Back to School: Finishing Your Healthcare Degree Online
Degree completion programs give former college students the chance to return to the classroom to finish what they started. And with more programs moving online, returning students are heading to the “virtual classroom.” Learn how online degree completion works in the healthcare field and explore the pros, cons, and key information you need before you get started.
Written By
Kathleen Curtis
- Bio
Kathleen Curtis is an American writer currently living in Louisville, Kentucky. She has developed content around education for more than a decade for both domestic and international clients.
last updated
You dropped out of college for a reason, maybe even for a good one. You needed to focus on work or family, or something else happened that made staying in nursing school or earning your degree in healthcare administration impossible at the time. Now that you can focus on your education, this year seems like the perfect time to finish your degree.
The National Center for Education Statistics estimated that only six out of every 10 students completed their degree at the same institution where they started as of 2012. The average six-year graduation rate for public colleges is currently 61% while at private institutions the number is 67%. Students drop out for one reason or another all the time; why you left matters far less than how you plan to get back in school and earn your degree.
Degree completion programs make it easier for you to finish the coursework or program you had to abandon. And now, online programs make finishing college within your reach. Whether you have questions about how these programs work, what they cost, where you can find funding, or what to expect, this guide provides answers.
How Online Degree Completion Works
Getting back into the rhythm of college can take a while after you’ve been out, and you likely don’t know what to expect. The next few sections take a look at how online degree completion programs work and answer some of your most frequently asked questions.
Coursework
Coursework exists in the same form of many traditional programs, with most or all core classes done online. If you’re working full-time or need to attend to personal responsibilities, the flexibility of these programs makes it easier to balance everything you need to accomplish in a day. The amount of flexibility available, however, varies by type of program. If your degree completion is on a synchronous schedule, you’ll be logging on and interacting with professors and peers in real time. If you enroll in an asynchronous program, you may have some real-time interaction, but you’ll have far more flexibility when it comes to assignment completion and communication.
Some schools may follow a standard, semester-based schedule while others may offer accelerated classes lasting between five and eight weeks each. Regardless of the timeframe, each course is provided through and organized by a learning management system. These allow you to attend or watch lectures, interact with peers and professors, complete assignments, take exams, and work on group projects.
Clinicals & Lab Hours
Many healthcare programs require students to participate in clinicals and labs, with degree completion programs being no different. While some lab hours can be done via distance learning, clinicals and other types of hands-on training often require in-person participation. If you’re thinking about studying something such as nursing, dental hygiene, or radiation therapy, clinicals and lab hours will be part of your graduation requirements.
Fortunately, the vast majority of online healthcare degree completion programs have developed policies that make it easier for distance learners to meet clinical requirements without visiting campus. If attending a school away from your residence, fieldwork coordinators will work with you to find a suitable clinic, hospital, or other type of healthcare facility where you can complete required hours. Because it can take extra time to locate an approved site, you should start working with the coordinator well in advance of when the clinical is meant to start.
How to Get Started with an Online Degree Completion Program
To begin your journey to degree completion, you’ll need to check off a few required steps. Some of these can be done in just a few moments while others depend on the participation of others and can take longer. Because of this, it’s best to start gathering required materials early on rather than waiting until the last minute.
- Meet with an Adviser
Whether you live close to your chosen school and can meet in person or further afield and meet digitally, this is an important first step in your journey. Schools typically have dedicated transfer advisors on staff who can help you understand the process and get the ball rolling. - Make Sure Your Credits Transfer
It’s important that you get credit for as many of the classes you took previously, but not all schools’ transfer policies are created equally and some are friendlier than others. Because of this, getting a credit audit from each school of interest can help you compare results and make an informed decision. - Ask About Financial Aid
Many degree completion students already have financial responsibilities when they return; finding an affordable option can make or break the decision to go back. It’s important to ask any potential school about financial aid packages available, how much they can offer, and if awards renew each year of enrollment. - Choose a School and Program
Now that you’ve gathered all of the information highlighted above, it’s time to make an informed decision. Consider creating a pro and con list of each to find the school and program that works best for your unique needs and career goals. - Apply to School
As you research schools, it’s important to pay close attention to the varied deadlines. You can even put these in your online calendar and get notifications along the way so you don’t miss anything. If the school requires recommendations, ask for these early as it can take a few weeks to get them back. - Ensure You’ve Got the Right Technology
Once you get an acceptance letter, it’s time to make sure you have the tools needed to succeed. If the school doesn’t have a technology guide shared on its website, contact the IT department to get a list of required and recommended hardware and software to be successful.
Degree Profiles: 5 Online Degree Completion Programs Worth a Look
If you aren’t sure what’s available or are still considering your academic path, we’ve rounded up several online degree completion programs in various healthcare fields to help show you what’s available. These programs represent only a small sample, so you should do additional research to find the best one for you.
