School of Business Class
Criminal Justice Student attending online class from home

What is Flex?

The Flex format allows students to choose how they take their graduate classes each week – in-person, via livestream, or online on their own time – when other programs require students to commit to one format. 

What are some examples of how a student might utilize the Flex format?

The important part about Flex is you don’t have to commit to any one format for the semester, it “flexes” with the other demands in your life.

  • Perhaps a student likes to participate in live classes but they don’t love commuting to campus. They can choose to attend and participate in classes via the livestream some weeks (or all of them if that’s what they prefer) and commute on the weeks they have extra time to make the drive.
  • Or, a student likes to come to campus for class but they’re worried about life getting in the way – a work trip or an elderly parent or a child who has a need pop up on a class night. They can catch up on the class by using the asynchronous online version of the class that week.
  • Students who love online learning and want to learn and work on coursework at the time of day that is workable for them, can even choose to take every class in the Flex format. (Please note international students have visa requirements to take a certain percentage of their program in person.)

When do the livestream/ in-person classes meet for these programs?

A live class will be held for 3 hours each week in the evening (courses are 15 weeks long). Students may choose whether to attend class in person, participate in class via a livestream, or complete the work online independently.

This flexibility allows the student to decide how they want to learn based on their professional and personal circumstances and gives them the freedom to choose from week to week without locking into one format for the entire course or master’s program.

Management students working at computer

Why do you offer management programs in Flex Format?

Russell Sage College has always been a student-centered place. We recognize that those seeking graduate degrees in the School of Management are often juggling a lot of responsibilities, whether work or family. Sometimes, the fear of all the things that could become obstacles to pursuing a graduate degree stops students from moving forward.

We believe colleges must be flexible, and the demands of everyday life shouldn’t stop someone from pursuing their goals. The Flex format allows students to pick the mode of delivery that works best for them and gives them the space to change it up from week to week as unexpected demands arise.

Where did this format come from?

When The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York, announced that it would be closing at the end of the 2023-2024 academic year, we were fortunate to hire the faculty who pioneered the Flex model at that institution in 2018 with its MBA program. The Flex MBA had several successful years, making it possible for business students to pursue graduate degrees, and we’re excited that the model will live on at Russell Sage College.

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If you have any questions, please reach out. We’re here to help.

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