By Mark Gunderman, Communications Specialist, CVTC
A new Professional Communication program will be offered completely online by Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC), starting next fall.
“This will be an associate degree program and we will also have advanced certificates for technical writing, grant writing and writing for media,” said Cherrie Bergandi, dean of general education and liberal arts at CVTC. “(Students) will start out learning basic principles of communication, then they can specialize in where their interests lie.”
CVTC developed the program after receiving feedback from an ad hoc committee that included representatives from business, non-profit organizations, media, K-12 educators and marketing professionals, Bergandi said.
“It was unanimous. They said they would hire people with these credentials and we should offer the program,” she said.
Market research indicated a professional communications program would be attractive to people interested in a wide variety of careers in business, according to CVTC. It is also expected to be of interest to people who are already employed but who need additional training for such jobs as grant writers, media relations coordinators or other specialized positions. CVTC expects the program’s course work to provide students with one of the skills that employers value most highly.
The program will be offered in eight-week segments, with starting dates in August, October, January, March and June. Bergandi explained that the schedule is designed so students would not have more than three classes at once, but could still complete a full semester of classes by taking consecutive eight-week sessions.
That schedule and the fully online delivery allow students to complete the program at their own pace, she said. CVTC’s associate degree programs require 60 credits.
Karen Kohler, an English and Communications instructor, will direct the program. Courses will be taught by faculty from that department as well as Business Management, Marketing Communications and Sociology. In addition to core courses in writing, speaking and publishing, the program will include classes from those other disciplines.
CVTC is currently taking applications for the Professional Communication program for the fall semester. Applications can be submitted at http://www.cvtc.edu/admissions.
In planning for the program, CVTC estimated that it would attract about 40 full-time equivalent students annually, with perhaps slightly more than 100 students enrolled and taking course work on a part-time basis.
CVTC campuses are located in Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Menomonie, Neillsville and River Falls. The school serves an 11-county area in west central Wisconsin. CVTC is part of the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) and is one of 16 WTCS colleges located throughout the state.
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