Stratford University closed its doors at the end of the Fall Semester 2022 after losing its accreditation.
Degree Programs Offered at Stratford University
Stratford University appears in our ranking of Master’s in Hospitality Management Online: Top 25 Values.
Stratford University offers 29 degree and diploma programs through its five schools. One of those is the School of Nursing, which has both a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program and a BSN completion program.
Featured Programs
The completion program accepts students who have some college credits and want to finish their degrees. Stratford offers a traditional BSN program for students who work as registered nurses and those who have associate degrees in nursing.
Students can choose from three associate, three bachelor and two master degree programs through the university’s School of Health Sciences. Each associate program features two years of courses and can help students transfer into a bachelor’s degree program. They can choose majors in pharmacy technician, medical assisting and medical insurance billing and coding.
Students who want to earn their bachelor’s degrees can choose from majors such as health sciences, health information management, and healthcare administration. A Master of Healthcare Administration is also available from this school.
The School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts at Stratford University offers six programs too. Students can get an advanced diploma in culinary arts after taking classes in cooking techniques and similar subjects. A similar program awards graduates an associate degree in culinary arts.
Other associate programs include majors in hotel and restaurant management and baking and pastry arts. Stratford University also offers a bachelor’s program in hospitality management and an online Master of Science in international hospitality management program.
As the university has a strong business program, it’s not surprising that many students enroll in programs through its School of Business Administration. They can earn a Master of Business Administration (MBA) or an international MBA. Undergrads can pick from programs with a focus on business administration or accounting. There is also a graduate program in accounting available and an associate program with a major in business administration.
Stratford University also offers programs through its School of Computer Science and Information Technology. Some of the graduate programs from that school include software engineering and digital forensics. The university also offers a bachelor’s program in information technology and an associate program in network management and security.
About Stratford University
Stratford University is a private and independent school of higher learning based out of Virginia. Founded in 1976 as a for-profit school, it opened as one of the first schools in the southern United States dedicated to adult learners. While students can enroll right out of high school, the majority of its students are working professionals who have three to five years of professional experience or more.
Though the university has its head office in Fairfax, it has campuses in Richmond, Virginia Beach and several other cities in Virginia. It also operates a campus in Baltimore, Maryland and one overseas in India. A large number of the university’s students come from other countries.
Ranked as one of the top choices for military students, Stratford University offers several programs for those students. It has a Prior Learning Assessment program that allows students to get credit for any training programs they need in the military and for any awards or certificates that they earned. Military students can also take classes online and major in any field that a traditional student can.
The certificate courses offered by the university help adult learners gain skills in areas of software development and other subjects relating to computers. It also offers continuing education classes and programs for those students.
Stratford University has campuses in major cities that offer resources for students, including libraries, study centers, financial aid counselors and admissions representatives.
Stratford University Accreditation Details
Both the nursing and culinary arts programs offered by Stratford University have accreditation. The Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) awarded accreditation to the university for its medical assisting program too. It holds national accreditation from the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) also.
Stratford University Application Requirements
The only requirements for undergrads who want to attend Stratford University are that they have a strong grasp of the English language and a high school diploma. Students who did not finish high school must have a GED. Stratford asks that students pay an application fee of $50 and submit an online application.
They will also submit their academic transcripts to show the university that they have their diplomas and that they took classes that prepared them for higher education courses. Any student who already took college classes and wants to transfer those credits must submit transcripts from those schools too.
Stratford University has a similar process in place for graduate students. It requires that those students have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university. They need to have degrees that relate to their future areas of study, too. Those applying for a spot in one of the university’s technical programs will need to submit a GRE score.
Students applying to a business graduate program need to submit a GMAT score. All grad students will also provide their transcripts and complete the Stratford online application. Their transcripts will determine if they took the necessary prerequisite courses or if they need to take certain classes from the university.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Every course offered by the university is worth 4.5 credits. Students will take between 54 and 180 credits to earn their degrees. All undergrads pay $370 per credit hour, which includes any course taken in an associate or bachelor degree program. This cost rises to $470 per credit hour for undergrads enrolled in a nursing program.
Graduate students pay a higher rate of $495 per credit hour. Both online and on-campus programs charge the same tuition rates.
As many Stratford University students are working adults, the university will allow students to enroll and use the tuition reimbursement plans offered by their employers. It will also accept the benefits that veterans can use to go to college.
Students who need financial aid can use the FAFSA and view their award letters online to see what aid they received. They will also need to accept those awards before they can enroll in classes. Students can also use private financing to pay for their classes.
Private financing can cover some of the costs that government aid cannot for students enrolling in degree programs at Stratford University.