RLC-MBU collaboration growing, adds three new grads to successful partnership

INA, Ill. (May 15, 2015) - Rend Lake College graduates will soon have five options to continue their higher education with bachelor degrees through Missouri Baptist University (MBU). Currently, MBU offers four degrees on the RLC campus and is planning to add a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Management to the list for the Fall 2015 semester.

The new BA in Management degree is in the process of being approved by both institutions. Students will complete the RLC associate degree program in their field of interest before taking the remaining credit hours from MBU on the RLC campus. Graduates of the program will be prepared for careers as management analysts, operations managers, store managers, office managers, business owners, customer relations managers, property managers, and many more.

The BA in Management will be the most recent program developed by the cooperation between RLC and MBU. The other programs include Criminal Justice and Behavioral Science with three focus areas of Psychology, Sociology, and Social Work. The Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Criminal Justice started in the Fall of 2012 and just graduated its second class. The Bachelor’s degrees in Behavioral Science started in the spring of 2015.

Three RLC Criminal Justice graduates walked across the stage at MBU last month, thanks to the partnership between the institutions. Pictured is, FROM LEFT, Joseph Rush (McLeansboro), Sara Palmer (Mt. Vernon), and Colton Flannigan (McLeansboro). Click on the image for a larger view.

Dr. Julia Schroeder, Dean of the Southern Illinois Regional Learning Centers, said there have already been a handful of RLC students make it through the two-year-old Criminal Justice program, and the results have been tremendous.

“Rend Lake College students really like the classes from MBU, because they last for eight-week time periods and we accept up to 90 transfer credits from RLC,” said Schroeder. “That means students only need another 40 to 42 credit hours from MBU to get their bachelor’s degree. Plus, the students are very prepared to enter the programs at MBU and they do quite well.”

The Bachelor of Science (BS) and Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees in Behavioral Science have three different focus points: psychology, sociology, and social work. The same associate degrees at RLC require 64 to 66 credit hours to complete. After any necessary prerequisites, the program takes four semesters for a student attending full-time, and part-time students can extend that time over several semesters.

Additional programs are in the works to grow the RLC-MBU partnership, including degrees in business and counseling. More information will be provided as it becomes available.

For more information about the MBU programs or to register, contact Dr. Julia Schroeder, MBU Dean of the Southern Illinois Regional Learning Centers, at 618-925-4425 or schroederj@mobap.edu. To register at RLC, contact the Academic Advisement Center at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1266.