Adult Degree Completion (ADC) Programs (BA)

The Adult Degree Completion Program (ADC) is designed for students who have a minimum of 6 years life experience since completing high school, and a minimum or 30 college level credits.The program offers a range of programs and support services tailored for adults returning to the university. Degree programs integrate theory and practice, are outcome-based, and incorporate experiential, interactive, and collaborative learning components.

Students must complete all degree requirements including electives, GE, and major requirements to earn the bachelor’s degree. They choose from a range of courses each semester, including Summer Session, and enroll either part-time or full-time. Courses in all ADC majors are taught in an online or hybrid format (online combined with some face-to-face, and a combination of synchronous and asynchronous lessons). All ADC courses are accelerated and meet on Monday through Thursday weekday evenings and/or on Saturdays. Students are occasionally expected to come to campus on selected weekends for retreats, workshops or labs.

A maximum of 76 lower division units and an unlimited number of upper division units may be transferred to Dominican University. A maximum of 12 units may be transferred after a student has matriculated at Dominican. The remaining general education (GE) and elective units needed to complete the 124 unit bachelor’s degree, including those in the student’s major, are completed at Dominican through courses, the Dominican Experiential Learning Program, and/or unsponsored learning options.

ADC Program Majors

ADC students must declare an intended major when they apply for admission. To change a major, students submit a Declaration of Major form, with all required signatures, to the Registrar’s Office. Admission to the ADC program requires that students have a minimum of 6 years life experience since completing high school, and a minimum or 30 college level credits. Bachelor of Arts degrees in the ADC Program are offered in the following majors:

Literary and Intercultural Studies
Leadership and Management
Leadership and Management BA to MBA (4+1)
Psychology

ADC Program Minors

Students in the ADC Program may expand their educational experience with a minor in one of the following areas:

English Literature
Humanities and Cultural Studies
Leadership Studies
Psychology

Some minors in the Undergraduate Day Program may also be an option for ADC Program students, provided that there is space in courses in which students have interest, the student is available to take the courses when scheduled, and is given approval by instructor and ADC Director.

Initial Coursework

In the first semester of coursework at Dominican, students enroll in the required courses that assist them to strengthen the academic skills they will need to complete their degree programs. All first semester students will enroll in HCS 3160 Foundations: American Pluralism and ENGL 3442 Critical Inquiry and Reflective Writing.

These two courses fulfill two Dominican ADC General Education areas, while also preparing ADC students for the Experiential Learning Portfolio program, where students may earn elective and general education college units by demonstrating university-level learning gained from personal and professional life experience. Students who choose to enroll more than half time (i.e. more than two courses) may pursue their majors beginning in the first semester.

General Elective Units

Elective units may be earned in any discipline in the ADC curriculum. Elective units may also be earned through Prior Learning Assessment options (see below). ADC students may be permitted to take elective units in non-ADC undergraduate programs on a space available basis. ADC students may also take elective units for the BA degree if they are admitted to the 4+1 MBA program.

Prior Learning Assessment

Through Prior Learning Assessment, students can identify and validate their lifelong learning endeavors and earn college level units to be applied toward General Education and Elective units applied toward the Bachelor’s Degree. Prior Learning Assessment coordinates the University’s options for demonstrating learning that occurred outside the college classroom. These options include learning accomplished outside the traditional academic setting and demonstrated through the Experiential Learning Portfolio process. Additionally, Unsponsored Learning options may be utilized to complete remaining GE and elective courses through standardized examinations including Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), the Excelsior College Examination Program (formerly Regents PEP), DSST (formerly known as Dantes), and ACE/PONSI recommended course

See the Experiential Learning Portfolio section catalog for additional information.