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Roane State partners with Bellevue University

Roane State associate degree graduates and those with 60 credit hours can obtain a bachelor’s degree in 18 months under an innovative new partnership between Roane State Community College and Bellevue University.

In the program, 100 percent of associate degree credits transfer to the fully accredited, non-profit, four-year university located in Bellevue, Neb. Credits aren’t lost, and classes don’t have to be retaken.

A grand opening celebration for Bellevue will be held on Tuesday, April 17 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the Atrium at the Oak Ridge campus, 701 Briarcliff Ave. All are invited.

Bellevue offers more than 30 undergraduate concentrations, all online. Bachelor’s degrees are available in everything from accounting to Web development.

Some classes can be started at any time, while others in the cohort program feature six-week-long classes spread out over 72 weeks, said Tammy Watts, the relationship manager for Bellevue’s partnership with Roane State.

“I’m not aware of other institutions having as many undergraduate offerings,” she said.

“The goal of the partnership is to provide Roane State graduates -- particularly busy, working adults -- with a clear pathway to complete bachelor’s degrees online in an accelerated format,” Watts said.

Watts’ office is room 242 of the Goff Building on Roane State’s Oak Ridge Campus, and she is also in Room 201 of the Technology Building on the Harriman campus on Thursday afternoons. Her phone number is 865-320-4226, and her email is tawatts@bellevue.edu.

Her job includes marketing the program, recruiting prospective students, and helping with admissions.

Watts said the 25-year-old university has more than 50 partnerships with other colleges nationwide, including three other Tennessee institutions -- Pellissippi State Community College, Chattanooga State Community College, and Southwest Tennessee Community College in Memphis.

Bellevue is “military-friendly” and initially offered online courses to troops being deployed overseas, Watts said. Tuition is $250 per credit hour for active military personnel and $410 per hour for all others. Registration is one time only. There is no application fee and no transfer fee.