Working for the President, Kathryn Medina Made Her Success Possible
The passion for success came from Kathryn Medina's father. As a first-generation college graduate, he was determined to provide his children with a foundation to believe that all of their goals were possible. When he became a corporate executive, his job took the family all around the world.
'As a child of an expatriate, I was always on the move,' says Medina. 'I learned not only how to meet and talk to people, but also how to listen to them and how to look at things from their perspective.'
With Strayer University's online programs, Medina was also able to pursue her education, no matter where she lived. 'Once I earned my undergraduate degree from Strayer University, I was off and running,' she adds.
Medina sure ran far, all the way to a presidential appointee serving as the Executive Director of the Chief Human Capital Officers Council at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management in Washington, DC.
The council is composed of 52 human resources professionals from 26 federal government agencies and departments, including NASA, Homeland Security and the Department of Defense. 'I have to be able to convince every member that our decisions are in the best interest of every agency and department'and that can be a challenge,' explains Medina.
She and the council members focus on implementing HR initiatives that can be effective throughout every corner of the federal government. 'In the federal government,' Medina says, 'people move from one agency to another, so it's important to have our HR training standardized and in one centralized place.'
In addition, Medina helps foster a culture that not only recognizes and rewards the workforce, but also stands up for employees and encourages growth. 'We're going to continue to make sure that motivating employees and keeping them engaged remains at the top of our list,' she states. When Media looks back at her time spent growing up abroad, her education and her family's support, she understands how her attitude was shaped to believe in the possibility of success. She truly appreciates 'each of these experiences for how they prepared me for the future.'
4 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT TRANSFERRING CREDITS
Thinking of completing your degree? Want to know if your prior credits will count toward a new program?
Your existing credits might be transferable to Strayer University, which could potentially save you time and money on your degree.
Start here:
Transferring Credits to Strayer in Three Steps
- Complete the online form
Complete the online form. Our admissions officer will contact you to discuss your transfer credit options. - Request your official transcript
When possible, Strayer will request an official transcript from your former school(s) on your behalf. Your admissions officer will go over the credit transfer process. You can also contact your former school and request that an official transcript be sent the Office of the Registrar at Strayer.1 It can take 2–4 weeks for us to receive your transcripts, so it’s best to start the process as soon as possible. - Transcript evaluation and award of credit
After your transcript is received, the registrar will review your transcript for possible transfer credit. Your admissions officer will contact you as soon as possible with a list of approved credits. You can check the online portal to see how the credits fit in your curriculum.2 Meet with your admissions officer to finalize your path to graduation.
When Can I Apply To Transfer?
You can enroll all the way up to the add/drop period, one week after the start of classes.
How Do I Get My College Transcripts?
If possible, we can order your transcripts for you after you complete a transcript request form. Otherwise, request your transcripts directly and have them sent to registrar@strayer.edu or P.O. BOX 211625, Dallas TX 75211.
When Do You Need My Transcripts?
If you’re a graduate student, you’ll need to submit your transcripts before the quarter ends. If you’re transferring as an undergrad, plan to submit as early as possible, so you don’t end up having to retake classes.
Is There a Limit To The Number of Credits That Can Be Applied to My Degree?
That depends on your program. You can transfer up to 126 credits into an undergraduate program or up to 18 credits into a graduate program.
Will Strayer Accept Credits From All My Previous Institutions?
Credits must be from accredited universities and your transcripts must be evaluated by the registrar.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT ONLINE BACHELOR’S DEGREE FOR YOU
You’re ready to go back to school, but you’re not sure which online bachelor’s degree is the best fit for you. Get a feel for each of Strayer University’s five undergraduate degrees, and take a deeper dive into the programs that grab your attention.
