Northwood University has long served the aftermarket by preparing its future leaders and sharpening the skills of those already in the industry. Yet, with three main campuses – located in Midland, Mich., Cedar Hill, Texas, and West Palm Beach, Fla. – and 40 program centers throughout the U.S., busy professional still could find it time prohibitive to further their education.
That all changed earlier this year when the school announced it would offer a fully accredited undergraduate Aftermarket Management degree program online, catering specifically to working adults who would be otherwise challenged to attend traditional classes.
“I’ll be honest. I’m 52. I have a daughter in college. I play in a band. I work a million hours,” says Russ Nardi, who is currently enrolled in the program. “The online courses are great because if you can’t sleep at two in the morning, you log in and do your work. The real advantage is if you’re a busy person, you can do the coursework at any hour.”
Nardi is global product manager for FP Diesel Engine Parts, a division of Federal-Mogul Corporation. He began at Northwood in 1998 when working for Clevite. At that time, he was taking weekend classes on campus. When he changed jobs and companies and left the aftermarket for the manufacturing side, he put the degree on hold. “When I got back to the aftermarket, that’s when I got into the online program,” he says. “It’s certainly worthwhile to anybody in this business, if they’re interested in finishing their degree or continuing their studies, it’s certainly worth their time to visit Northwood.”
While the Aftermarket Management program is new to the online curriculum, Northwood has been offering distance learning programs since 2000. It started with 12 students and now has 451 enrolled. Last year it had an 85 percent graduation rate.
The degrees offered online are for management and dual majors of management with degree specializations in aftermarket management, automotive marketing and automotive supply management.
“It’s one of the fastest growing departments that we have,” says Kim Leach, Northwood’s program center manager for the Online Program. “You go into class at three in the morning, or nine o’clock at night. Wherever you take your laptop, your classroom goes with you. It’s great for people who are business travelers, it’s perfect for their schedule, or if they have kids at home.”
Distance learning is currently offered only to working adults and the typical student is about 35 years old and is juggling both career and family. However, the true ages of students run from as young as 25 “to one who just enrolled at 70,” Leach says.
“A lot of our students have been in a management role and they can’t advance unless they get their degree,” says Marla King, Northwood’s Michigan outreach director. “A lot of our students are already professional working adults who for whatever reasons never finalized their bachelor’s degree.”
How It Works
Applying for the online program is free and can be done through the college’s website, www.northwood.edu. The cost for a four-credit course is $860, or $215 per credit hour. It takes 90 credits to complete an associate’s degree and 180 for a bachelor’s degree.
“Once they apply, we contact them immediately and explain the program, what they can expect, what they can transfer in and so forth,” says King. “One thing we do offer is work-life experience where they can receive credit for their past work life, military service and all of that.”
Up to 46 credits toward their degree can be earned through work-life experience. She adds that after students register for their first course, they are qualified to receive work-life scholarships, provided through a grant from Northwood’s University of the Aftermarket.
After a student is enrolled, King says he or she needs to dedicate approximately six to eight hours per week per course. Some weeks will entail research and reading, and other weeks hold, of course, tests. To simulate the interactive classroom experience, courses have threaded discussions which are bulletin-board style online forums.
“One of the things with our courses,” says Leach, “is that our instructors are out in the field right now. They do have the current information, they know what’s going on in the aftermarket.”
Adds King, “We don’t teach past information. We want our graduates to lead and have at least a five to 10 year focus for forecasting.”
The real-life credentials of the instructors is something that appeals to Nardi, as it directly translates into real-world application.
“It’s wonderful,” he says. “The teachers are actually real-life professionals. In fact, I’m taking a class now being taught by Bill Wade [of Wade & Associates and contributing columnist to Truck Parts & Service magazine]. It’s wonderful real-world experience that’s coming across, and the textbooks usually are written by the instructor, so you’re getting the exposure of the industry in the textbooks as well.” n
What to Expect
Getting dual degrees in Northwood’s management and aftermarket management requires 180 credit hours. The program provides general core business courses in accounting, microeconomics and macroeconomics, business law, marketing and business writing. Other required courses currently in the curriculum include:
- Introduction to Automotive Aftermarket & Technology
- Introduction to Heavy Duty Aftermarket & Technology
- Aftermarket Manufacturing Management
- Aftermarket Retail & Wholesale Management
- Heavy Duty Parts & Service Marketing
- Aftermarket Policies & Procedures
- Financial Management
- Human Resource Management
- Organization Behavior & Leadership
- Current Topics in Management
- Strategic Planning
- International Trade
- Communication & Interpersonal Relations
- Report Writing
- Contemporary World Issues
- World Cultures & Customs
- Statistics
- Environmental Science
- Ethics
- Philosophy of American Enterprise
- Lean Distribution
- Logistics & Supply Chain Management
- Aftermarket Field Sales Management
- Current Issues in the Global Aftermarket
- Aftermarket Management Research
