After waiting 20 years and having four children, Marilea White decided to go back to school.

White is on track to graduate this May with her Bachelor of Arts in Management and Human Relations from Trevecca Nazarene University, a degree she earned completely online — all while working two jobs, teaching dance lessons, and raising her four children.

She said the flexibility of the online program helped make her dream a reality.

The MHR Program is an accelerated degree-completion program for working adults. The program, which can be completed in 16 months online with 36 credit hours, has helped several thousand Tennesseans improve their lives and achieve greater employment satisfaction.

She first earned her associate's degree at Jackson State Community College, one of four community colleges across Tennessee partnering with Trevecca.

“I was nervous, but I pulled the associate's off, so I kept going,” she said.

When Trevecca launched its first degree-completion program for adult students in 1987 — the Management and Human Relations Program — it was the first program of its kind in Middle Tennessee and one of the first in the South. Since its start, the MHR Program has experienced significant success and enrollment growth with record-breaking growth.

In February of 2013, the MHR Program opened its first fully online cohort of students. With the program online, MHR is now available to adult students from any location.

The online program works with Marilea's busy lifestyle — allowing her to dedicate time to her studies when she can. 

“After sitting in an office all day, the thought of then sitting in a classroom is just dreadful to think about," White said. "It’s nice to do school work from home.” 

But even with the online platform, she said she still has developed friendships within the cohort and feels the sense of Trevecca's community.

“While we’ve never met in person, I’m friends with some on Facebook — some of us even live in different states,” she said.

The program schedules one class at a time.

“One class for a six-week stretch," she said. "It helps being able to concentrate on one subject at a time.”

She is also inspiring her own children to continue their education.

“My son saw me struggle without a degree," White said. "Now after being out of high school for a year, he has enrolled in college. That makes me proud.”

To learn more about the online MHR program visit trevecca.edu/mhr.

--Trevecca Nazarene University