WorkLife at Cornell, Office of Human Resources, Cornell University
January 18, 2007
Empire State College offers flexibility for
adult learners
BY NANCY DOOLITTLE
Have you been in the same job for some time, but you
need your bachelor’s degree in order to advance to the next
level? Have you completed some certification programs
at Cornell, or taken some workshops, classroom or online
courses, and would like to see if they could be applied
toward an undergraduate degree? Do you think your life
experience should count for something? Or would you just
like the satisfaction of getting an advanced degree, but
your work schedule won’t allow it?
Empire State College – and especially its FORUM Man-
agement Education Program – may be just what you need.
“The beauty of Empire is that our programs are so flex-
ible,” says Thom deLara, director of FORUM Central for
Empire State College. “We are especially suited for non-
traditional students who are working full or part-time or
who may have family obligations that make attendance at
day-time classes difficult.”
Empire State College offers four degrees at the under-
graduate level – a bachelor of art, a bachelor of science, a
bachelor of professional studies, and an associate’s degree.
It also offers several master’s degrees. Statewide, approxi-
mately 17,000 students are enrolled in Empire State College
at any time.
Empire State College is a particularly attractive choice
for adults who work full- or part-time, because the pro-
grams are highly individualized. “When you first express
an interest in the FORUM program, a representative will
sit down with you to figure out your degree options,” says
deLara. “There is no typical program, and many courses
can be taken online or as independent studies.”
Because Empire State College is an accredited college
in the SUNY system, there are some general education
requirements in areas such as science, math, history, the
humanities and the arts and languages. But there are vari-
ous ways of