Thursday, March 28, 2024 Mar 28, 2024
46° F Dallas, TX
Advertisement
Publications

HARVARD ON THE HIGHWAY

By ROB LALLIER |

HIGHERED In a nondescript office building in the shadow of Wet ’n Wild and LBJ Freeway, Garland’s 13-year-old Amber University offers frill-free learning-no student activities, no athletics-for 1,600 students each semester. And no kids allowed: Students must be over age 21 and have performed well in another college program to be admitted.

Amber’s classes are held nightly from 6:15 to 10 and on weekends. The academic year is divided into four 10-week sessions, and each class meets just 10 times. “We encourage students to take one or two classes per semester,” says Amber’s president. DR. DOUGLAS WARNER. At that pace, a working stiff with an undergrad degree could earn an MBA in just one and a half years.

Tuition, at $375 per course, isn’t cheap, but it goes toward a well-paid full-time faculty, 95 percent Ph.D.s and all with practical work experience in their fields. “Mature working adults won’t tolerate an instructor who doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” says Warner.

With the middle class squeezing its nickels. Amber may have an edge over the sprawling, landlocked universities throughout the South. “What happens if the population shifts away from those campuses?” Warner asks. “They can’t move to the people. We can. And we will.”

Related Articles

Image
Travel

Is Fort Worth Really ‘The New Austin’?

The Times of London tells us it's now the coolest city in Texas.
Image
Dallas 500

Meet the Dallas 500: Chakri Gottemukkala, o9 Solutions

The o9 solutions leader talks about garnering a $3.7 billion valuation, growing 10x over the next few years, and how the company is innovating.
Image
Local News

An Early Look at 2026 FIFA World Cup Logistics

The World Cup matches will be held in Arlington, but Dallas will be home to a great deal of team and fan experiences. We're getting an early look at what that will look like.
Advertisement