EARN A BUSINESS MANAGEMENT DEGREE IN FIVE SEMESTERS AT COLUMBIA STATE

Working Mother Stays on Track with Columbia State's Accelerated Business Management Program

"A typical day in my shoes is very busy," said Columbia State student Lynn Holt-King. A wife and mother of two teenage boys, King manages to work a full-time job five days a week, juggle the stresses of daily life and through Columbia State Community College's Accelerated Business Management Program, earn an Associate of Applied Science degree.

"My children are almost grown and I felt it was time for me to have a career," said King. "I enjoy helping people and feel the more skills I can acquire, the more help I can be to others, my employer, and myself."

Not only has King stayed on track with the program but she has done so while maintaining a 3.9 grade point average. King is a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and has received an Academic Excellence award. The Academic Excellence award is awarded on the basis of academic achievement to students having a grade point average of either a 3.9 or a 4.0 after filing an Intent to Graduate.

"I compare going to college full-time as a married adult with two teenagers and a full-time job to dieting," said King. "It requires discipline, endurance and self-denial."

The Accelerated Business Management program at Columbia State is designed to prepare students for employment or advancement in the business community. Students in the program meet for classes only once a week for three or four hours. Only one class is taken at a time for a total of three classes a semester.

"I would encourage working adults to consider the Accelerated Business Management Program offered through Columbia State," said King. "The program's schedule is designed for working adults who wish to earn a degree. If education is a priority, the program is attainable."

King, who is employed by the City of Columbia, works Monday through Friday. "I like the scheduling offered through the program-it works well for the normal 40 hour work week," said King.

The Accelerated Business Management program is set up so that students complete the requirements in an 18 month time period and is available at all five campus locations. Financial aid is available through the federal government as well as through Columbia State's financial aid office.
After graduation, King plans to take an Alaskan cruise with her husband. After taking a short break from her studies, King will further her collegiate career at Trevecca Nazarene University, where she plans to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in management and human relations.

King currently resides in Columbia with her husband and two children. She will complete the Accelerated Business Management program in the summer of 2009.

For more information about Columbia State's Accelerated Business Management program, click here.

Columbia State is a two-year college, serving a nine-county area in southern Middle Tennessee with locations in Columbia, Franklin, Lawrenceburg, Lewisburg and Clifton. As Tennessee's first community college, Columbia State is committed to increasing access and enhancing diversity at all five campuses. Columbia State is a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, the sixth largest higher education system in the nation. For more information, please visit www.columbiastate.edu.