WGU Announces Partnership with SSM Health

ST. LOUIS, Feb. 12, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- About 30,000 employees of SSM Health are now eligible for a 5 percent discount on tuition under a new partnership between WGU Missouri and the St. Louis-based health system. The agreement provides greater access to high-quality, affordable bachelor's and master's degrees in health care, business, education, and IT.

SSM Health is a Catholic not-for-profit health system serving the health needs of communities in four states through one of the largest integrated delivery systems in the nation.  Under the terms of the agreement, SSM Health employees can receive a 5 percent discount (for up to two years) to pursue a bachelor's or master's degree at WGU Missouri.

The tuition discount reduces WGU Missouri's already-low tuition of about $6,000 per year for most programs. Employees are also eligible to apply for exclusive scholarships, valued at up to $2,000.

"SSM Health is excited to partner with WGU to provide an additional educational option for our employees to assist them in achieving their professional goals at SSM," said Elizabeth Noonan, SSM System Vice President for Innovation and Learning. "WGU's format is an innovative alternative for many of our employees whose busy lives don't pair well with traditional educational programs."

"We're delighted to be partnering with SSM Health, helping to make quality, competency-based higher education more accessible to its employees," said Angie Besendorfer, Chancellor of WGU Missouri. "We believe that WGU Missouri's flexible, self-paced model can benefit SSM employees at all levels and continue a tradition of excellence common to both of our institutions."

WGU Missouri, the state affiliate of Western Governors University, is a nonprofit online university established by the state and was designed to meet needs of working adults. WGU Missouri's competency-based learning model allows students to learn at their own pace. Rather than spending time in classes with set schedules, students can move quickly through material they already know so they can focus on what they still need to learn. As a result, many students are able to accelerate their time to degree completion—the average time to bachelor's degree at WGU Missouri is less than three years.

The SSM Health partnership discount will apply to any of WGU Missouri's degree programs in business, information technology, education and health care, including nursing. Tuition is charged at a flat rate of $3,000 per six-month term for most programs, and terms can begin on the first day of any month. SSM employees will also be eligible for the Institutional Partner Fund, with scholarships of up to $2,500. For more information on WGU Missouri, and details on the SSM Health partnership, visit missouri.wgu.edu/ssm. 

About WGU Missouri 
WGU Missouri is a competency-based, online university created to expand access to higher education for Missouri residents. The university offers more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the fields of business, K-12 teacher education, information technology, and health professions, including nursing.

Established through a partnership with nationally recognized Western Governors University, WGU Missouri is open to all qualified Missouri residents. The university is nonprofit and self-sustaining on flat-rate tuition of about $6,000 per year for most programs.

Degrees are granted under the accreditation of Western Governors University, which is accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). Teachers College programs are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and nursing programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE*).

*Western Governors University offers nursing programs that are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 5380, Washington DC 20036, 202-877-6791).

About SSM Health 
Based in St. Louis, SSM Health was founded in 1872 by the Franciscan Sisters of Mary. It cares for people in a variety of settings including 19 hospitals, physician offices, a pharmacy benefit company, an insurance company, nursing homes, home care, hospice, telehealth and a technology company. It has affiliations with several rural hospitals, while operating facilities in four states: Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri and Oklahoma.

Contact for media inquiries: Contact for enrollment information:
Kelly MacNeil 855-948-8493
314-677-2303 missouri.wgu.edu
[email protected]

SOURCE WGU Missouri

Related Links

http://missouri.wgu.edu