A Program Designed for Maximum Flexibiity
Foundry College students progress through the program at their own pace, taking between one and three courses per trimester. We offer courses at times outside of standard working hours to help you organize your education around your life, and all learning takes place in the live online classroom — there’s no required pre-work or homework.
Master Future-Ready Knowledge and Skills
The Foundry College online associate degree program is composed of three main components. You'll begin with professional skills courses, where you'll master foundational skills such as problem-solving and communication. Then move on to courses for the business management major which, in addition to teaching in-demand business skills that can be applied across industries, include preparation to earn an industry-specific credential that can lead to a future-ready job. In addition, you'll transfer in course credits to complete the elective requirement.
STAGE I
Professional Skills Component
Our general education courses target specific future-ready skills that today’s employers look for in all new hires, including clear communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, organization, teamwork, and adaptability. These skills are highly automation-resistant, and surveys have found that many employers consider them more important than a job candidate’s college major.
Clear Communication
Learn to read and write precisely, listen well, communicate clearly in group settings, and interpret visual communications.
Managing Yourself at Work
Learn to organize your work, recognize and manage emotions, develop personal responsibility, and stay motivated.
Critical Analyses
Learn to challenge reports, make and evaluate arguments, weigh decisions, and assess your own thinking.
Working with Others
Learn to collaborate and negotiate effectively, work well in teams, and build professional relationships.
Practical Problem Solving
Learn to frame and solve a wide range of problems in various professional contexts.
Learning at Work
Learn to master new material efficiently so that you can adapt and succeed as job requirements change.
STAGE II
Business Major Component
As less-skilled job opportunities disappear due to automation, 'middle-skills' roles remain critical — and, according to employers, are increasingly hard to fill. By combining foundational business skills with industry-specific credential courses, the Foundry College Business Management Major prepares students to excel in a middle-skills management job.
Analyzing and Conveying Information in Business
This course provides a background in common types of business analyses, factors to consider when making decisions in a business context, and how to present decisions and arguments effectively. You'll learn to prepare business speeches and presentations, and practice writing effective memos and reports.
Credential Foundations
You'll choose an industry credential pathway and complete foundational coursework specific to that credential. In addition, you'll develop a clear understanding of the industry’s context, opportunities, and challenges, and become familiar with the credential requirements and relevant future-proof roles.
Fundamentals of Business
Learn how a business is structured, the responsibilities of the business functions, and their interrelationships. You'll become aware of how businesses are started—and what constraints and requirements must be met as ideas become reality.
Credential Skills
Building on your foundational credential coursework, you'll continue to build skills and knowledge as you work toward fulfilling the third-party credential requirements. At the conclusion of this course, you will be prepared to obtain a recognized, in-demand credential that will help you secure a rewarding and automation-resistant job.
Thinking with Software
Learn to work with datasets and use software tools such as spreadsheets, slideware, and word processing programs to solve business-related problems. Most importantly, you'll learn to use software to extend your own thinking—allowing you to leverage new knowledge and skills more effectively.
From the Classroom to the Workplace
This final synthesis course gives you an opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge you've gained to a real-world workplace scenario. You'll analyze challenges you've encountered in a current or past job, explain how your Foundry College coursework contributed to a better understanding of these situations, and create a plan for handling similar scenarios in the future.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT
Electives Component
To graduate with an associate degree from Foundry College, you must also complete elective courses. Foundry College does not offer electives; instead, we allow you to transfer elective credits from a variety of sources, including previous college experience.
Previous College Credit
Those with prior college experience can fulfill the elective requirement by transferring credits from an accredited U.S. institution.
Proctored Exams
You can receive elective credits through a variety of qualified proctored assessments including AP, IB, CLEP and ACE.
Low or No-Cost Courses
Those who need additional elective credits are directed to low and no-cost online courses that will meet the requirement.
Program Learning Outcomes
The program learning outcomes for our Business Management program are as follows:
- Analyze business-relevant data and know how to use it
- Know how to read, write and present business-relevant material
- Use software and other tools to solve practical problems systematically
- Use methods that help one to work well with others
- Acquire tools to manage oneself to be more efficient and productive
- Learn how to learn quickly and effectively
Course level outcomes are specified on course syllabi, which are provided as part of course enrollment.
Hands-On Activities
In every class, you'll reinforce what you've learned during lectures by applying new knowledge and skills in small group exercises.
Notice to Prospective Degree Program Students
This institution is provisionally approved by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education to offer degree programs. To continue to offer this degree program, this institution must meet the following requirements:
- Become institutionally accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education, with the scope of the accreditation covering at least one degree program
- Achieve accreditation candidacy or pre-accreditation, as defined in regulations, by March 22, 2023, and full accreditation by March 22, 2026.
If this institution stops pursuing accreditation, it must:
- Stop all enrollment in its degree programs, and
- Provide a teach-out to finish the educational program or provide a refund.
An institution that fails to comply with accreditation requirements by the required dates shall have its approval to offer degree programs automatically suspended.