Bastyr University Participating in Initiative to Help Nontraditional Learners Gain College Degrees and Credentials

Washington, DC (Nov. 4, 2015)—The American Council on Education (ACE) recently announced the pool of courses selected as part of ACE’s Alternative Credit Project,™ a groundbreaking initiative to boost the ability of millions of nontraditional learners to gain a college degree.

The 111 low- or no-cost, lower-division general education online courses were submitted by a group of non-accredited course providers chosen to participate in the Alternative Credit Project. Bastyr University, along with the 39 other colleges, universities and systems taking part in the project, has agreed to grant credit for a large number of these courses, which include disciplines such as business, critical thinking and writing, foreign language, humanities, mathematics and natural and physical sciences.

Click here to see a list of the courses.

“A college degree should be available for anyone who desires one,” said Bastyr University President Charles “Mac” Powell, PhD. “To be able to help those interested in obtaining one and achieve their goals is something in which Bastyr University wants to be actively involved.”

“This is an important step for an initiative that already has significantly increased our body of knowledge about the most effective ways to increase the number of Americans able to earn a college degree or credential by using education, training and life experiences gained outside a formal classroom,” said ACE President Molly Corbett Broad.

“Nontraditional students who often are balancing multiple family and career demands now know where they can turn to take courses that will help them reduce the time and expense required to gain a postsecondary degree or credential at a number of outstanding institutions,” said Deborah Seymour, ACE assistant vice president for education attainment and innovation.

ACE will be collecting anonymized data from Bastyr University and the other participating institutions regarding the number of credits each institution accepts through this project as well as progress and success rates of students who transfer in consortium-approved courses.

The project is made possible by a $1.89 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

ABOUT BASTYR UNIVERSITY

Bastyr University is internationally recognized as a pioneer in natural medicine. As the largest accredited university for natural health arts and sciences in the U.S., Bastyr’s campus located near Seattle, Washington, offers more than 20 degree and certificate programs in fields such as naturopathic medicine, acupuncture, midwifery and whole-food nutrition. Founded in 1978, the University now includes a leading-edge research facility (the Bastyr University Research Institute) and outstanding clinical training at Bastyr Center for Natural Health, ranked as one of the Puget Sound’s top medical facilities for patient experience in 2013. The University’s second campus, Bastyr University California opened in San Diego, in fall 2012, becoming California ‘s first and only accredited school of naturopathic medicine.

ABOUT ACE

Founded in 1918, ACE is the major coordinating body for all the nation’s higher education institutions, representing more than 1,600 college and university presidents and related associations. It provides leadership on key higher education issues and influences public policy through advocacy. For more information, please visit www.acenet.edu or follow ACE on Twitter @ACEducation.