The path to self-improvement is long and winding. Whether it’s getting in shape, saving up for a down payment on a house, or earning a college degree, slow and steady is the pace of advancement. But sometimes change can be found in the fast lane. If you’re looking to quickly pick up a credential to sharpen your professional toolkit and add some meat to the bones of your resume, Rio Salado College offers Fast Track programs that can meet your need for speed.
Fast tracks are programs that can provide you with career-ready skills in six months or less. The average two-year degree program can be accomplished with 60-70+ credit hours. Fast tracks can be earned in a much shorter timeframe. Each fast track requires a different number of credit hours: some only require 10 or less credit hours to complete!
Fast tracks are short and sweet because they’re hyper focused on a particular subject that’s relevant to high-demand career fields. Whereas a more extensive certificate of completion or associate degree program will require a broader array of subjects to master, fast tracks are oriented around getting you to excel at a very specific set of skills. That’s one of the reasons why fast tracks can be a great option for people looking to retrain or pivot into a new career: you can hit the ground running on learning a new skill set and earn a credential to beef up your resume without spending too much time or money.
“I chose Rio because the online courses give me the flexibility to be successful,” said Antoinette Mendez, who studied small business at Rio Salado. “I have the option to take single or multiple courses at one time. The scheduling allows me to conveniently map out the timeline to completion.”
An added benefit of fast tracks is that they are “stackable,” which means you can apply their transferable credits toward earning a larger credential like a two-year associate degree. It’s a good way to “try before you buy” if you’re thinking of pursuing a degree in a new-to-you field.
While fast tracks might not be a household name yet, these accelerated programs are gaining in popularity across the country. The Chronicle of Higher Education published an article delving into this rapidly expanding form of learning and interviewed Rio Salado College President Kate Smith about the college’s pioneering embrace of fast track programs.
Interested in learning more about Rio Salado’s fast track programs? Check out this page for a list of all our current fast track programs. If you need help registering for a fast track program, fill out the information form at the bottom of the page and a Rio enrollment assistant will be in touch.
Article by Austin Brietta