Attention
This program is for Empire Southwest employees only.
Take Your Career to New Heights!
A partnership among:
In partnership with Empire Southwest and Northern Arizona University (NAU), Mesa Community College (MCC) is offering a college degree to help Empire employees gain business insights and develop valuable skills to rise to leadership positions at Empire.
Empire employees may receive college credit for corporate training when pursuing an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Organizational Management through MCC. For further opportunities to earn a Certificate of Completion (CCL) in Organizational Leadership at MCC and/or a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies Industrial Leadership at NAU, see Stackable credential opportunity and Empire/MCC/NAU 90/30 Bachelor Degree Completion Program below to learn more. Learn how to communicate, organize, plan, manage, and lead various groups within the company as well as systematically coordinate and align resources with Empire's strategy, mission, and vision.
Known as Prior Learning Assessment (PLA), the MCC credits you can receive for 16 specific Empire training sessions are listed in the table below.
Prior Learning Course Equivalency
Note that credit can only be awarded for the Empire course groupings indicated below.
| Empire CAT Course(s) | MCC Course Credit |
|---|---|
| General Hydraulics (#7407) | DIE106 Mobile Hydraulics and Pneumatics (3 Restrictive Elective Credit Hours) |
| General Machine Electrical (#7408) | DIE104 Electrical for Diesel Engines I (3 Restrictive Elective Credit Hours) |
| General Powertrains (#7409) | DIE108 Heavy Duty Diesel PowerTrains (3 Restrictive Elective Credit Hours) |
|
General Diesel Engines (#7100) |
DIE112 General Diesel Engines (3 Restrictive Elective Credit Hours) |
| Becoming Your Best... Creating Value at Empire (#1185) AND The Client Experience (#1002) |
MGT126 Customer Service Skills and Strategies (3 Restrictive Elective Credit Hours) |
| Extended DISC (#1401) AND Emotional Intelligence - The New Science of Work Relationships (#1507) AND Preparing EPAs/Performance Reviews(#2106) |
GBS110 Human Relations in Business and Industry (3 Required Credit Hours) |
| Leadership Development Workshop Part 1 (#2101) AND Leadership Development Workshop Part 2 (#2102) AND Leadership Development Workshop Part 3 (#2103) AND The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (#1200) |
MGT229 Management and Leadership I (3 Required Credit Hours) |
| ONE of the next four options: | |
| Unconscious Bias (#1512) The 6 Critical Practices for Leading a Team (#2115) AND How to Interview and Hire Well (#2112) |
TQM220 Leadership and Empowerment Strategies (2 Restrictive Elective Credit Hours) |
| Unconscious Bias (#1512) HR Essentials for Leaders (#2110) AND How to Interview and Hire Well (#2112) |
TQM220 Leadership and Empowerment Strategies (2 Restrictive Elective Credit Hours) |
| Working Across Generations (#1310) AND HR Essentials for Leaders (#2110) AND How to Interview and Hire Well (#2112) |
TQM220 Leadership and Empowerment Strategies (2 Restrictive Elective Credit Hours) |
| Working Across Generations (#1310) AND The 6 Critical Practices for Leading a Team (#2115) AND How to Interview and Hire Well (#2112) |
TQM220 Leadership and Empowerment Strategies (2 Restrictive Elective Credit Hours) |
In order to receive college credit for Empire training through Prior Learning Assessment (PLA), you must be an MCC student and have an MEID. See steps below on how to become a student. After you have applied and been admitted to the college, you can access the PLA form below or on the Business and Organizational Management page under Resources For You.
**Stackable credential opportunity: Once you have completed all of the Empire training listed in this agreement and are working towards an AAS in Organizational Management, you can earn a Certificate of Completion (CCL) in Organizational Leadership along the way by completing four (4) additional courses which also apply to your degree program:
- BPC110 Computer Usage and Applications or CIS105 Survey of Computer Information Systems
- GBS120 Workplace Communication Skills
- GBS151 Introduction to Business
- MGT175 Business Organization and Management or TQM 240 Project Management in Quality Organizations
Empire/MCC/NAU 90/30 Bachelor Degree Completion Program
Learn more about NAU’s program
The 90/30 program allows you to transfer up to 90 college credits from MCC to NAU toward the 120 credits required to earn a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies Industrial Leadership. You can complete the remaining 30 NAU credits (10 courses) through NAU at Mesa Community College or online.
Become a Student
To pursue this program of study:
- Skip to Step 1: Getting Admitted and start the Maricopa Online Admissions Application. When completing the Admissions Application, choose the following options to enroll in this program:
- Primary College: Mesa Community College
- Field of Interest: Business, Entrepreneurism, and Management
- Primary reason for attending this college: Get an Associates Degree
- Select a plan most aligned with your career and educational goals: Organizational Management (DEG)
- Complete Step 2: Placement Options.
- Complete the PLA form to receive college credit for Empire training.
- Make online payments using your Online Student Center, where you can use any of the four major credit cards to make your payment.
- Meet with an Academic Advisor to review your PLA credits, as well as any other college credit you may have, and plan your course schedule. Advisement for this program is provided by the Business, Entrepreneurism, and Management FOI Advisors.
- Complete any remaining Enrollment Steps.
Are you an MCC student already?
- Complete the PLA form to receive college credit for Empire training.
- Make online payments using your Online Student Center, where you can use any of the four major credit cards to make your payment.
- Meet with an Academic Advisor to review your PLA credits, as well as any other college credit you may have, and plan your course schedule. Advisement for this program is provided by the Business, Entrepreneurism, and Management FOI Advisors.
Frequently Asked Questions
You have questions, we have answers!
- Must students be an Empire employee to enroll in this program?
- Yes, you must be a current Empire employee to participate in this program. If you are not you can apply for a career as a technician, welder, machinist or sales/support in the construction industry at jobs.empire-cat.com.
- I already obtained my associate's degree through the ThinkBIG program - am I still eligible to participate?
- Yes, you can participate. You can receive additional college credit by completing Empire classes specified on the worksheet. Contact NAU at northvalley@nau.edu or call 602-728-9510 to learn more about how your credits transfer in the 90/30 program.
- What is Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)?
- The college uses a process called Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) to evaluate Empire training and award up to 23 credits towards your Organizational Management AAS degree.
- How do I get credit for my Empire Training?
- After you have applied and been admitted to the college, you can access the PLA form on the Business Organizational Management page under Resources For You. In order to receive college credit for Empire training through PLA, you must be an MCC student, have an MEID (student identification code).
- Are the classes for the degree available online?
- Yes. Students can complete the required courses for the degree online. Some instructors for online classes will require regular virtual class meetings. Dates and times of those online class meetings will be available to the student in the class schedule prior to registration.
- What is the tuition for the program? How much does it cost?
- Students residing outside the state of Arizona pay $253 per credit hour for online courses. In most cases, residents residing in the State of Arizona for 12 months or more pay $97 per credit hour. The total cost of the program depends upon the required number of courses the student has to take.
- Can I get a scholarship to this program?
- Information regarding scholarships at MCC is available through the Financial Aid Office or MCC Scholarship Page.
- Can I use FAFSA to get the degree?
- Yes. Students can use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and other forms of financial aid to pay for classes taken at MCC toward the AAS in Organizational Management degree.
- How does the transfer of the AAS degree to NAU work?
- MCC Organizational Management program graduates can apply to easily transfer to the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies Industrial Leadership 90/30 program at NAU. Contact NAU at northvalley@nau.edu or call 602-728-9510.