Morehouse College to start online degree program

Dr. David A. Thomas, the new president of Morehouse College in Atlanta, addresses the public at his first news conference at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia on Friday, January 12, 2018. (REANN HUBER/REANN.HUBER@AJC.COM)

Dr. David A. Thomas, the new president of Morehouse College in Atlanta, addresses the public at his first news conference at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia on Friday, January 12, 2018. (REANN HUBER/REANN.HUBER@AJC.COM)

Morehouse College announced Tuesday it is partnering with a technology company to provide online degrees, a new approach by the school to expand beyond its traditional educational mission.

The historically Black college for men near downtown Atlanta will offer degrees to students with some college credits from other institutions and former Morehouse students who didn’t complete their coursework. The courses will include a bachelor’s degree completion program in business administration with a management concentration, as well as other disciplines. The college plans to begin accepting applications this spring and launch the program in August.

“The accessibility of an online education allows us to deliver the Morehouse experience and education to countless men who can bring their light to the world in the same way alums like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Jeh Johnson, Spike Lee, Senator Raphael Warnock, and countless others have,” Morehouse President David A. Thomas said in a statement. “Our world-class faculty are uniquely capable of using the expertise we have developed by producing transformative leaders for more than 154 years to make highly-relevant instruction available through cutting-edge platforms and delivery methods.”

Morehouse said it will maintain control over hiring faculty, developing curriculum, course requirements, admissions standards and academic instruction.

Morehouse joins only a handful of historically Black colleges and universities that is providing degrees online. An increasing number of African Americans have sought online degrees in recent years, particularly through for-profit colleges. Morehouse is also trying to increase revenue through different sources.

Morehouse is partnering with 2U, Inc. on its online program. The company, according to its website, is working with about 80 colleges and universities on online programs. The list includes Georgia Tech’s Professional Education program.