The University of Vermont
Online Health Sciences Completion Program
The online bachelor’s in health sciences degree completion program at UVM supports learners who possess at least one year of postsecondary coursework or have completed an associate degree. The core curriculum focuses on preparing graduates for a wide range of health careers and provides ample electives so they can specialize their knowledge. The amount of time required to graduate will depend on previous coursework. Students are assigned a faculty advisor upon admission who can help them with academic advising and support services while enrolled. The department provides a variety of financial aid services specific to degree completion students.
East Tennessee State University
Online Dental Hygiene Completion Program
ETSU’s online A.S. to B.S. dental hygiene program was designed specifically for students who already completed an associate degree but want to delve more deeply into the discipline and expand their knowledge. The program exists entirely online and classes are taught asynchronously to allow for maximum flexibility. A few courses may require live chats, but these do not take place frequently. The school will work with you to evaluate previous coursework and determine how many credits will transfer. Other admission requirements include proof of graduation from an accredited associate degree in dental hygiene, a current dental hygiene license, and a resume demonstrating existing work experience in the field.
Franklin University
Online RN-to-MSN Completion Program
The RN-to-MSN online bridge program offered by FU supports licensed RNs who hold an associate degree in nursing (ADN) but want to progress into jobs as nurse practitioners or other advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) positions. Students who graduated from an accredited ADN program graduate in 16-30 months and can take advantage of fully online coursework. The program administrator will work with you to locate a suitable site for completing clinical hours. If you already work in a healthcare setting, you may be able to do them at that facility. Newly admitted learners complete a 12-week bridge course before selecting from a traditional MSN or concentrations in family nurse practitioner or nurse administrator.
Oregon Institute of Technology
Online B.S. in Radiology Completion Program
Registered radiologic technologists who want to take their careers to the next level may be interested in OIT’s online B.S. in radiology completion program. If you already hold an associate degree and are a registered technologist in good standing, you automatically receive a transfer of 89 quarter credits. Depending on your previous curriculum, you may be able to bypass other general education requirements. Nearly all classes are taught online, but you will have to participate in one or two radiologic science externships. You must be employed or be able to access a radiology laboratory, as this is where you will do both your externship and any clinical didactic courses.
Concordia University Chicago
Online Bachelor’s in Kinesiology Degree Completion
Designed specifically for busy students, CUC’s online bachelor’s in kinesiology program can be finished in as few as 16 months depending on transfer credits. The school does not require any visits to the Chicago campus or in-person clinicals and emphasizes small class sizes with 20 or fewer students. Classes are taught in an accelerated format lasting usually five to eight weeks per class to help you graduate more quickly. Every degree seeker gets a tuition guarantee that costs will not increase while enrolled. The school also provides new classes starting every five weeks to ensure you don’t waste time waiting for the next semester to begin.
Transferring Your Credits: Questions to Ask
The last thing you want to do is retake a class you already passed at another school, making it important to ensure you have a thorough understanding of how credit transfer works. Because degree completion programs cater to a specific type of student, they usually have policies in place that make it easier to transfer credits. We look at some of the most common questions asked about this process below.
How many credits have I earned?
You can find out this information by requesting an official transcript from your previous institution. The longer you were in school initially, the more credits you will have already taken and, presumably, the fewer you will need to take at a new school. Remember that just because you earned a certain number at the last school you attended does not mean all of those will be accepted at a different institution.
How do I request an audit of my credits?
You should first ask for an official copy of your transcripts to be sent to your new prospective school. Once someone in the admission office receives, them, you can ask for an audit of those credits to see how many will transfer. Some schools now also use programs such as Degree Works that allow students to plug existing credits into an online database on the school’s website and get results immediately.
How many of the credits I’ve earned will be applied to the completion program?
The answer to this question depends on several factors. Your new school has the ultimate say in how many credits they accept, but you have a better chance of getting more transferred if you attended a properly accredited school. If you studied a different topic previously, your general education classes may transfer, but degree specific courses may not. Lastly, if you’re moving from semester-based credits to quarter credits – or vice versa – know that each semester credit counts for 1.5 times the value of a quarter credit. If you completed 90 quarter credits previously, you could receive up to 60 semester credits during your transfer.
What courses are still needed?
The answer to this question depends on how many credits transfer with you, how many credits your new program requires, and how many former credits meet degree requirements for that program. For instance, you may be able to transfer 60 credits from your old school, but perhaps only 42 of those credits meet degree requirements – the remainder may count as electives. Make sure you understand this clearly and get answers on both which classes you’re required to take and how many credits you need to earn. These two numbers may not be the same.
