Developing and Delivering Adult Degree Programs (PDF)

This issue explores the growing field of adult degree programs andconsiders the theoretical underpinnings of such programs andhands-on issues as curriculum, faculty, marketing, technology,financing, and accreditation, all with a goal of informing andequipping both scholars and practitioners.

More and more adults who have been out of school for many yearshave turned to colleges and universities to complete undergraduateand graduate degrees that will make them competitive in theworkforce, fulfill a professional requirement, or enrich themintellectually. Higher education institutions and many privateorganizations have responded to this demand by creating innovativedegree programs aimed specifically at mature learners, students whowant to self-design their educational programs and do not hesitateto change institutions if they believe their needs are not beingmet. This explosive growth in adult degree programs is largely theresult of distance education technologies and the Internet. Othersignificant factors include the potential such programs have forproviding additional revenue streams for institutions, the fiercecompetition from the private sector and other higher educationinstitutions, and the rising interest in interdisciplinaryprograms.

This is the 103rd volume of the Jossey-Bass quarterly reportseries New Directions for Adult and ContinuingEducation.