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN ACCOUNTING
While you master the principles necessary to read and interpret a balance sheet, you will improve your communication and planning skills. You’ll also:
- Become proficient in industry-standard software programs
- Study all aspects of financial accounting
- Understand the ethics of reporting and disclosing financial information
- Explore the auditing process and design an auditing program
- Gain a foundation in government and not-for-profit accounting
- Develop your management and leadership skills
This degree is ideal for: People who love numbers and are detail-oriented.
BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
This degree gives you exposure to strategic theory and provides the hands-on development you need to succeed in business. You’ll fine-tune these important skills:
- Management and leadership preparation
- Analysis and decision-making
- Strategic resource management
- Communication
To customize the degree program to your interests and career goals, you’ll choose one of 13 concentrations. These focus areas include Finance, Human Resource Management, Marketing, and more.
This degree is ideal for: People who want to learn general business principles and develop an area of specialization.
BACHELOR OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN MANAGEMENT
This degree allows you to transfer your community college technical or applied science associate’s degree into a bachelor’s degree program.
With a great balance of theory and practice, this program will teach you to:
- Use analytical skills to measure goals and performance
- Apply decision-making techniques to critical business challenges
- Effectively communicate strategies, policies, and procedures across an organization
- Foster more productive and ethical organizational cultures
- Develop organizational structures and operational concepts
- Tap into the power of critical thinking skills and information logic
This degree is ideal for: People who already have an associate’s degree and want to deepen their management expertise.
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Gain the knowledge and skills to work in fraud detection, juvenile crime, computer forensics, or other specialty areas. The strong liberal arts component of this degree fosters historical, political and social awareness, and helps you develop communication skills, information literacy, abstract thinking and critical analysis. Explore the theoretical, operational, and legal components of law enforcement, rehabilitation of offenders, and the prevention, adjudication, and correction of juvenile and adult crime. Graduates are prepared for careers in the public or private sector of criminal justice or cybercrime and security.
To customize your degree, you’ll choose one of six concentrations:
- Computer Forensics
- Crime and Criminal Behavior
- Criminal Justice Administration
- Homeland Security & Emergency Management
- Probation and Parole
- Tap into the power of critical thinking skills and information logic
This degree is ideal for: People who are interested in working in the criminal justice system.
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
This online IT degree program delves deep into programming languages and database development, while providing you with the communication skills critical to your success. Many courses are lab-based, giving you hands-on access to the tools you’ll use on the job. You’ll work with a complete range of platforms, devices, and deployment environments.
When you graduate with this degree, you’ll have the skills to:
- Build technology solutions to solve organizational problems
- Apply core IT skills and solutions to improve organizational performance
- Apply IT security best practices when using or managing technology systems
- Effectively communicate technical information to a variety audiences
- Discuss the ethical challenges surrounding IT
To personalize your degree, you’ll choose one of six customizations:
- Cybersecurity
- Data Analytics
- Data Management
- IT Project Management
- Networking
- Software Development
People who want to turn their passion for technology into a profession.
Strayer offers five online bachelor’s degrees and dozens of concentrations customized to fit your educational and career goals. Want help exploring your options? Call an Admissions Officer at 1-877-445-7180. We’d love to chat one-on-one about your interests and goals, and answer any questions you have.
MBA VS. MASTER’S IN MANAGEMENT: WHICH DEGREE IS RIGHT FOR YOU?
Wondering what the difference is between an MBA and a master’s degree in management? Ready to figure out which one is right for you?
Adrienne Garabedian, EdD, Strayer University business faculty, helps define the differences. “A Master of Management degree is specific in its specialty with a focus on people. The MBA has a broader-scope—it’s all about managing all the dimensions of a business.”
