AGREEMENT ALLOWS GROSSMONT AND CUYAMACA COLLEGE GRADUATES TO EARN BACHELOR'S DEGREE AT PRAGUE UNIVERSITY

Source: Grossmont Cuyamaca Community College District

May 22, 2018 (El Cajon) - An agreement signed between the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District and a Prague university will allow graduates who have earned a degree from one of the two East County colleges to continue their education in the Czech Republic.

The district’s agreement with Anglo American University (AAU) will provide an opportunity for students to earn a bachelor’s degree in a program that is less expensive than a California State University and can be completed more quickly. In addition, students could experience a part of the world they might not otherwise have known, said Alan Krautsengl, president emeritus of AAU.

“Students would have an international experience, setting them apart from the competition,” he told the district’s Governing Board when the agreement was approved May 15. “Spending time in a completely different environment gives them an edge.”

AAU, a not-for-profit university founded in 1990, is the first independent European institution to be accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, one of six regional accrediting agencies in the United States. The university, located in a restored palace in the historic center of Prague, enrolls almost 1,000 students from more than 70 countries.

The university offers 14 undergraduate and graduate programs, and all courses are taught in English. Most classes are small, with a ratio of eight students per instructor.

Classes at AAU cost $250 per credit unit, compared to $396 per unit at San Diego State University. Krautsengl said students with outstanding academic records in their first semester are offered extensive financial support, and students with perfect or near-perfect GPAs at 3.9 or above pay no tuition.

The cost of living in Prague is also a bargain, he said. Students typically pay $300 to $400 a month for a room, and a year of medical insurance costs $500.

The university has an accelerated pathway for students with Grossmont and Cuyamaca College associate degrees so they can earn a bachelor’s degree with just 45 credits in three semesters. For those who want to continue their education in Prague, AAU also offers a master’s in business administration degree through Chapman University.

“This is a unique opportunity for our graduates,” said Cindy L. Miles, chancellor of the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District. “It will add value to their education and give them an enriching international experience they will remember for the rest of their lives.”