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The National Labor College (NLC) is located on a beautiful 47-acre campus in Silver Spring, Maryland. It began with
the vision of George Meany that labor have its own college – a national center that would provide continuous
labor education for all union activists.
NLC offers campus labor programs as well as undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
Bachelor of Arts
Since 1997, more than 800 working men and women have earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from NLC. The program is flexible
and enables students to pursue a B.A. while continuing their trade union work.
The NLC offers a simplified classroom schedule. Bachelor of Arts students do a significant amount of work online, with week-long
on-campus instruction required every term. These "weeks-in-residence" provide students personal contact with instructors during
each term. In addition, students receive personal support via e-mail and phone contact.
A key aspect of the NLC Bachelor of Arts program is its recognition of experiential learning – that is, education received outside
the traditional classroom. Students can earn college credits through prior experiential learning that is documented and evaluated through
the NLC Educational Planning course and portfolio process.
Bachelor of Technical/Professional Studies
The National Labor College in partnership with the AFL-CIO affiliated unions, is proud to offer the Bachelor of Technical/Professional
Studies (BTPS). Working with union partners, this new degree program provides union members who have participated in challenging
apprenticeships and training programs with online access to the courses needed to earn a college degree.
Like the NLC Bachelor of Arts degree program, the BTPS program offers a high degree of flexibility and recognition of experiential learning
– education received on the job and/or in specialized training or internships. Coursework is done online – with easy-to-navigate
instruction.
Eligibility
Because this degree program is offered in partnership with affiliated unions, a union member must first ensure that his/her union is
participating. Members of participating unions may be admitted to the BTPS program if they:
- have a high school diploma or equivalency, and;
- have completed an Affiliate Partner's apprenticeship training program, which has been assessed to the equivalent of a minimum of 45
semester hours, or;
- have completed an associate's degree program, which has been assessed to the equivalent of a minimum of 45 semester hours.
Admission is determined without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, status as a qualified person with a disability
or handicap, marital status, or sexual orientation.
Credit
The NLC will accept up to 60 semester credits of apprenticeship training from any individual Affiliate Partner member seeking admission.
In addition to credit earned through an apprenticeship program or associate's degree program, an integral component of the BTPS degree program
is the Service Internship Course. NLC will work with affiliate partners to develop internships that will maximize both the academic and professional
benefits to students.
Action Steps
- Contact your union to learn more about your apprenticeship program and to assess your credits. You need to be taking part in or have completed
an apprenticeship or associate's degree program that awards you at least 45 semester credit hours. If you are in such a program, you might even be
able to start internship work for academic credit before you reach the 45-hour threshold.
- When the NLC determines that you have earned a minimum of 45 semester credit hours, submit an application and a $75 application fee.
- After acceptance into the program, you will be given a schedule of courses and you can decide when to sigh up. Tuition for Affiliate Partner
members in the BTPS program is $150.00 per credit hour for the 2004-2005 academic year.
- Upon admission and throughout your time in the NLC program, you will receive academic counseling from NLC faculty and Student Services staff.
- Earn a total of 120 college credits.
- Receive your BTPS degree.
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