Compare and contrast the two Strayer degrees:
| Master of Business Administration (MBA) | Master of Science in Management (MSM) | |
|---|---|---|
| Concentrations |
|
|
| This degree is... | Broad, giving you a wide-ranging business education | Specific, focusing on how to best manage people and teams |
| Core abilities and job fit | Accounting, data analysis, math, leadership | Communication skills, managing, and leading people |
| # of courses to complete | 10 | 12 |
| Does the program include math courses (accounting and statistics)? | Yes | No |
| Reputation | Globally recognized degree with significant prestige | Newer degree (about 20 years old) with a reputation that’s still growing |
| You should pursue this degree if… |
|
|
MEET IRVING, THE STRAYER CHATBOT THAT SAVES STUDENTS TIME
When you’re juggling school, work, and family responsibilities, your time becomes very precious. Students often spend a lot of time on administrative tasks for school—choosing courses, using the IT helpdesk, and looking for library resources. Hunting for answers can be time-consuming. If the school’s support staff is only available from 9 to 5, students often have to cram these admin tasks into their workdays, which can be stressful.
To help our students save time and decrease stress, Strayer University developed Irving, a student service chatbot. He’s named after the University’s founder Dr. Irving Strayer.
This virtual helper, launched in 2017, offers on-demand administrative support 24/7. Strayer students can access Irving from any page on the Strayer student portal. Simply click the chat box at the bottom of the screen, and Irving will pop up. Take care of admin tasks at your convenience, even if it’s late at night or on the weekend.
IRVING CAN:
While you master the principles necessary to read and interpret a balance sheet, you will improve your communication and planning skills. You’ll also:
- Answer frequently asked questions
- Recommend courses
- Make graduation projections
- Help you conduct research
- Help you resolve IT issues
- And More
EXAMPLES OF QUESTIONS YOU CAN ASK IRVING:
- What’s the status of my financial aid?
- What courses do I need to take to complete my degree?
- How do I register for spring quarter?
- Where can I find a tutor?
- When will I graduate based on my current pace?
IRVING IS ACTUALLY HELPFUL.
Maybe you’ve used chatbots before and haven’t been impressed. We’ve had that experience, too! We knew that Irving had to be genuinely helpful, or nobody would use him. Irving combines artificial intelligence (AI) technology and natural language processing (NLP), so he can handle your requests in a conversational style. A random survey of student users revealed that Irving is good at his job:
- 81% strongly agreed that the Irving chatbot helped resolve their issue easily.
- 93% said it was “extremely likely” or “very likely” that they would use Irving again.
To customize the degree program to your interests and career goals, you’ll choose one of 13 concentrations. These focus areas include Finance, Human Resource Management, Marketing, and more.
This degree is ideal for: People who want to learn general business principles and develop an area of specialization.
IRVING GETS SMARTER OVER TIME.
New questions from students help the development team update Irving’s knowledge base. They recalibrate Irving to respond even more accurately and efficiently.
WHEN YOU NEED HUMAN HELP, IT’S AVAILABLE.
Irving can’t resolve everything—he’s a virtual assistant, after all. When a student needs help from an actual person, Irving can connect them to a staff member. You can also reach out to your Student Services Coach. Because Irving now handles most of the basic admin tasks and questions, our staff has more time to help students with the complex issues that require a human touch.
You can always talk to a real person if you like, but you might not need to. As of September 2019, only 7.42% of all conversations with Irving resulted in a transfer to a live support agent.
Irving helps students efficiently complete administrative tasks whenever it’s most convenient. He saves students valuable time and helps students quickly get back to the important stuff—studying for a degree, working, and spending time with family.
Thinking about going back to school? Strayer University offers convenient online learning, or you can take courses at one of our 70+ in-person campuses. Explore degree programs »
5 BENEFITS OF AN ONLINE DEGREE
If you’re considering starting an online degree program, you may think that flexibility is the major benefit of getting an education online. Flexibility is indeed a huge factor for many people—but it’s not the only one. Strayer University Campus Dean, Kimberly Williams (South Raleigh Campus), recently listed several other benefits for online students.
- Potential increase in student/teacher time. “When you have one instructor in a classroom with 30 people, that instructor’s attention is going to be divided,” says Williams. “Online, a student is more likely to have one-on-one interactions, whether it’s via email, phone calls, or Skype.”
