This fall, through the creation of a cutting-edge partnership with the LCMC/Rize consortium (Low-Cost Model for Colleges), Piedmont will have the opportunity to use other institutions’ online courses and integrate them into the curriculum offered by Piedmont to create brand new majors.

“The Rize Consortium allows us to get our feet wet in an area, and use faculty members who are experts in the field,” said Senior Vice President of Student Affairs & Provost, Dr. Dan Silber.

   These new majors will be added in the School of Arts and Sciences, with Digital Marketing now being offered as a new focus through the Walker School of Business.

The School of Arts and Sciences already provides a diverse set of courses aimed at sharing knowledge, enhancing skills, and developing dispositions to prepare Piedmont College students to be successful and impactful citizens upon graduation. However, now, through this partnership, Piedmont College will be able to provide, starting in fall 2021, Computer Science, Actuarial Science, Neuroscience, and Electrical Engineering. The Electrical Engineering degree will allow students to graduate from the University of North Dakota and Piedmont University, allowing Piedmont student-athletes to finish their engineering degree, while also completing their senior seasons as athletes. Dr. Nimmo is optimistic that Cyber Security will be another addition in Fall 22’, saying that these new majors’ goals are to provide desirable degrees that set students up for successful careers in these advanced fields.

“These are cutting-edge majors… that are happening right now, and it’s an opportunity for Piedmont to jump into the fray while other schools are still putting stuff together,” said the School of Arts and Sciences Dean, Dr. Nimmo

   The Walker School of Business is also adding a new focus in Digital Marketing. Only a handful of the classes towards the new majors will be taken through the consortium, with most of the classes remaining in person with a Piedmont faculty member. However, there will now be more opportunities for students to diversify themselves by taking these courses. The classes will consist of a mix of students from all around the country, all tuning into the online courses provided by a faculty member hosting the class from their own institution. Dr. Dan Silber says this is part of Piedmont’s plan of continual growth and change while at the forefront of prestigious small schools in Georgia.

“We are doing all of this to make Piedmont a more desirable destination for students and offering all the new cutting-edge opportunities that we wouldn’t be able to offer on our own. This is also part of our strategic network to grow the institution, with this being just another step in becoming a university,” said Silber.