What if I think something I’ve taken isn’t being applied correctly?
The National College Transfer Center estimates that transfer students lose approximately $6 billion per year in tuition due to colleges not accepting credits from each other. While this is a significant problem, students often face little recourse if a school says credits cannot be transferred. Your best option is to think about this both at your first school by ensuring you attend an accredited institution and at your next school by ensuring it has transfer-friendly policies. You can also look to see if your previous school maintains any transfer agreements with other schools, which can make the process go more smoothly.
How is my GPA calculated?
No overarching policy exists for every school, making it important that you check with the admissions manager or registrar to learn about specifics. At the University of Kansas, for example, the institution calculates the GPA by “dividing the grade points earned in all coursework by the cumulative graded (A-F) credit hours,” according to the school website. Students who repeated coursework at multiple institutions can have the highest score used while classes offered as pass/fail, credit/no credit, or satisfactory/unsatisfactory will not count towards the GPA.
Paying for Online Degree Completion
For several years in a row now, CollegeBoard has reported that the cost of higher education rises year on year. For some students, they may have initially left school due to financial concerns. Whether or not you took time off to save money or for other reasons, you’ve probably given significant thought to figuring out how to pay for an online degree completion program. The good news is that plenty of financial aid opportunities exist, with some school seven offering funding specifically for returning learners. We breakdown costs and options for financing your degree in the next few sections.
How Much Does It Cost?
The cost of your degree completion program will depend on several variables. If you’re looking to cut costs there are several things you can do that help lower the final price tag, including finding an accelerated program, attending a transfer-friendly school, and managing living expenses.
The number of credits required to finish your degree will heavily impact cost, making it important that you ask how many credits will count toward your degree versus how many go toward electives. If your new school accepts 60 credit but only 10 go toward your degree, your program will cost a lot more.
Clinicals, labs, and other extra requirements can also influence cost as these require you to participate in unpaid work to gain experience and may limit your ability to work another paying job during that time. You may also need to buy additional items for these experiences, such as scrubs, lab materials, or professional tools.
Lastly, the type of school you attend greatly affects cost. CollegeBoard found average public in-state tuition was $10,440 in 2019-2020 while private schools cost an average of $36,880 during the same timeframe. Finding a public university in your state that offers your chosen program can save you thousands of dollars each semester.
How Will You Pay for a Degree Completion Program?
Contrary to what some may think, plenty of scholarships, grants, and other types of funding exist for degree completion programs. You may also qualify for financial aid, depending on your FAFSA results. We look at a few popular options for covering costs when you go back to school below.
Financial Aid
Just because you transfer schools does not mean you can’t continue receiving federal financial aid, although you will need to fill out a new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and confirm your eligibility. Factors such as defaulting on existing loans, low grades, or incarceration can all affect your eligibility, but most of these scenarios can be rectified. You may even qualify for more funding than before if you were a dependent of your parents at the time but now identify as self-supporting. There’s a lot to know about financial aid, so take your time getting to learn the rules.
Scholarships
eQuality Scholarship
eQuality Scholarship Collaborative
$6,000
1/31/20
Students living in central or northern California can apply if pursuing a nursing or graduate health degree. They must also demonstrate their allyship with the LGBTQ+ population. Approximately half of the awards are given to non-traditional students.
How to Apply
Submit an application demonstrating enrollment in an accredited nursing or graduate health program and a 3.0 or higher GPA.
L. Sophia Fairchild Academic Scholarship
The University of North Texas
Varies
With Application
Non-traditional students enrolled in programs such as health psychology, speech-language pathology, applied gerontology, or another health-related discipline can receive this award if they possess a 3.25 GPA or higher.
How to Apply
Students receive consideration for this award as part of their general application to the university.
Mary Fran Carroll Non-Traditional Student Scholarship
Catholic Community Foundation
$3,000
3/1/2020
Non-traditional students residing in Sarasota County, Florida an apply if they demonstrate financial need, possess a 3.2 or higher GPA, and have been out of high school for at least three years.
How to Apply
Students must submit an application, upload required documents, and show proof of acceptance to an accredited college program.
Non-Traditional Student Scholarship
American Legion Auxiliary
$2,000
3/1/21
Active members of the American Legion, Auxiliary, or Sons of the American Legion can apply if they are pursuing a two- or four-year degree.
How to Apply
Individuals must fill out an online application, demonstrate evidence of being up-to-date on their dues, and write an essay on their educational plans.
William E. and Phoebe B. Clark Scholarship for the Returning Adult Student
Michigan State University
Varies
5/10/21
Non-traditional students enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program (online or campus-based) can apply to this award. Single parents who can demonstrate a life-changing circumstance are strongly encouraged to apply.
How to Apply
Students must provide answers to two essay questions.