- Much larger networking field. Williams notes that online classes have the potential to have a wider array of networking opportunities. “Online you have the potential to interact with hundreds of people,” she points out. “You’ll meet students from all walks of life, residing all over the country, and maybe living internationally. They can provide you with insights into how things work in different areas and the ability to make connections thousands of miles away.”
- More comfortable for introverts. If the thought of being in a classroom of 30 strangers and being expected to participate with them sounds difficult, the online experience offers a much more introvert-friendly experience. “Some people are just shy and will not talk or ask questions in a physical classroom, but give them the digital distance, and they feel more comfortable participating,” Williams says. “Part of that may be that they just feel more comfortable in their own environment, whether that’s at a coffee shop, at the office, or in their kitchen in their pajamas.”
- Less time commuting. Another benefit of online classes is that you can participate in your courses from wherever you are. Time usually spent commuting to a campus can be better spent actually working on your degree. Not to mention, this can mean less money spent on gas, bus, or rail fare.
- Decreased conflict with work. Balancing school and work is always a trying experience, but it’s exacerbated when you have to be vigilant about your competing schedules. By having to be at class at a certain time, you may need to limit your work schedule, which could cause you to lose income. With the flexibility of online courses, you can adjust your school schedule around your work schedule, maximizing the benefit of both.
If flexibility was the concept that drew your attention to online degree programs, it could come as a surprise—a pleasant one—that there are numerous other benefits. Recognizing these can help you make an informed decision before committing to a degree program. Learn more about financial aid and assistance at Strayer University.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EMPLOYER TUITION ASSISTANCE
You’ve heard of student loans and scholarships. But have you heard about employer tuition assistance? More and more employers are offering tuition assistance programs to help employees earn higher ed degrees. Learn how these aid programs work, what kind of benefits they offer, and why they’re great for both employees and organizations alike. For starters, there’s no one type of tuition assistance. It’s up to every organization to decide whether or not they’ll help fund their staff’s continuing education, and how. Some companies pay for a percentage or all of an employee’s degree program of choice, at their preferred school. Other employers may limit the support by school, degree program type, or cap the funding at a certain dollar amount. While assistance programs vary widely, here are some expenses that employers might cover: Some employers have relationships with specific universities. The details of these arrangements depend on what the employer needs. For example, a company might choose to: How does tuition assistance work?
Corporate partnerships: a special kind of tuition aid
Strayer University has corporate partnerships with hundreds of leading companies and government agencies nationwide. Every employer that partners with Strayer can customize the education benefits they offer, which can include:
- Tailor-made education programs, which help equip staff with in-demand skills and knowledge
- Degree credits for corporate training and work/life experience
If your employer is a Strayer Corporate Alliance Partner, you may even be able to take courses at work during business hours.
Does my workplace offer tuition assistance?
Check with your HR department. They’ll be able to tell you what, if any, continuing education support you're entitled to.
Tuition assistance benefits everyone
If you’re an employee looking to further your education, an employer tuition assistance program has clear benefits:
- Decreased financial strain that comes with paying for college
- Knowing that your workplace values your education and supports your advancement
- Greater confidence that goes with having in-demand training and skills
What’s in it for employers? Ronna Campbell, Vice Provost of Strayer Corporate Learning Solutions says, “A free or discounted education has tremendous value for employees, which in turn helps employers attract and retain a workforce that’s focused on developing themselves. Companies have to compete for employees with specialized knowledge and skills. Employers that offer education support have an edge when it comes to attracting and retaining staff.”
When employers make it easier and more affordable for employees to earn higher education degrees, everybody wins.
If your employer is a Strayer Corporate Alliance Partner, you could be eligible for tuition discounts, customized educational programs, college credit for on-the-job training, and more. Learn about Strayer’s corporate partnerships.
Interested in partnering with Strayer to offer employees tuition assistance? Learn about Degrees@Work.
