Contact Person: Karen (Toni) Preston
Phone: (937) 708-5703

Email address: kpreston@willberforce.edu

Brief Description of Program:

The Wilberforce University CLIMB (Credentials for Leadership in Management and Business) Program for degree completion is offered to adult learners who have successfully completed at least two years of transferable college credit. The program is offered in the Dayton area at Miami Jacobs College, as well as on the main campus in Wilberforce, Ohio.

The CLIMB Program is on an accelerated schedule for completion of the Bachelor of Science degree. It offers degree majors in four area: Organizational Management, Health Services Administration, Information Technology and Organizational Communications. Each consists of ten-interrelated courses offered one at a time and taught in seminar style. Organizational Management and Health Services Administration focus on management skills. Information Technology is a computer-based major. Organizational Communication centers on the areas of public relations, mass media and other related fields.

Classroom assignments include outside readings and the writing of papers on selected topics and computer designs. Adult learners earn 33 semester hours in 52 four-hour class sessions held once a week over two terms. The adult learner can earn up to 30 additional hours through development of a portfolio, which documents college-level learning that has taken place in non-collegiate settings. Adult learners also design, implement and evaluate a project related to their vocations. The project develops skills in problem-solving techniques, research design and methodology and report writing.

Cohorts of up to 18 other adult learners, who share similar interests and concerns, enroll in classes approximately every three months. Together they form an academic support group, drawing from their own personal, professional and technical backgrounds. They follow an intense program of classes and effectiveness within their organizations and improve their opportunity for advancement. These features account for the program's informal designation as CLIMB.

An applicant for the CLIMB Program must be at least 23 years old, have a minimum of 60 transferable semester hours (90 quarter) of college credit from regionally accredited schools, have substantial work experience, demonstrate proficiency in computer skills and written and verbal communication.

Wilberforce University, founded in 1856 is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, 30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, Illinois 60602-2504. The University holds membership in the United Negro College Fund and is affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church.