rigor.

Delivery Media

Online classes are delivered via the Internet. Common software programs are used to enhance the delivery of course materials. Dialogue among students, using an asynchronous bulletin board system, is central to the collaborative learning goal. Online students bring with them varied life and work experiences that, when shared with classmates, provide relevant applications of theory to real-world situations.

Programs of Study

Brenau University currently offers undergraduate degree programs entirely online in the areas of business, criminal justice, liberal studies, and nursing. Graduate degree programs are offered >in business and education.

The Associate of Arts (A.A.) in liberal studies degree program is designed for the nontraditional, first-time college student or the student with very little college experience. This 60-hour degree program allows for maximum flexibility in scheduling and course selection and can be completed in as little as five semesters.

Brenau's RN-to-B.S.N. bridge program provides registered nurses the opportunity for career advancement by earning a bachelor's degree. An experienced and academically qualified faculty of registered nurses offers this 31-hour program. The clinical portion of this program may be completed in the student's local community, supervised by a Brenau nursing faculty member.

The Bachelor of Business Administra tion in management or marketing is a 120-hour degree program. These undergraduate business degree programs, which include courses in organizational behavior, ethics, and international business, can be completed in approximately four years.

The Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice is a 120-hour degree program. This undergraduate degree program features courses in judicial process, law, management, and public administration/policy and can be completed in four years entirely online.

M.B.A. degrees in accounting, advanced management studies, business administration, and health-care management are available from the Department of Business Administration, which has a long history of offering M.B.A. programs. Students can reach their professional goals easily with Brenau's accelerated ten-course, 30-hour general M.B.A.; the thirteen-course, 39-hour M.B.A. in advanced management studies; the eleven-course, 33-hour M.B.A. in health-care management; or the twelve-course, 36-hour M.B.A. in accounting. Many states have adopted the 150-hour educational requirement to sit for the CPA exam. Brenau students meet this requirement by earning their M.B.A. degrees.

The M.Ed. degrees in early childhood education and middle grades education are available from the School of Education. The early childhood M.Ed., a long-standing degree offering at Brenau, is a twelve-course, 34- or 36-hour program, depending on the student's choice of a capstone activity (comprehensive exam or research project). The M.Ed. in middle grades education prepares professionals to teach children in grades four through eight. Students develop a variety of appropriate teaching methods and strategies that are specifically geared to the middle-grade learner. This program is an eleven-course, 34- or 36-hour degree program, depending on the student's choice of a capstone activity.

Special Programs

Brenau University's accelerated M.B.A. program in business administration is designed so that students may complete it in five semesters. Classes are small and offer students asynchronous discussion and work-related collaborative projects. These activities are designed to guarantee participation in online classes.

BA 500, the business administration department's intensive business foundations course that covers all undergraduate basics in the fields of statistics, management, accounting, and marketing, was designed for nonbusiness majors seeking to earn an M.B.A. Experienced faculty members from each of these fields collaborate to teach this unique 6-hour course.

Student Services

In addition to online application, advising, registration, and tuition payment, other student services include writing and math tutors, career services (job search and career selection), mental health counseling, and disability support services through the campus Learning Center. The Brenau Trustee Library catalog is available online using the popular Voyager software, and supplemental materials are offered via document delivery and interlibrary loan.

Credit Options

The residency requirement for undergraduate programs is 45 hours. For the nursing degree, 31 hours must be completed at Brenau University. Alternative credit options toward a Brenau University undergraduate degree (credit earned from advanced-placement exams, international baccalaureate programs, CLEP, military credit, experiential credit, or challenge exams) are limited to a total of 27 hours.

Brenau University may accept up to 6 hours of transfer credit from other regionally accredited institutions as part of a planned graduate program of study upon approval of the respective department chair.

Faculty

Classes are taught by professors who are trained and certified in online course delivery. Professors teaching in graduate programs have doctorates in their fields and corporate and/or practical experience.

Admission

Prospective students should submit a completed application, a $35 application fee, and transcripts from all institutions previously attended. Standardized test scores (GMAT, GRE, MAT, TOEFL) must be sent from testing services for graduate program applicants.

Tuition and Fees

Online tuition is $425 per hour ($75 technology fee per semester). Tuition rates are addressed prior to each academic year. Tuition is payable by check, money order, or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, and Discover). Brenau offers a military tuition discount.

Financial Aid

Online students who qualify are eligible for all need-based financial aid programs, including Pell Grants, other federal grants and loan programs, state-direct loans for students in nursing, and institutional grants. Program-specific funds are also available. The FAFSA financial aid application is available online.

A total of 1,831 (71 percent) Brenau University students received some type of financial aid this past academic year. The Office of Scholarship and Financial Assistance receives student loan applications (phone: 800-252-5119 Ext. 6152, toll-free).

Applying

The completed application, a $35 application fee, and official transcripts and test scores should be sent directly to the Office of Admissions, 500 Washington Street, SE, Gainesville, Georgia 30501. Military applicants should include a copy of a valid military I.D. or DD214. Online College representatives are available by phone at 800-252-5119 (toll-free) and e-mail.

CONTACT

Heather S. Gibbons, Ph.D.
Director of the Online College
Brenau University
500 Washington Street, SE
Gainesville, Georgia 30501
Phone: 770-718-5327
Fax: 770-718-5329
E-mail: online@brenau.edu
Web site: http://online.brenau.edu