WSCC grad earned degree while in Afghanistan, college expands online options

CONTACT: Gail Crutchfield, Communications and Marketing, Wallace State Community College, 256.352.8064, gail.crutchfield@wallacestate.edu
HANCEVILLE, Ala. — Richard Bradbury said he’s taken tests in some unusual places, but the most unusual was while he was hunkered down in an Afghanistan bunker during a rocket attack. There he completed a timed macroeconomics exam he’d started just before the alarms rang out.
“It was a timed test,” Bradbury said. “It’s a 50-question test and I was seven or eight questions in when the alarm rang. I grabbed my computer and went to the bunker,” He said he took the exam while sitting for an hour and a half in a bunker with 30 to 50 other people.
That ability to do his work whenever and wherever he needed was the biggest benefit of earning his degree online through Wallace State Community College. A contract worker, Bradbury spent 28 months on Afghan bases at Kandahar and Camp Leatherneck. During that time, he completed online all but one of classes to earn his associate in science degree in General Studies from WSCC. Upon his return to the states, Bradbury took the one class that wasn’t offered online at that time and walked across the stage at graduation in May.
Bradbury, who now works for a different government contract company in Huntsville, said he shopped around when he decided to earn a degree online.
“I looked at other options and they were down-right expensive,” he said. “Wallace is what won out. It was 25 percent of the cost of the big online colleges.” Also, he knew his courses would transfer to any Alabama university.
He took a full class-load of 12 to 13 hours every semester and said he earned straight As for the first time in his life. Bradbury said he made the president’s or dean’s list every semester. He will start online classes at Athens State in the fall for his bachelor degree in business management.
Bradbury said his online experience with Wallace State was wonderful, especially when dealing with his professors. “All were willing to work with my unique situation,” he said. His biggest challenge, he said, was sometimes getting a good Internet connection out of the base.
By working ahead, Bradbury said he was able to ensure his work was turned in on time. During one of his trips home over those two years, Bradbury took advantage of an on campus study-session for pre-calculus.
“I don’t see where I missed out anything except a very big bill,” Bradbury said.
A good amount of discipline is needed to participate in an online education project, he admits, but the rewards are worth it.
“I’m already seeing opportunities opening up at work,” Bradbury said.
Wallace State Community College now offers both Associate in Science and Associate in Arts degrees that can be completed 100 percent online. The projected time for completion of the online degrees for students enrolled fulltime is two years, with the Associate in Science degree requiring 60 credit hours and 62 for the Associate in Arts degree.
Online Associate in Applied Science degrees are also offered in Business (Business Administration, Business Education/Office Administration), Computer Science (Programming, Software Support, Internet/Networking Technology), and Health Information Technology (Health Information Technician, Medical Coding Technicians).
Other online and hybrid classes are also offered in: Art, Automotive Manufacturing, Technology, Business, Business & Office Administration, Computer Science, Dental Hygiene, Diagnostic Imaging, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Economics, Emergency Medical Paramedic, English, Geography, Health Education, Health Care Information Technology, History, Humanities, Mathematics, Medical Assistant, Medical Transcription Certificate, Music Education, Nursing, Orientation, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Philosophy, Pharmacy Technology, Physical Therapy Assistant, Psychology, Religion, Respiratory Therapist, Sociology, Spanish, and Speech.
Wallace State offers seamless transfer of credit to the state’s public colleges and universities and other private institutions guaranteed through the statewide articulation network known as STARS.
For more information, visit www.wallacestate.edu/online or call 256.352.8000.
 
Photo:
Richard Bradbury, of Cullman, earned a General Studies degree online through Wallace State Community College, while working for a government contract firm in Afghanistan.
 
______________________________
Kristen Holmes
Director, Communications & Marketing
Wallace State Community College
P.O. Box 2000, Hanceville, AL 35077
1-866-350-9722 256-352-8118 direct
256-352-8314 fax 256-339-2519 cell
Visit us online at www.wallacestate.edu