Columbia Southern University
Encyclopedia
Columbia Southern University, in Orange Beach
, Alabama
, USA, is a privately held for-profit online-only
institution of higher education
. It offers associate, bachelor, graduate and postgraduate programs in fields including fire science, criminal justice
, business administration, information technology
, human resource management
, organizational leadership, and occupational safety and health
.
by Distance Education and Training Council
(DETC) since 2001. DETC is an accreditation agency recognized by both the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation
(CHEA). Columbia Southern is also a member of the Higher Education Transfer Alliance (HETA), a voluntary group of accredited institutions that are concerned with the importance of student mobility, enhancing success in transfer of credit, and affirming the responsibility and prerogative of individual institutions with respect to acceptance of transfer credits. It is one of the few accredited institutions selected by the DETC to start offering accredited online Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA), one of eight pilot doctorate programs being implemented by the DETC.
, Waldorf College
, and University of West Florida
to offer creative online degree programs through these traditional universities.
By 1996, the infrastructure to administer these programs was firmly in place and additional degree programs were developed and offered. The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration was the first to be offered before Computer Science, Criminal Justice Administration and Health Administration were also made available.
Dr. Mayes headed the institution until his death in 2005, when his son, Robert Mayes, Jr., assumed the presidency.
Columbia Southern University is one of six Academic Partners of Delta Air Lines
and one of approximately 140 schools approved to offer up-front tuition assistance through the U.S. Army’s centralized tuition assistance portal, GoArmyEd.
Orange Beach, Alabama
Orange Beach is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 3,784. It is part of the Daphne–Fairhope–Foley Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, USA, is a privately held for-profit online-only
Distance education
Distance education or distance learning is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom...
institution of higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
. It offers associate, bachelor, graduate and postgraduate programs in fields including fire science, criminal justice
Criminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
, business administration, information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
, human resource management
Human resource management
Human Resource Management is the management of an organization's employees. While human resource management is sometimes referred to as a "soft" management skill, effective practice within an organization requires a strategic focus to ensure that people resources can facilitate the achievement of...
, organizational leadership, and occupational safety and health
Occupational safety and health
Occupational safety and health is a cross-disciplinary area concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment. The goal of all occupational safety and health programs is to foster a safe work environment...
.
Accreditation and approvals
Columbia Southern has been accreditedEducational accreditation
Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...
by Distance Education and Training Council
Distance Education and Training Council
The Distance Education and Training Council is a non-profit national educational accreditation agency in the United States specializing in the accreditation of distance education institutions.- History :...
(DETC) since 2001. DETC is an accreditation agency recognized by both the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation
Council for Higher Education Accreditation
The Council for Higher Education Accreditation is a United States organization of degree-granting colleges and universities. It identifies its purpose as providing national advocacy for self-regulation of academic quality through accreditation in order to certify the quality of higher education...
(CHEA). Columbia Southern is also a member of the Higher Education Transfer Alliance (HETA), a voluntary group of accredited institutions that are concerned with the importance of student mobility, enhancing success in transfer of credit, and affirming the responsibility and prerogative of individual institutions with respect to acceptance of transfer credits. It is one of the few accredited institutions selected by the DETC to start offering accredited online Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA), one of eight pilot doctorate programs being implemented by the DETC.
Faculty and agreements with other institutions
Currently Columbia Southern University has more than 270 full-time faculty and staff. It enrolls and graduates thousands of students annually on both national and international level. Columbia Southern University also established agreements with University of North AlabamaUniversity of North Alabama
The University of North Alabama is a coeducational university located in Florence, Alabama, and the state's oldest four-year public university....
, Waldorf College
Waldorf College
Waldorf College, located in Forest City, Iowa, is a four-year liberal arts, for-profit college.Founded in 1903, the college was affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America until 2009, when, due to financial problems, the college was sold to for-profit Mayes Education, owner of...
, and University of West Florida
University of West Florida
The University of West Florida, also known as West Florida and UWF, is a mid-sized public university located in Pensacola, Florida, United States. UWF is a member institution of the State University System of Florida. The University of West Florida is a Research University, which specializes in...
to offer creative online degree programs through these traditional universities.
History
The school was founded in 1993 by Dr. Robert G. Mayes, Sr.,. The university developed its first degree programs in Environmental Engineering and Occupational Safety and Health in 1994.By 1996, the infrastructure to administer these programs was firmly in place and additional degree programs were developed and offered. The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration was the first to be offered before Computer Science, Criminal Justice Administration and Health Administration were also made available.
Dr. Mayes headed the institution until his death in 2005, when his son, Robert Mayes, Jr., assumed the presidency.
Columbia Southern University is one of six Academic Partners of Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
and one of approximately 140 schools approved to offer up-front tuition assistance through the U.S. Army’s centralized tuition assistance portal, GoArmyEd.