
University Now Lets Students Earn Bachelor’s And Master’s Degrees Entirely By Phone
Americans can now earn accredited bachelor’s and master’s degrees entirely on their mobile phones, according to Cornerstone University, as higher education continues moving further away from the traditional classroom model.
The university’s SOAR program allows students to complete an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in strategic business management, or a master’s degree in organizational leadership. Cornerstone University President Gerson Moreno-Riaño told Fox Business, “We developed the nation’s first mobile platform to deliver an accredited undergraduate degree and a master’s degree as well, all via your mobile phone.”
The program launched in August and has about 250 students enrolled, according to the university. Moreno-Riaño said some transfer students with prior credits are expected to become the program’s first graduates this year.
The bachelor’s degree costs $24,000 from start to finish, while the master’s degree costs $12,000. The university said more than half of current students are paying no tuition because of scholarships and grants, and said the program has a 91% month-to-month persistence rate.
Cornerstone described the program as an answer for non-traditional students who cannot, or do not want to, return to a standard college model. “We see this as an opportunity to address a gap in our country now when it comes to education, and frankly, we’re convinced that the current American higher ed infrastructure cannot address this challenge,” Moreno-Riaño said.
Instead of moving a standard college course onto Zoom, Cornerstone says it rebuilt the program for a phone screen. The app uses self-paced microlearning modules, with short videos, podcasts, audiobooks, interviews and instant assessments instead of fixed class times. New classes begin every two weeks, and students can move through lessons while commuting, traveling or doing chores, according to the university.