The Frost School

How to Have It All

PSU’s new Frost School of Continuing and Professional Studies provides a variety of ways for working professionals to earn an undergraduate degree.

Frost School student The Frost School of Continuing and Professional Studies at PSU is a new undergraduate division designed for working professionals and nontraditional students seeking to earn a college degree while meeting the demands of work, family and personal life. The Frost School offers degrees in business administration, communication studies and criminal justice, with a combination of evening, weekend, online and blended (a mix of online and face-to-face) coursework. Additional degree programs will be added in the future, based on student and community needs.

The format and flexibility of the Frost School are based directly on market needs for alternative options in higher education in New Hampshire. During the planning stages for the Frost School, 16,000 surveys were sent from the University to community members (including business owners) to determine the needs of local students, employers and regional leaders. Community feedback indicated a great desire for a local undergraduate program designed for nontraditional, working students. Many prospective students wrote to Frost School staff to express how excited they were to learn about the new program, which allows a student to complete his or her degree while still having time to keep a day job or raise a family.

Balancing work, family and academic needs is the goal of the Frost School, said Dr. Julie Bernier, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs.

“We recognize that there are many potential students who cannot access classes offered during the traditional daytime schedule," said Bernier. "We know it is important to offer classes in multiple formats to meet the needs of working adults in New Hampshire.”

PSU already offers nearly 100 evening classes, and a number of online and blended classes in a variety of subjects and majors. Students enrolled in the Frost School will be able to take advantage of even more evening, weekend, online and blended classes, including intensive courses offered over a four- or eight-week period instead of the traditional 16-week undergraduate semester. This unique format allows students to complete three or four courses during a single semester, without having to take more than one class at a time.

In addition, traditional residential students are eligible to enroll in Frost School courses (on a space available basis) in order to accelerate their own academic programs.

Dr. Nancy Betchart, who began serving as dean of the Frost School in August, said the Frost School’s programs will meet increasing needs for an educated work force within the state of New Hampshire.“I have a passion for education and the opportunity that it provides to people. I am eager to use my 25 years of experience in higher education as a faculty member and an academic administrator to help launch this new program,” said Betchart. “With the opening of the Frost School, the opportunity to access higher education will be greatly increased.”

The Frost School was named in honor of Robert Frost, who lived on campus and taught at Plymouth Normal School in 1911. The Frost School honors the poet’s dedication to individuality, hard work and humanitarianism and “devotion to the country north of Boston.”