Does Purdue Global Accept Part-Time Students?
Many students prefer part-time study over full-time study as it allows them to handle other responsibilities. Find out if Purdue Global accepts part-time students.
Studying part-time is a good option for busy students, as it lets them tend to their other responsibilities while working toward a degree.
Purdue Global is an online university specifically for busy students, but does it accept part-time students? Keep reading to find out.
What is Purdue Global?
Purdue Global is an online university that is part of the Purdue system, a public university system in Indiana.
The university caters to nontraditional and busy adult students. For example:
- 59% of students are age 30 or older
- 52% have at least one child or other dependent
- 85% are working while in school
- 28% are military-affiliated
The university launched in 2018 and today enrolls approximately 33,500 students in over 175 associate, bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and certificate programs.
Purdue Global is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and also holds programmatic accreditation for many individual programs.
Does Purdue Global Accept Part-Time Students?
Purdue Global does accept part-time students.
84% of undergraduate students and 50% of graduate students at Purdue Global study part-time.
Part-time for college students is generally considered 11 credits or fewer per semester, or 22 credits per year.
However, Purdue Global runs on a quarter-credit system instead of the more common semester-credit system.
For example, instead of requiring 120-semester credits, bachelor's degrees at Purdue Global require 180 quarter credits.
This means that part-time at Purdue Global is considered 16.5 credits, or 8.25 credits per 10-week term.
What Are the Admissions Requirements for Purdue Global?
Purdue Global accepts part-time and full-time students, but what else is required to be accepted to Purdue Global?
Purdue Global practices open enrollment, meaning it accepts most students who apply to the university.
Students must show proof of high school graduation or equivalent but do not need to submit SAT or ACT scores.
Some programs require students to take and pass an entrance exam. Other requirements, like a background check, may also be expected.
For graduate degree programs, students must hold at least a bachelor's degree and provide an official transcript of their previous education.
What Programs Does Purdue Global Offer?
Purdue Global offers associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, doctoral degrees, and certificate programs.
Associate Degrees
A handful of associate degrees are available from Purdue Global:
- Accounting
- Business Administration
- Criminal Justice
- Early Childhood Development
- Fire Science
- Human Services
- Information Technology
- Legal Support and Services
- Nursing
- Professional Studies
These degrees require 90 quarter credits, the equivalent of 60 semester credits.
From start to finish an associate degree usually takes two years of full-time study.
For part-time students, completion time depends on how many credits you take per semester.
Bachelor's Degrees
Bachelor's degrees are available in a multitude of fields, including:
- Aviation
- Business Administration
- Communications
- Criminal Justice
- Education
- Fire and Emergency Management
- Health Sciences
- Human Services
- Information Technology
- Legal Studies & Support
- Professional Studies
- Psychology
- Public Policy
Bachelor's degrees usually require 180 quarter credits. This takes a full-time student four years to complete, on average.
Master's Degrees
Master's degrees at Purdue Global are available in the following fields:
- Business Administration
- Criminal Justice
- Education
- Health Sciences
- Human Services
- Information Technology
- Legal Studies
- Professional Studies
- Psychology
- Public Policy
Master's degrees vary in length, but most require between 50-60 quarter credits and take about two years to complete when studying full-time.
Doctoral Degrees
Four professional doctorates are offered at Purdue Global. These are:
- Doctor of Education in Leadership and Innovation
- Doctor of Health Science
- Doctor of Nursing Practice
- Juris Doctor
The course and credit load depends on the program. On average, full-time students finish their doctoral degrees at Purdue Global in one and a half to two and a half years.
Certificate Programs
Purdue Global offers multiple undergraduate and graduate certificates in:
- Business
- Criminal Justice
- Education
- Health Sciences
- Human Services
- Information Technology
- Legal Studies
- Nursing
- Professional Studies
- Psychology
Certificate programs vary in length, but most take between 6-12 months to complete.
ExcelTrack Programs at Purdue Global
Purdue Global offers several bachelor's and master's degrees in a self-paced format it calls ExcelTrack.
These programs allow you to use prior knowledge for college credit.
To start, you'll take an assessment that determines your subject knowledge and skill. Then, you'll receive a personalized curriculum.
Students in ExcelTrack programs take one highly focused one-credit course at a time. Once they've finished one course, they can move on to the next one.
ExcelTrack bachelor's degrees are available in the following majors:
- Analytics
- Business Administration
- Cloud Computing and Solutions
- Criminal Justice
- Cybersecurity
- Health Care Administration
- Information Technology
- Nursing, Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN)
ExcelTrack master's degrees and certificates are available in the following areas:
- Business Administration
- Cybersecurity Management
- Information Technology
- Nursing
- Nurse Executive Leadership
For some students, ExcelTrack programs are a better option than studying part-time, because these programs are charged per 10-week term rather than per credit.
Bachelor's programs generally cost $371 per credit, while ExcelTrack bachelor's programs are $2,500 per term.
If you're planning on taking seven or more credits per term, an ExcelTrack program will be less expensive.
However, less than that, a standard, per-credit program is a better option.
Part-Time Programs at Purdue Global
Purdue Global offers programs in full-time, part-time, and self-paced schedules.
With the information above, you can assess if a part-time program at Purdue Global is right for you.