Tom Joyner, three HBCUs offer online degrees

DALLAS - Florida A & M University and Tennessee State University are partnering with Tom Joyner's HBCUsOnline as part of a new national initiative to enroll students in undergraduate and graduate online degree programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. FAMU and Tennessee State join Texas Southern University to become part of Joyner's education services company that has been well received by tens of thousands of potential students since it launched nine months ago. In addition to offering new degree choices, HBCUsOnline is offering a wide range of professional certificates, from basic business skills to advanced certifications for information technology (IT) professionals.

HBCUsOnline is a marketing, enrollment services and online student support vehicle to help students apply to Black colleges and achieve career success after graduation. Joyner is creating the most comprehensive educational services company for Black colleges in the world. Since last September, more than 150,000 adult student prospects visited HBCUsOnline.com

"Adding FAMU and Tennessee State as part of HBCUsOnline is very exciting because we are now partnering with three of the largest HBCUs in the nation," said Joyner, host of the nationally syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show and founder of the company. "I want to make sure that African Americans know that getting an online degree from an HBCU is a better choice. Students take classes from experienced professors and graduates become part of the schools' proud legacy of alumni."

Enrollment for the fall courses is now open. Students can go to HBCUsOnline.com to learn more about popular degree programs and easily apply. HBCUsOnline provides program specialists to facilitate the entire application and enrollment process as well as provide online-focused student support from registration through graduation. Upon completion of all the required coursework, a student will receive a degree from the participating universities - an accredited, credible, high- quality and nationally recognized Black college or university.

Tennessee State, founded in 1912, has more than 8,800 students, and for 12 consecutive years has been ranked one of the nation's best colleges by U.S. News and World Report. The school, based in Nashville, TN., is offering several options including two undergraduate degrees and a Master's degree program that are specifically designed to help working adults complete their degrees. The Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies (BSID) is specifically designed for students who have already earned some prior college credit. It is flexible enough to help them complete remaining coursework and earn a degree. The Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies (BSPS) has a concentration in Organizational Leadership or Information Technology. The Master of Professional Studies (MPS) allows students to select a concentration in one of three areas: Human Resources Leadership, Training and Development or Strategic Leadership.

"Tennessee State University has a diverse student population and offers quality programs to suit the academic and professional needs of its constituency," said President Portia Shields. "Among this population are adult learners who are able to earn degrees online, at night, and on weekends. Through this partnership, we are able to extend the University's reach and expose the merits of this great Institution to a broader audience."

FAMU, the nation's largest HBCU, enrolling 13,274 students, was ranked by the National Academies as the No. 1 institution of origin for African Americans who go on to earn their Ph.D. degrees in the natural science and engineering. FAMU's College of Law in Orlando is ranked by U.S. News and World Report as one of the nation's most diverse law schools. FAMU is noted for its programs in business, architecture, journalism and the heath profession including pharmacy where it is the nation's leading producer of African American pharmacists. FAMU is now offering three online graduate-level programs in high-demand job areas: an Executive Master's in Business Administration degree, a Master's in Public Health and a Master's of Science in Nursing.

"We are looking forward to enrolling students from across the country, and around the globe in our online programs so that we can prepare them to pursue their career goals and give them the opportunity to be a part of this great Rattler tradition," said President James H. Ammons.

Texas Southern's online degree programs include a general Executive MBA, an Executive MBA with an emphasis in Energy Finance, and an Executive Masters in Public Administration. Texas Southern is an 85-year-old institution best known for its Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Jesse H. Jones School of Business, its Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs, and its College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, which has produced 27 percent of all African-American pharmacists in the country.