The College of General Studies (CGS) prepares students for academic achievement, and supports working professionals in their quest for career advancement. The Certificate Courses offered in CGS contrast with the Diploma Courses offered by the School of Experiential Learning (SEL). While SEL prepares students for technical entrepreneurship by providing courses that enable students to create new businesses or expand existing ones, CGS focuses more on academic preparation (for students) and career enhancement (for working professionals). CGS also provides the broad-based core courses that support fully rounded technical entrepreneurship development for students registered in SEL. CGS students also take these core courses for completion of the respective certificate programs. These core courses focus on the following five concentrations: Language & Communication, Workplace Skills, Financial Literacy, Business Development, and Personal Development.
CGS courses are intended to “provide a durable, discernible and differentiating set of core competencies & professional values shared by all graduates of The IDMANN Institute irrespective of vocation or field of specialization”. All CGS courses are part-time and are typically scheduled for the convenience of working students.
The College of General Studies offers the following programs of study:
- The Program In Lifelong Learning (PLL):
- This program offers retirees, senior citizens and mature adults the opportunity to pure their PURELY personal interests without the pressure of academic attainment or professional advancement.
- PLL offers participants to pursue their interests in diverse areas such as photography, music, nutrition, film making, garment making, horticulture, financial management, web design, and a variety of other areas.
- PLL modules are designed for the convenience of participants as most programs are scheduled to accommodate the needs of participants who may be retired or resident in retirement communities or assisted-living facilities.
- The Entrance Preparation Program (EPP):
- This program is designed to assist students as they prepare for standardized tests. EPP assists students to prepare for entrance examinations in small online classes led by highly experienced instructors in the relevant examination(s). Students have the opportunity to be guided by online instructors and to practice with the extensive library of past examination questions under timed testing conditions. The repeated practice tests - with feedback on areas of weakness - help students to prepare for the actual examinations.
- EPP currently covers the following examinations: WAEC (over 20 subject areas), JAMB, NECO, and GED. Support for TOEFL, CXC, and IELTS will be available from the 2019 academic year, and support for GRE and GMAT will be available from the 2020 academic year.
- The International Language Program (ILP):
- This (part-time, online, real-time) program is designed to assist participants to develop language skills in any number of non-traditional languages. ILP is intended to bridge the linguistic - and cultural - gap that develops due to under-representation of many (primarily non-European) languages in most educational programs. These languages are often important to students because of their heritage, culture, or for professional reasons but are often not covered in schools.
- ILP provides trained, seasoned instructors to teach students languages to develop proper writing and speaking skills. This one-year program places considerable emphasis on practical language skills that enable students to expand their knowledge in the language(s) in question and to become fluent speakers.
- Currently ILP is focused on the following African languages - Yoruba, Ibo, Hausa, Itsekiri, Twi and Ga. The program will expand to include Amharic and Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese) in the 2019 academic session. Efik and Swahili will be added to the program in the 2020 session.
- The Professional Development Program (PDP):
- This is the general professional development program offered by CGS. This program offers courses for students from all disciplines and provides a common grounding for professional, technical, entrepreneurial and personal success. It provides students with a core set of management and general administrative skills that serve them in any chosen field of study.
- Upon successful completion of The Professional Development Program students are awarded the Certificate of Professional Development (CPD). The PDP requires completion of the core courses in the five critical concentration areas: Language & Communication, Workplace Skills, Financial Literacy, Business Development, and Personal Development.
- The Six Sigma/Productivity Management Program (SSP):
- This program provides students with the practical training needed to drive organizational change and productivity improvement in their respective organizations. Incoming students are assumed to have an interest but no formal background in productivity improvement, and are taken from the introductory courses in the Lean Six Sigma methodology to an initial certification as Six Sigma Yellow Belts.
- Further training will prepare students for certification as Green Belts and eventually as Black Belts. Students who want to pursue a career in Six Sigma management and training may advance to become Master Black Belts under the guidance of the program faculty. Furthermore, students may also opt for additional preparation to sit for the PMP certification, offered by the Project Management Institute.
- The Human Resource Development Program (HRP):
- The HRP is designed to train students into competent human resource management professionals. In addition to the well rounded training in management, this 12-month program supports students to prepare for the SHRM certification examinations. At the end of this program students are awarded the Certificate in Human Resource Management (CHR) as well as the preparatory tests for the SHRM certification.
- The NCLEX Preparation Program (NPP):
- The NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) is the qualifying test for foreign nurses seeking to work in the US and Canada. CGS offers an NCLEX preparatory testing program that prepares students for this examination. Guided by highly seasoned practicing nurses and nurse trainers, in combination with an array of live testing material via the IDMANN Online Learning Platform, students are prepared for the NCLEX via this 12-month program.
- As part of the program, students receive practical and timely relevant job counseling and professional advice on employment opportunities in the US and Canada from the working professionals leading the classes.
- The Hospitality Management Development Program (HMP):
- The HMP prepares working professionals in the hospitality industry to transition into management and leadership positions in their places of employment. It also provides the necessary training and grounding for individuals seeking to make the transition into the industry. Led by working professionals in the hospitality industry, students learn the technical, operational, functional and managerial elements that make for success in the hospitality industry.
- The goal of HMP is to provide students with critical skills that can immediately be applied in their respective workplaces. It also provides a safe place to explore, discuss and resolve challenging problems they may encounter in the workplace in particular, and in the industry in general. Above all, students receive firm grounding as trainees in hospitality management prior to being awarded the Certificate in Hospitality Management (CHM).
- The Customer Service Training Program (CSP):
- Effective, professional customer service is critical for success in any industry. The CSP trains students in modern and proficient customer service. The program covers the interactive elements of customer service as well as the increasingly technical aspects of customer service. These include the use of customer relationship management (CRM) software, the most current offerings in enterprise resource (ERP) software, and online techniques for research and customer service support. The course also includes training in web analytics and research, which are increasingly becoming integral elements in effective customer service. The 9-month program leads to the award of the Certificate In Customer Service (CCS).
Intending students can complete the entire application to CGS courses via this web site.