Priscilla Carabajal grew up in Anthony, New Mexico, never thinking college was an option. She started working in corrections at age 19, then worked for the health department and health and social services. Since then, Carabajal has worked for the city, the county and the state.

Carabajal returned to college after stopping out since 2016 and recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in individualized studies from New Mexico State University. She's currently an executive administrative assistant in NMSU's College of Engineering.

"It's never too late," Carabajal said. "I started my education later in life. I never thought I was going to see the light at the end of that tunnel, but I did."

Joseph Lakey, associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, is coordinating the Bachelor of Individualized Studies and the Bachelor of Applied Studies degree programs. He works closely with NMSU Global, the university's 100% online campus offering bachelor's, master's and certificate programs.

Both BIS and BAS offer a flexible path for students to earn a bachelor's degree.
The BIS degree meets the needs of a range of students. It can allow students to complete a college degree when an initial major does not fit as well as planned. Its flexibility in accepting course credits also serves as a completion program for students who in the past started but left college and now want to return to earn a bachelor's degree. It can also be designed to serve students desiring an academic program of study not offered at NMSU, particularly students with broad or diverse academic and career interests.
The BAS provides flexible degree options as a path of study for community college graduates with technical and applied degrees from an accredited institution. The BAS degree helps minimize credit loss for associate degree graduates when pursuing a bachelor's degree at NMSU by requiring fewer upper-division credits.
"We try to take advantage of credits that a student may have accumulated, that can transfer in," Lakey said. "Really the selling point of BIS and BAS is the flexibility because a lot of students in NMSU Global or adult learners who spent time in college but had to stop out at some point could benefit from this program. These degrees may be the most direct route for them to advance with bachelor's degree."

Carabajal earned her BIS degree, which not only allowed her the freedom to pick from a variety of classes, but also added online flexibility through NMSU Global while she worked full time.

"I've taken child development classes, I've taken some criminal justice classes, business classes –all the fields that I like, which has helped me to be successful," Carabajal said.

Carabajal is one of more than 400,000 New Mexicans with some level of higher education who have not completed a degree. Through NMSU Global, the university is seeking to meet the needs of those adult learners.

"Maybe they've stepped out for 10 years, 15 years, and they might not feel like they're ready to come back to school," said Beth Apodaca, NMSU Global vice chancellor of learning science and assessment. "What we do well in global is student support. We have a very dynamic advising team, both in admissions and academic advising. They really do a great job of reaching out to the students every step of the way, from just starting with us to getting ready to graduate."

The BIS option also is open to any NMSU student seeking to build their own curriculum.

"We had a student stop by our recruiting table who plans to start NMSU in the fall and she is interested in the Bachelor of Individualized Studies," Lakey said. "These students tend to be higher achieving students who just want to map things out for themselves. But more often, BIS majors have accumulated a lot of credits through changing majors or other situations and need to find a path to use those credits to complete a degree."

The College of Arts and Sciences plays a crucial role for every NMSU student, providing the required core courses for any degree. The college partnered with NMSU Global from the start and the collaboration has proven successful.

Psychology and criminal justice are two majors in arts and sciences that are in demand through NMSU Global's online platform. NMSU Global is also working with departments across the university and with potential employers across the state.

For Carabajal, earning her degree is a milestone that gives her the confidence to apply for supervisory roles where she can further help her department.

"Look, I started my education later in life and now I have my degree," said Carabajal. "Even if you took some classes when you were younger and you have a chance to go back as an older adult, I mean it's never too late to go back. I went back. I'm happy I did."

The full article can be seen at https://newsroom.nmsu.edu/news/-it-s-never-too-late---nmsu-offers-flexible-options-for-bachelor-s-degrees/s/665aa022-4517-4261-955f-31e5e879fdfe