Academic Programs

Academic Affairs Division

Nexus Degree

The University System of Georgia’s Nexus Degree, a new academic credential and the first new degree program in the United States since the 1890s when the associate’s degree was added, will help more Georgians access careers in high demand areas. Creation of this degree is in direct response to talent demand analysis with employers in high demand career areas. The first graduates with this credential earned Nexus degrees in film production from Columbus State University in December 2020.

Specialty Areas

The priority high demand sectors are:

  • Aerospace
  • Blockchain
  • Cybersecurity
  • Film Production
  • FinTech (financial technology)
  • Health Informatics
  • Information Technology
  • Logistics or Supply Chain Management (e.g., special focus on enterprise level systems and applications)
  • Mechatronics

Target Audience

The nexus degree is intended for anyone interested in pursuing a high-demand career:

  • People who have not earned a degree.
  • People who have a degree but want to transition into a high-demand career field.
  • People who are pursuing a bachelors degree but would like to add targeted credential to their coursework.
  • People who work in a high-demand career field and want to advance along the high demand career ladder.
  • “College 2025” nimble degree structure.

Structure & Requirements

The nexus degree is intended to be highly specialized within a high-demand career sector. Employers will be fully engaged in the design and delivery of the nexus degree. Course requirements include:

  • 42 credit-hours of general education core (Areas A-F)
  • 18 credit-hours of coursework focusing on the skills and knowledge requirements of a major industry or field
    • Minimum of 12 credit-hours of upper-division courses
    • Must include a substantive experiential learning component
  • At least six- credit hours in an apprenticeship or clinical model such as those used for preparation in the healthcare professions.
  • The experiential learning opportunity will be in a real or simulated environment. All placements will be supervised by a person employed at the company and by a faculty or staff member at the institution.
  • Students will be assessed based on their performance and the projects they complete.

Experiential Learning

Employer partnerships to develop experience and demonstrate competencies valued most:

  • Apprenticeship (German or Swiss model)
  • Clinical (medical)
  • Simulated (remote and on site)

Employer Partners

  • Employers are critical partners in the design and delivery of the nexus degree.
  • Evidence of engagement and employer value for the degree is required during the review process.

Institutions & Collaboration

Stand-alone nexus degree options are more easily created through professional learning units (e.g., continuing education). Embedding a nexus degree within an existing degree program (e.g., using flexibility afforded by electives or minor or concentration) is an option for many institutions.

The priority is substantive employer involvement and multi-institution collaborative design and delivery. Single or multiple institutions may design and delivery a nexus degree. We encourage institutions to engage USG eCampus for collaborative design and creating degrees that can scale, and to use shared service models (e.g, student success strategies).

Questions? Contact Us!

Dr. Art Recesso, Vice Chancellor, Innovation in Academic Programs, art.recesso@usg.edu