Two Residents Earn Degrees Online

WGU News Release

Two Molokai residents have earned a degree from Western Governors University (WGU). The online, nonprofit university has graduated over 178,000 students from across the country since its inception in 1997.

Lian Chong Kalima of Kaunakakai has earned a Bachelor of Science, Business Management degree. Rachel Abshire of Kaunakakai has earned a Bachelor of Science, Business – Healthcare Management degree.

Since January 2, 2020, WGU has awarded 6,313 undergraduate and 4,975 graduate degrees. Graduates’ areas of study include business, K-12 education, information technology, and health professions, including nursing. The average time to graduation for those earning a bachelor’s degree was two years, three months, while the average time for graduate programs was one year, six months. The average age of those who graduated is 38 years old.

WGU pioneered competency-based education, which measures learning rather than time spent in class. Designed to meet the needs of working adults, courses allow students to study and learn on their own schedules with individualized, one-to-one faculty support. They complete courses as soon as they demonstrate that they have mastered the subject matter, allowing them to move quickly through material they already know so they can allocate time for what they still need to learn. As a result, many WGU students are able to accelerate their studies, saving both time and money.