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National Park College (NPC) and the University of Arkansas at Monticello announced a new bachelor’s degree partnership Tuesday. The institutions will collaborate to bring a bachelor’s degree in business administration to Hot Springs beginning in the fall of 2023. The degree was approved by the Arkansas Division of Higher Education (ADHE) in July and by the Higher Learning Commission in January 2023.

All four years of the new Bachelor of Business Administration degree will be offered through the NPC University Center on the NPC campus. Students will complete the first two years of the degree enrolled as NPC students and the junior and senior years enrolled as UAM students.

Students will pay NPC tuition rates for the first two years of coursework and UAM tuition rates for the junior and senior year coursework. Students who participate will have access to all of the services and resources NPC offers, as well as those UAM offers. Students will earn an associate degree diploma from NPC and a bachelor’s degree diploma from UAM upon graduation.

UAM announced they will offer NPC students a $3,000 per semester Nighthawk Transfer Scholarship to offset tuition costs, making the UAM Bachelor of Business Administration degree at NPC one of the most affordable bachelor’s degrees in the state. Students will be required to complete 55 credit hours and maintain a 2.5 grade-point average to be eligible.

NPC President Dr. John Hogan said, “Increasing access to bachelor’s degrees is critical to the economic growth of our region and critical to the personal growth of our students. It remains a top priority for us and today we are celebrating an addition to that goal. We appreciate UAM for this investment in our students. The generous transfer scholarships they are offering makes this one of the most, if not the most affordable bachelor’s degree in the state.”

UAM Chancellor Dr. Peggy Doss said, “We are excited to announce our new campus within a campus partnership with National Park College. This model of strategic collaboration and partnership is an effective and efficient approach to meet the workforce education needs of the state. We value the opportunity to work with NPC so the UAM Bachelor of Business Administration degree is affordable and accessible to students in this important region of the state. We look forward to many future collaborations between our institutions.”

A public announcement for students was held on the NPC campus Tuesday following a press conference for media earlier that morning. Students, faculty, staff and community supporters gathered in the Student Commons to hear the news.

NPC Student Government President, Tyanna Lindsey said, “This is a great day for Nighthawk Nation. I’m proud to be a part of a campus that puts the needs of our students first and is always looking for ways to expand opportunities for us. We are grateful to our partners at UAM for extending such a generous scholarship package and we look forward to the impact this will have on our community.”