Dive Brief:

• Rasmussen College has received accreditor approval to offer competency-based degree programs in business management and accounting.
• The program is an extension of the for-profit college’s work in competency-based learning development, which in 2015 was selected by the U.S. Department of Education as a pilot institution in a network developing similar learning modules that could be cleared for federal financial aid distribution.
• The program will offer hybrid learning and competency demonstration options, which officials say will foster comprehensive job training and faster entry into the workforce.

Dive Insight:

Rasmussen’s clearance to offer hybrid degree programs based upon individual student competency contrasts with the Department of Education’s recent actions against for-profit institutions and their accrediting agencies. For some for-profit institutions, the news could be a path forward towards federal favor, in spite of the recent attacks by the administration.

Hybrid courses can allow schools to incorporate professional training modules, like bootcamps, to develop students’ skills in specific jobs, while building the value of a degree through expedited learning and development curriculum. If some nonprofit institutions are working to offer a for-profit learning experience, and the DOE has cleared a way for an established best practice in building this experience, all institutions can learn how to more effectively reach a growing population of college students.