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How Degree Completion Supports Career Growth and Lifelong Learning

July 10, 2026

In today’s competitive job market, completing your bachelor’s degree can be one of the most valuable investments you make in your future. Whether your education was paused because of work, family, finances, or other responsibilities, earning your degree can help you unlock new opportunities and achieve both your career and educational goals.

Degree completion isn’t just about finishing what you started. It’s about gaining the knowledge, skills, and credentials that can help you grow professionally and prepare for what’s next.

Why Degree Completion Matters

1. Advance Your Career

A bachelor’s degree remains a valuable credential across many industries. Employers often look for candidates with a completed degree when hiring for leadership roles, promotions, and specialized positions.

Completing your degree can help you qualify for new opportunities, increase your professional credibility, and demonstrate your commitment to personal and career growth.

2. Increase Your Earning Potential

While every career path is different, research consistently shows that earning a bachelor’s degree can lead to higher lifetime earnings and greater career stability.

Completing your degree can position you for roles with increased responsibility, stronger benefits, and long-term career growth.

3. Build Skills Employers Value

A bachelor’s degree develops skills that extend beyond the classroom. Throughout your coursework, you’ll strengthen abilities that employers seek across industries, including:

Leadership
Communication
Critical thinking
Problem-solving
Collaboration
Project management

These transferable skills can help you adapt to changing industries and succeed throughout your career.

How Degree Completion Supports Your Educational Goals

Prepare for Graduate Study

Many graduate and professional programs require a completed bachelor’s degree for admission. Finishing your degree can open the door to advanced education, specialized certifications, and new career pathways.

Support Lifelong Learning

Education doesn’t end with graduation. Completing your bachelor’s degree builds a strong foundation for continued learning and professional development throughout your career.

Achieve a Personal Milestone

For many students, earning a bachelor’s degree represents more than an academic credential. It is the achievement of a long-term goal and a reflection of perseverance, resilience, and determination.

Why Now Is the Right Time

The workforce continues to evolve, and employers increasingly value professionals who demonstrate adaptability and a commitment to learning.

Completing your degree today can help you:

Qualify for new career opportunities
Prepare for leadership roles
Strengthen your professional skills
Increase your earning potential
Continue your education with confidence

Every credit you’ve earned is a step toward your future. Completing your degree allows you to build on that progress and move closer to your personal and professional goals.

Take the Next Step

Whether your goal is career advancement, graduate study, or achieving a personal milestone, degree completion can help you get there.

At Syracuse University’s College of Professional Studies, flexible degree pathways help adult learners and working professionals finish their bachelor’s degree and move forward with confidence.

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‘Don’t Give Up’: Part-Time Student Earns Degree Decades After First Class

May 12, 2026

Susan Wright ’26, a retired staff member, began pursuing a bachelor’s degree in the late ’90s and graduated Sunday with honors.

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Powered by Community: A Part-Time Path Built on Connection and Support

May 12, 2026

For Shayne Turo ’26, community and education are synonymous. As a nontraditional student balancing work and school, choosing a part-time path at Syracuse University meant staying committed to a goal while navigating real life.

Along the way, it was the support from family, friends, mentors, and classmates that made the difference. Those connections provided encouragement during tough moments, accountability when it mattered most, and a sense of belonging that kept everything moving forward. In the end, this experience wasn’t just about earning a degree, it was about being lifted by community, growing in confidence, and realizing that you don’t have to do it alone to succeed.

In this Q&A, Turo shares how purpose, meaningful connections, and a strong sense of community shaped his educational journey.

Shayne Turo speaks at the 2026 College of Professional Studies convocation.

Driven by Purpose: Balancing Work, Education, and Long-Term Goals

What motivated you to pursue your degree as a part-time student?

Having just graduated from Onondaga Community College, I knew I wanted to continue my education. However, as a nontraditional student having to maintain a full-time job, I knew going to school part-time was my only option. It was always a goal of mine to enroll at Syracuse University, so when I learned about the part-time opportunity, I took advantage of it.

How did your degree program and academic pathway reshape what you thought was possible for your education and career?

Being able to successfully navigate the path to my bachelor’s degree through its ups and downs has given me the confidence to pursue a master’s degree.

Being an African American Studies major allowed me to not just learn about my history and culture, but it allowed me to feel grounded. I feel grounded in the fact that even though I am still learning who I am, I have a deep understanding of where I come from.

What would you say to someone who’s interested but unsure whether an online and/or part‑time program is right for them?

Going part-time gives the flexibility you need to pursue your academic goals while being able to navigate life at the same time.

Finding Connection in a Nontraditional Path

How did community show up for you during your part-time journey?

