Cottey approved to offer Bachelor of Arts in psychology this fall

Dr. Judy Rogers, Cottey College president, announced Thursday that Cottey has been approved by its accrediting body, The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, to offer a Bachelor of Arts degree program in psychology beginning in the fall 2012 semester.

"We are so pleased to add psychology to our list of bachelor's degrees," said Rogers. "We know from what our students have told us that this is a degree program with a strong interest on our campus. It is a wonderful addition to our existing baccalaureate degree programs in English, environmental studies and international relations and business, which were approved last year."

Cottey will still remain a two-year college for women, offering associate degree programs, in addition to these four selected baccalaureate programs.

"The Higher Learning Commission has permitted us to promote the psychology degree program, to our current students and enroll them for the fall semester," said Rogers, "but with the official notification of approval, we can now seek our first-year and transfer students who would like to major in psychology at Cottey."

"We are ready to accept applications from students for our new psychology program," said Judi Steege, director of admission. "Housing and financial aid are available for third-year and fourth-year students and we encourage young women interested in any of our four Bachelor of Arts programs to contact one of our admission representatives."

Cottey College, founded in 1884 by Virginia Alice Cottey, is a two-year college for women offering the Associate in Arts, Associate in Arts-Music, Associate in Science and Associate in Fine Arts degrees. For the past year Cottey has had students enrolled as English, environmental studies and international relations and business majors and anticipates its first four-year graduates in May 2013. Cottey will continue to offer its rigorous academic programs in the associate degree programs and will not abandon those.

"Cottey is not becoming a four-year college," explained Rogers. "We are a two-year college, offering selected four-year programs. Our two-year programs have been excellent and have prepared young women well to become learners, leaders and citizens in a global society. Approximately 95 percent of our associate degree graduates have transferred on to baccalaureate degree-granting institutions. We will continue to support those students who want to come to Cottey for two years, earn an associate degree and transfer to another college or university,"

Cottey College is a two-year, independent, college for women located in Nevada, Mo. Its residential student capacity of 350 students typically represents 40 states and 25 countries annually. Cottey is owned and supported by the P.E.O. Sisterhood, international women's organization of approximately 250,000 members, making Cottey the only nonsectarian college in the United States owned and supported by women for women.