5 Ways the Church is Changing Education

When PathwayConnect launched in 2009, it was designed to bring an innovative approach to education. Since then, the program has continued to benefit the lives of tens of thousands of students across the world.

With the announcement of BYU-Pathway Worldwide in February 2017, the Church is continuing to change higher education as we know it. Here are just five ways the Church Education System (CES) is transforming higher education.

1. Bringing Education to You!

BYU-Pathway Worldwide strives to reach more students around the world and provide them with the opportunity to get a high-quality, low-cost, and gospel-based education. In 2011, just two years after PathwayConnect’s initial launch, the program opened its first international locations in Mexico and Ghana.

With the creation of BYU-Pathway Worldwide as “a new Church-wide higher education online organization,” the organization is working tirelessly to increase access to education in every corner of the world.

2. Driving Down the Price of Higher Education

BYU-Pathway Worldwide provides educational opportunities to individuals who may not be able to afford it otherwise. That’s why its PathwayConnect program is just $73 per credit in the United States — and tuition is even lower in other countries.

After completing PathwayConnect’s three-semester curriculum, students who join a BYU-Idaho online degree program keep the same low-cost tuition rate they enjoyed during PathwayConnect. This means a student in the U.S. can earn their bachelor’s degree entirely online for less than $9,000. That’s five times less than the average tuition cost of most public universities.

3. Providing a Credible CES Degree in Your Own Home

BYU-Pathway Worldwide makes getting a degree from a CES-accredited university available from your home! As students complete PathwayConnect, they are then eligible to begin an online degree program through BYU-Idaho to earn their bachelor’s degree.

BYU-Pathway students have the ability to schedule their schoolwork at a time that fits their busy schedule. Aside from the weekly gatherings for PathwayConnect, the online classes are completely flexible to fit better in your life.

4. Offering Stackable Degrees

BYU-Pathway Worldwide opens the door to stackable degrees , which allow students to choose from several different programs and earn three certificates, an associate degree, and a bachelor’s degree — all for the same cost and time as it would take to earn just a bachelor’s degree. This means you can take your education one step at a time. Courses taken for a certificate count toward complementary associate and bachelor’s degrees as students continue their education.

For example, the 14-credit entrepreneurship certificate counts toward the 60-credit applied business management associate degree, which both count toward the complete 120-credit bachelor’s degree in applied business management.

5. Gathering with Students Near You!

BYU-Pathway Worldwide offers support to PathwayConnect students in your local area. Along with online courses, students gather at a local institute or church meetinghouse for face-to-face support and friendship. Service missionaries offer support and guidance to students throughout their educational journey.

As a result of the weekly gathering, students are able to motivate, encourage, and help each other. The gatherings often become a second family for the students and become their favorite part of the program.