A handful of religious institutions across the country are establishing or expanding two-year degree programs to provide a gateway to low-income students or an alternative for students looking for a nonsecular education as they pursue an associate degree.
Private two-year colleges are rare, with just about 200 in the country. Even rarer are private universities that offer associate degree programs.
But last year Yeshiva University, a Jewish institution located in New York, established a two-year program. In Minnesota, University of St. Thomas, a Roman Catholic institution, will do the same when the Dougherty Family College opens this fall. Meanwhile, Arrupe College, a two-year institution connected to Loyola University Chicago, recently graduated its first group of associate-degree holders. And Dordt College in Iowa, which is affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church, is now expanding its associate degree offerings to manufacturing technology and farm operations and management, or what it's calling "Pro-Tech."
Read more at Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/08/23/growing-number-religious-universities-offer-two-year-degrees