Bachelor's Degrees
Why should I pursue a bachelor's degree?
Attending college to get your bachelor’s degree is a major commitment, but the benefits you reap after earning your degree make the investment well worth it. One reason to earn a bachelor’s degree is to increases your earning potential. According to the United States Census Bureau, the median annual salary for individuals who earn their bachelor’s degree is $55,700 versus $32,500 for individuals who earn only their high school diploma.
As a college graduate you are highly marketable in a wide range of lucrative fields. This differs greatly for high-school graduates who might never break out of entry-level positions. College also offers professional networking and career counseling opportunities, which help students find the field, industry and job that fit them best.
Most college graduates walk away with attractive qualities that employers are looking for, paving the way to multiple opportunities. Individuals who have gone to college typically know how to think analytically — a very valuable capability to many employers.
Bachelor’s degree earners also typically know how to see a task through from beginning to end despite challenges and obstacles along the way. That is an important skill in a real-world professional setting where things don’t always go as planned. These are skills and attributes that employers expect from college graduates.
"The professors care about their students inside and outside the classroom. You come into this program alone, but you leave with a family that you can call on for life. I am excited for this program and all the leaders it will be developing for years to come."
-- DaWanda Dawn, Business Leadership, Class of 2020
Why earn a bachelor’s degree at Donnelly College?
Donnelly college offers bachelor’s degrees in Information Systems and Business Leadership. As the only bachelor’s degree granting college or university in Wyandotte County, Donnelly can push you even further than before on your path to success while you study in a convenient location that is close to home. Donnelly’s Information Systems degree provides you with the cutting-edge technology while preparing you for in-demand opportunities in information systems related fields. The Bachelor’s Degree in Business Leadership is designed to develop your leadership potential and prepares you to work in a variety of business environments. Students can finish their bachelor’s degree at Donnelly in as little as four semesters as a full-time student after completing their associate degree requirements.
Although our bachelor’s programs are demanding, our department is relatively small compared to other competitive programs and has fostered a unique sense of community among students and faculty. Our classes have low student to faculty ratio of about 11:1. As a result, the bachelor’s programs are successfully able to implement collaborative relationships between students and faculty. In addition to our small class sizes and our sense of community, the members of our faculty are leaders in their industries or in the community and bring with them a unique experience that we believe is important for academic success.
Our department values a balance between academic and personal life. In doing so we offer students the ability to earn their bachelor’s degree while taking evening and night courses giving them the opportunity to work during the day if they prefer. In addition to evening and night courses, we also offer several courses online throughout the academic year.
Donnelly College provides a unique collaborative and community environment that fosters academic and future success for our students.
More About Donnelly
At Donnelly College we understand the varied paths that lead students to our door. We respect the individuality of each student and are committed to helping all students become the best version of themselves. In our warm and caring campus community, faculty will know you by name. You’ll feel supported and grounded as you explore, discover, question and create. Donnelly takes a holistic approach to education by focusing not only on classroom instruction, but also on service learning and social and spiritual growth. At Donnelly you can speak your mind and live your faith in a Catholic college that encourages you to explore your own beliefs.
- Donnelly’s small class sizes and personalized attention have an average (11:1) student-teacher ratio.
- Donnelly’s academic and co-curricular support programs are designed to help students balance academic demands with work and family commitments.
- Donnelly has the lowest tuition of any private college in Kansas or Missouri and is consistently ranked in the top 100 most affordable private four-year colleges nationwide by the U.S. Department of Education.
- Donnelly offers more than 50 merit-, need- and criteria-based scholarship opportunities.
- As the Kansas City region’s only federally designated Hispanic-Serving and Minority-Serving Institution, Donnelly also stands out for its diverse student body. With 83% students of color, Donnelly has been named “The Most Diverse College in the Midwest by U.S. News World Report for three years in a row.
- Free counseling services are provided by a Licensed Professional Counselor on-site and other community resource referrals.
- Free tutoring and supported study assistance are available.
- Donnelly has also expanded Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs through grant awards from the Department of Education’s Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program and the National Science Foundation.
- Donnelly also offers a Career Resource Center that helps connect students with part-time employment as well as with job shadowing and internship opportunities to career exploration.
- A robust Campus Ministry program that promotes faith formation is available.
- During the 2018-19 academic year, Donnelly exceeded top performing colleges in all five areas measured in the 2018 national Community College Survey of Student Engagement—active and collaborative learning, student effort, academic challenge, student-faculty interaction, and learner support.