Brandman University will be expanding its degree offerings to Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) employees—a year after it was named by the retail giant as one of three universities employees could attend largely on Walmart’s dime.
The Irvine-based institution that primarily serves working adults said last week it will offer Walmart employees college degrees in computing technology and information technology, in addition to associate and bachelor’s degrees in supply chain management and business.
Chancellor Gary Brahm said it looks forward to serving even more Walmart associates through the program.
“I commend Walmart for their efforts to connect more than a million associates to U.S. universities that are purposefully designed to help working adults achieve college degrees that accelerate upward mobility,” Brahm said in a statement.
The move came after Walmart said it would support degrees in technology while also adding three schools to its subsidized education program, bringing the total number to six schools including Southern New Hampshire University, Purdue University Global and Wilmington University, University of Florida, and Bellevue University. It will also allow its high school workers to take advantage of earning free college credit, as well as other perks.
Brandman was established in 1958, and is part of Chapman University’s system. It has close to 25 locations in California and Washington.
Guild Education Platform
The education program, in partnership with tuition reimbursement and education platform Guild Education, launched last May. It gave Walmart and Sam’s Club employees the opportunity to pay $1 a day toward their associate or bachelor’s degree in business or supply chain management.
Brandman’s tuition ranges from $1,500 per course for an associate degree to $3,345 per course for a doctorate. Its competency-based program costs $6,400 per academic year.
The university already works with more than 2,700 companies including Irvine Co. and Blizzard Entertainment Inc. to offer employees higher education.
Since the program launched, Walmart said more than 7,500 of its associates in the U.S. have been accepted into at least one of the programs at its three original partner schools such as Brandman.
The company said as many as 68,000 employees could sign up for the program over the course of four to five years.
