WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Sign up is underway for the next cohort of adult students entering the Great Opportunities for Adult Learners (GOAL) Program at Missouri State University-West Plains, and organizers say they are expanding the program to a fourth location for this next cycle.

Beginning this fall, GOAL Program classes will be offered in Thayer, in addition to the Missouri State-West Plains campus in West Plains, the Missouri State-West Plains campus in Mountain Grove and the adult education center adjacent to Summersville High School.  A specific site in Thayer has not yet been determined, organizers said.

“From the beginning of the GOAL Program, one of the objectives was to identify ways to make this accessible to adults throughout our service area,” said Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs Pat Walsh, who coordinates the program.  “One of the strengths of this program is that it provides an opportunity for adults who, because of life responsibilities such as family and work, cannot attend traditional college classes offered during the daytime.  As we reviewed possibilities for expansion of the GOAL Program to other sites, the Thayer community seemed to be a logical next site.  Several Thayer community members have expressed an interest in expanding GOAL into their community, and they believe that they have a population that could and should be served by this program.”

The GOAL Program is designed to help working adults earn the Associate of Arts in General Studies degree – the university’s transfer degree – in two years by attending classes just one night a week, university officials said.  Students attend four-hour-long classes beginning at 6 p.m. one day each week.  The classes will be organized around a cohort model and are five, six, eight or 10 weeks in length.  The format for the courses is either in class, online or a combination of these formats, officials said.

The next cohort will begin Aug. 28.  Each cohort of classes will run for approximately two years.

The preferred application deadline for this cohort is May 1; however, applications will be accepted through July 2012, Walsh said.

Prospective students should be adults who have a high school diploma or equivalent before enrolling.  Financial aid and/or scholarship funds offered through Missouri State-West Plains can be applied to this program.  For more information about financial aid options, call the financial aid office at 417-255-7243.

For more information about the GOAL program and how to enroll, contact the academic affairs office at 417-255-7272 or the admissions office at 417-255-7955.  For more information about Missouri State-West Plains, visit the website at http://wp.missouristate.edu.