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 Road from Western to Fanshawe is now a two-way street
Fanshawe College has career educational programs that students should consider.
The little school on Oxford St. has come of age. Imagine, 13,000 full-time students in 100 different programs - health, technology, business information, construction, arts, design, human services and apprenticeship.
Last year they had more first year students (6,600) than Western.
Fanshawe is offering diplomas and university degrees in conjunction with Western. The vast majority of the programs have a coop component with hands-on experience.
What is the difference between an under-graduate university degree and a college education?
You attend university to get a broad general education. Four-year honour business, engineering, nursing and social work degrees are the exceptions.
What do you do with a three-year university general arts degree with a C average in political science, history or philosophy? "You sell shoes," a psychologist told my daughter. Wrong. Many of these university grads register in community college programs, hoping to learn a marketable skill.
What are the advantages of going directly from high school to a community college? The college costs for a diploma are about half of a university education and you graduate in half the time.
Each year about 3,000 students graduate from Fanshawe. Of the year 2000 graduating class, 92 per cent were successfully employed within six months of graduating; 70 per cent found jobs directly related to their course of student.
Career services breaks down the salaries for each faculty - percentage working, working related, full vs. part-time. The number working related is what you want to key into. No, the universities do not keep track of their graduate's career destinations. Remember, you go to university to get an education, not a career.
The two-year program in dental hygiene had 33 students graduate with 100 per cent employment. The salary range was $48,232 - $80,000. Not back for a college grad after six months of entering the work force. The stats vary according to the faculty. Nothing is hidden. Radio broadcasting numbers showed 79 per cent working related with a salary range $15,642 - $22,289. You can check out the numbers for yourself - www.fanshawec.ca.
Howard Rundle kindly granted me an interview. At his office his is called the president; at home he answers to the chairperson of the board, his wife Lynda.
Programs are changing at Fanshawe. Next September, you can enroll in a four-year degree in integrated land planning, urban landscape design. There is a heavy emphasis on applied learning.
A four-year honours nursing degree is offered in conjunction with UWO. The first two years are held at Fanshawe with small classes that can attend to a student's needs. The cut off is 72 per cent.
Fanshawe is attracting university-bound students. General arts and science students can take five UWO courses that can be used for university credits.
Media studies has a joint diploma / degree offered at UWO and Fanshawe. The first year is at Western and the second you attend Fanshawe in communications, TV and radio broadcasting. After four years you have a media diploma and a degree. You can save two years by combining the programs.
I am very pleased to see the two public post-secondary institutions in London collaborating. The road from Western to Fanshawe is now a two-way street.
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