Rasmussen College Receives Approval for New Competency-Based Education Model

Minneapolis (July 7, 2016)–Rasmussen College, a regionally accredited private college, today announced it received approval from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) to begin offering competency-based education hybrid degree programs. Competency-based education, or CBE, provides clear and specific learning goals to students while allowing them to achieve their learning in flexible time frames. CBE also allows students to build on their knowledge and apply new skills to scenarios that will help prepare them for the real world and workplace. Rasmussen College received approval to offer its Business Management and Accounting Associate’s and Bachelor’s degree-completion programs in a CBE format.

“Rasmussen College is a leader in higher education innovation and is committed to exploring, enhancing and providing new learning options that meet the diverse needs of today’s students,” said Dr. Trenda Boyum-Breen, president, Rasmussen College. “We know students today – many of whom have some college credit – want a more flexible way to learn and the ability to show what they know when they know it so they can graduate sooner and get in the workforce faster. Competency-based education allows us to put the student and learning first as well as graduate more students who are highly qualified to flourish in the 21^st century workforce. We are thrilled to receive HLC approval for our new CBE model, and we look forward to making this innovative learning experience available to students.”

Rasmussen College Helping Lead Competency-Based Education Innovation

In 2015, Rasmussen College was chosen to participate in the U.S. Department of Education’s Experimental Sites Initiative to develop best practices and incorporate federal financial aid disbursement into competency-based education programs. Rasmussen College also joined the Competency-Based Education Network, which is working to address shared challenges in the design, development and scaling of competency-based degree programs in the U.S. Most recently, the College won the Campus Management Award of Excellence in Innovation for its advancements in competency-based education.

“We continue to learn from our students, our faculty and other colleges and universities, and we remain committed to ongoing research and innovation to advance competency-based education delivery models at Rasmussen College and for the benefit of all students within the higher education industry,” Dr. Boyum-Breen said.

About the New Rasmussen College Competency-Based Education Model

The new competency-based education hybrid model at Rasmussen College will first launch within the Rasmussen College School of Business. Students will take competency-based courses, which are faculty-led, self-paced and project-based, alongside their traditional courses. They have the opportunity to engage with rich, interactive content as well as collaborate with faculty and fellow students to learn the course material, and students have the ability to show what they know as soon as they know it.

To learn more about Rasmussen College, please visit www.rasmussen.edu.