GOLDSBORO – Wayne Community College has added a degree in risk management and insurance.
The new program prepares students for entry-level insurance positions in many types of organizations such as insurance agencies, accounting firms, small businesses, and banks.
It is designed to provide students with the knowledge of risks and hazards and the skills to develop a plan for managing them.
Graduates earn an associate in applied science in risk management and insurance (RMI) and should be ready to sit for insurance agent licensure examinations in areas such as property and casualty, life, accident, and health insurance.
“We are very excited. The program is officially available,” said WCC Business and Accounting Department Chair Erin LeGrand. “We have a few classes potential students can take beginning this semester if they wanted to get started.”
Advantages of WCC’s program are the flexibility allowed by online courses as well as traditional and evening options, small classes of 15-20 students, and courses with zero textbook costs.
The program was instituted at the request of local insurance agency professionals who saw a need for more claims adjusters, insurance agents, and underwriters, LeGrand said.
“It is needed,” she said. “There are jobs available in Wayne County.”
Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina (IIANC), the agency that manages the insurance needs for the State of North Carolina, was one of the organizations that encouraged the college to start the program.
“IIANC congratulates Wayne Community College for being the first North Carolina community college to fully implement the Risk Management and Insurance Program track in the associate in applied science in Accounting and Finance,” said IIANC Vice President of Professional Development LuAnn Wooters.
“The RMI program track will prepare students for NC Department of Insurance licensing exams and provide them with focused course content and skills for employment as professionals in the RMI industry,” Wooters said. “This is a wonderful opportunity for students to earn a degree and credentials to contribute to Wayne County’s employment needs in RMI.”
Risk Management and Insurance is a “Top 12 Scholarship” program, one of a dozen programs with low enrollment but high demand for graduates. The Foundation of Wayne Community College provides renewable scholarships of full- or part-time in-state tuition and fees to qualifying students in these programs. Individuals interested in this scholarship should contact the Foundation of Wayne Community College at 919-739-7022 or wcc-foundation@waynecc.edu.
Details about the RMI program can be found at www.waynecc.edu/programs/risk-management-and-insurance/.