My support system is second to none! With God first, I knew all things were possible. My family and friends were truly there for me when times got hard and “life got to life-ing” as they say. Without them, I am not sure I would be standing where I am today.

How did peer relationships impact your academic success?

I found it important, and almost necessary, to create study groups. Being able to connect with classmates and build a sense of community allows your learning to soar exponentially.

What role did faculty or advisors play in building that sense of community?

My advisors and professors truly helped me to navigate the academic journey. This journey felt like a roller coaster, but with the guidance of Mr. Wright and Dr. O’Reilly, I was able to stay on track.

Advocate, Connect, Succeed: Why Flexible Learning Makes Education Possible

What advice would you give to future online/part-time students?

Always, and I mean always, advocate for yourself.

Lastly, it is important to meet with all your professors during their office hours within the first two weeks of class. This gives you a chance to let them know who you are, how you take your education seriously, and that you are dedicated to your goals.

Why would you recommend your degree program and academic pathway as a part-time student?

I would recommend my journey because it made me who I am. I am an intelligent, educated, strong, confident Black man with integrity. My African American Studies degree program allowed me to see and understand the importance of being just who I am today: an intelligent, educated, strong, confident Black man. It is for these reasons and more that I would not only recommend my degree program, but the journey I took as well.

Ready to take the next step? Explore part-time learning and create a path that fits your life.

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Syracuse University’s College of Professional Studies Honors Class of 2026

May 8, 2026

College Marshal, Kristopher Plantz, carries a banner that says "College of Professional Studies" down an aisle.

Syracuse University’s College of Professional Studies celebrated the class of 2026 on Thursday, May 7, at its 78th annual Convocation Ceremony.

View the 2026 Convocation live stream now.

College Marshal
Kristopher Plantz

Student Speaker
Shayne Turo

Student Recognition
Nancy C. Gelling Award
Presented to a commuter part-time undergraduate honors student who
demonstrates exceptional academic achievement while balancing the
demands of life and educational commitments.

Susan E. Wright

Dr. Frank E. Funk Military Student Excellence Award
Recognition of an actively serving military student pursuing a College of
Professional Studies undergraduate degree who demonstrates excellence in
academics, leadership, and perseverance.

James Tarby Jr.

College of Professional Studies Service Awards
Service awards were presented to those who serve as academic pillars in the Syracuse University community.

Dean’s Excellence Award
Amy M. Walker
Instructional Language Coordinator, English Language Institute

Faculty Excellence Award
Daniel Hebert, J.D., LL.M.
Assistant Teaching Professor and Program Director, Business Management

Faculty Career Achievement Award
Arthur P. Thomas, Ph.D.
Professor of Practice and Program Director, Project Management

Lessons Learned as an Online, Part-Time Student: Leadership Growth, Time Management, and Finding the Right Fit

May 5, 2026

Returning to school is both a challenge and an opportunity for growth. Balancing coursework with a demanding professional life requires intentional planning, self‑reflection, and adaptability.

For Jonathan Schulz ’26, enrolling as an online, part-time student at the College of Professional Studies was a transformative step in his academic journey and career. Navigating virtual classrooms while managing real‑world responsibilities pushed him to rethink how he approached learning, time management, and goal‑setting.

Reflecting on his educational experience, Schulz shares three important lessons he learned along the way.

1. Understanding My Strengths as a Leader and Learner

As a College of Professional Studies student with a major focusing on Business Management, I have an interest in business development and potentially running my own business. I gained skills in self‑assessment, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and recognizing areas for growth.

Taking multiple leadership classes, helped me become more of a successful manager and evaluate areas that I may have struggled in before. Introduction to Knowledge Management was valuable because it helped me see that information can be stored, shared, and conceptualized through different models to help highlight and examine different elements in business structures.

Additionally, the program taught me how I learn best. There were teaching methods that worked better than others and that helped me to become a better manager and teacher myself.

2. Time Management is a Skill You Have to Build

As a working professional with 45-50 hours of work a week, completing classes online, part-time made it easier to attain my degree. Sometimes it was challenging, and I had to get creative with multitasking. I would plan my free time around schoolwork in order to have a proper school-work-life balance.

Having access to the Syracuse University Libraries and Microsoft Office allowed me to keep myself engaged in my education. I would write down when assignments were due on a calendar in order to make sure they were completed in a timely manner.

Intentional time management is key!

3. Choosing the Right Path When You’re Ready

I took an 8 year break from my education and when I returned to it, I was much more focused than when I started. I took the time to research and thoughtfully choose an online, part-time program that was right for me. I had a friend who was doing her graduate program online at Syracuse and she motivated me to go to online as well.

Ready to take the next step toward your future?

Whether you’re advancing your career, changing paths, or finishing what you started, an online, part-time degree can fit your life and goals.

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