MCPHS Honored for Innovation in Online Education

The University Professional and Continuing Education Association recognizes the School of Professional Studies for its self-paced prerequisite courses.

Prospective students are often eager to pursue a health-related degree program to accelerate career growth. But many realize that they lack the entry requirements and give up. This is especially true for working professionals with family responsibilities.

Enter the MCPHS School of Professional Studies and a suite of 22 online, self-paced prerequisite courses ranging from biology to calculus to organic chemistry. The courses have already enabled more than 5,000 students to balance personal and professional obligations while stepping toward a desired degree. The School of Professional Studies was recently recognized for this accomplishment by the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA), a leader in online and professional continuing education.

“We’re honored to receive this award for strategic innovation in online education,” said Carol Lauer, Dean of the School of Professional Studies. “This award recognizes our team’s ability to work through complex challenges and shows what can be done when there is good collaboration between administrative and academic departments. We have been fortunate to find instructors willing to work with us to design a high-quality student experience that removes some of the key barriers students have when they seek higher education.”

Students can begin a prerequisite course at MCPHS at any time of the year, and they have 16 weeks to complete it. They are not bound to a traditional semester schedule. And the courses are optimized to help everyone enrolled learn and retain information. At the cutting-edge of online education, the School of Professional Studies practices agile course development to continuously improve and give students the best learning experience possible in an online environment and asynchronous format.

UPCEA presented the 2023 Award for Strategic Innovation in Online Education to the School of Professional Studies on March 23 at its annual conference in Washington, DC. According to the association, MCPHS is “an institution of higher education that has set and met innovative goals focused on online education and been strategic in the planning, development, implementation and sustainability in line with the institutional mission.”

As the University celebrates its Bicentennial, this award reflects the collaborative environment at MCPHS and the commitment of the leadership team to student success.

Learn more about the School of Professional Studies and online self-paced prerequisite courses.