The College for Adults

The College for Adults offers undergraduate certificate, associate degree, and bachelor's degree programs for non-traditional students. Programs of study, instructional strategies, and student services are designed to meet the needs of adult students seeking to start or complete undergraduate degrees and certificates. Technology-enhanced instruction, with most programs of study offered fully online, is designed to minimize time on campus and serve busy adult students in Minnesota and across North America.

Programs focus on career advancement and professional applications, grounded in the University's liberal arts tradition and mission to educate women to lead and influence.  Admission to the College for Adults is open to students of all genders.

The College for Adults is designed to accommodate adult students wherever they may be in their educational and career pathway, providing them with access to the flexible, high-quality learning and student services they need to take them to the next level.  The College for Adults recognizes students' previous college experience, as well as learning outside college classrooms, to provide accelerated pathways to degree completion. The College also offers options to "ladder" into graduate degree programs by offering students access to graduate-level courses while still enrolled in undergraduate degree programs. Credit for relevant prior work experience is possible for business related majors upon submission of a portfolio.

Learning is collaborative, dynamic, and adult-centered.  Instructors value the lived personal and professional experiences that adult students bring to each course. Learning gained in "core" general education, prerequisite, supporting, and major courses prepares students for career success. College for Adults graduates are prepared to excel in their professions and their communities through learning grounded in the liberal arts and focused on leadership, ethics, equity, social justice, and the advancement of women. 

Learning in the College for Adults is inclusive.  The learning experience is enriched by the wide range of cultural and social experiences our student body brings to the College for Adults.  Students are prepared to advance diversity and inclusion in their professional and personal lives.