Area Institutions Offer Continuing Education Programs

By Diane Krauthamer

Some area institutions are offering exciting programs this coming school year for those looking to advance their careers, learn new skills, or pursue a new field of study.

As one of 10 campuses in the United States, the Kansas City campus of Heritage College, located at 1200 E. 104th Street, Suite 150, specializes in educating students for careers in healthcare. The programs offered include: Dental Assisting, Esthetics, Fitness Training, Massage Therapy, Medical Administrative Specialist, Medical Assisting, and Pharmacy Technician. The campus has 16 classrooms, and “includes a massage clinic and an esthetics salon that are open to the public, medical assisting labs, pharmacy lab, and an instructional gym for personal training students,” according to the school’s website.

In addition to the programs and amenities offered, Heritage College offers students a personalized experience. “We offer small, friendly classes and we are very student-oriented. That is part of our mission as a school,” said Director of Heritage College Larry Cartmill.

Webster University, which opened its Kansas City location last year at 10450 Holmes Street, Suite #100, offers a unique variety of academic programs. Unlike other local continuing education institutions, Webster University personalizes programs to meet specific goals and schedules of those who are employed full time or actively serving in the military.

Webster offers online graduate programs in Education and Innovation, Educational Technology, Human Resources Management, Management and Leadership, Business Administration, as well as offline graduate programs in Counseling, Cybersecurity, and a Master of Science in Nursing. Additionally, online and offline undergraduate programs are offered in Criminology, Management, Human Resources Management, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN).

As one of hundreds of locations in the United States, the Kansas City campus of DeVry University, located at 1310 E. 104th Street, 2 nd Floor, offers a wide range of online and offline programs in many fields of graduate and undergraduate study. These include programs offered in the Colleges of Busines & Management, Engineering & Information Sciences, Health Sciences, Liberal Arts & Sciences, Media Arts & Technology. Additionally, the Keller Graduate School of Management offers Master’s degrees in Accounting & Financial Management, Accounting, Business Administration, Human Resource Management, Information Systems Management, Network and Communications Management, Project Management, and Public Administration.

All of the programs are offered online and on-site. In Kansas City, DeVry students have access to computer labs, a “full-service virtual library,” and “comfortable common areas and spacious classrooms,” according to its website.

The University of Phoenix, located at 1310 E 104th Street, Suite #100, offers “career-focused education,” according to the school. This includes a range of professional development, industry-aligned certificates, test preparation, as well as certificate programs for individuals looking to grow skills and knowledge to help prepare them to be more successful in their careers.

“Education is evolving from being degree-centric to more student-centric by providing individuals with more flexible and diverse learning formats that align with their specific goals,” said Ruth Veloria, executive dean of the University of Phoenix School of Business.

“At University of Phoenix, we offer coursework in a variety of formats to meet students’ unique needs and are seeing greater demand for bite-sized, professional development courses and certificates to help professionals meet the rapidly changing demands of the workplace,” she added.

Avila University is a private Catholic university located at 11901 Wornall Road. As a “values-based university sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet,” said Marketing Manager Priscilla Subramaniyam, the schools offers liberal arts, professional, undergraduate and graduate programs “to prepare students for responsible lifelong contributions to the global community.”

Unique to Avila University is its School of Professional Studies, called the Avila Advantage—“an innovative program that incorporates flexible scheduling and real-world instruction on a path to earning bachelor’s and graduate degrees and graduate certificates at an accelerated pace,” according to its website. The Avila Advantage gears students toward Bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration, Corporate Communication, Healthcare Management, Human Resources, Psychology, and RN to BSN; Master’s degrees in Management-Fundraising, Project Management, Instructional Design & Technology, and Organizational Development; and graduate certificates in Fundraising, Project Management, Strategic Human Resources, Coaching Certification, Executive Leadership, and Instructional Design & Technology.