EDUCATION
Training the
Next Generation
Ski area business management degree now offered online
Submitted by Northern Michigan University
It is now possible to complete a bachelor’s degree in ski
area business management online through Northern
Michigan University (NMU)’s Global Campus. NMU offers
the program in collaboration with Gogebic Community
College (GCC) in Ironwood, Mich.
NMU alumnus PJ Britz has been an enthusiastic supporter
of the program. He was able to secure a job with TechnoAl-pin,
a global leader in snowmaking systems for outdoor and
indoor applications. Britz is even more impressed now that
the degree can be completed online. He was in the midst of
his GCC internship at Killington Ski Resort in Vermont when
he realized any hope for upward mobility in the industry
would hinge on earning a four-year degree.
“My wife and I were both offered jobs at Killington, so we
had to heavily weigh the decision of whether to move back to
the U.P. Upper Peninsula so I could enroll at Northern,” he
said. “A college in Vermont offered a program, but it wasn’t
as business-focused, which I preferred, and my credits didn’t
transfer well. If Northern’s online option had been available
at the time, I would have probably taken full advantage of
that. It’s awesome for those who do internships far away be-cause
they’re typically offered decent jobs afterward. To be
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