CLEVELAND/CHICAGO (August 31, 2023) – Cleveland State University (CSU), in partnership with Keypath Education, is rolling out a comprehensive online degree portfolio across its School of Health Sciences and a part-time online Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree offering with the College of Law. CSU’s online J.D. is the first of its kind for Keypath Education in the United States and an opportunity for CSU to differentiate itself within the state of Ohio and across the United States.

CSU will initially launch:

• Master of Social Work (MSW) with Advanced Standing and Traditional pathways (2023)
• Master of Science Nursing with the following specialties: Nursing Education, Forensic Nursing, Specialized Populations, Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) (2023)
• Juris Doctor (J.D.) (2023)

By partnering with Keypath Education, CSU’s College of Health is expanding its footprint to better meet the needs of hospitals across Ohio. In 2021, there were over 145,000 job postings for social workers (Lightcast, 2022) and only 33,753 MSW degrees conferred nationally (IPEDS, 2022). With the support of Keypath Education, CSU’s College of Health can expand access to its well-regarded social work and nursing programs to help fill the shortages of essential health and social service providers.

All programs will leverage best practices in the delivery of online didactic coursework and include intensive and synchronous learning opportunities as needed to best meet the needs of the learners as they gain professional competencies. CSU and Keypath will look to add additional programs from the College of Health in future years with the aim to offer a comprehensive set of health professional programs focused on generating practice-ready graduates to meet the needs of the health systems across Ohio and beyond.

With this partnership, Keypath Education assists in launching its first online J.D. program in the United States, aiding in the transition of the J.D. from a traditional on-campus degree program to online delivery. With support from Keypath Education, CSU joins a select group of ABA-approved distance education J.D. programs in the country. By moving its part-time evening J.D. program to an online format, CSU is at the forefront of meeting aspiring lawyers where they want to learn – outside the traditional classroom setting allowing them even more flexibility while they continue in their current careers while pursuing a J.D. to upskill within their current industry or pivot into a new one after graduation. This new degree model will directly assist in meeting the steady demand for legal professionals.

"In Northeast Ohio, the talent gap for certain high-demand positions has grown. By partnering with Keypath, CSU is connecting with more students who are looking to enter these career fields and ultimately support the region as experienced professionals,” said President Laura J. Bloomberg. “By offering these programs in an online format — and providing a J.D. program to be offered online nationally — we are providing more options for interested students to earn their education.”

“Keypath is very proud to partner with Cleveland State University to support its goal of closing the staffing gaps in these critical professions,” said Steve Fireng, Global CEO of Keypath Education. “CSU’s initial program launches will include expanding the reach of its Master of Social Work (MSW) and Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) as well as bringing its campus-based J.D. to an online setting. Together, we will differentiate CSU’s offerings not only in the state of Ohio but across the country and broaden CSU’s reach and impact for both students and the communities in which they live.”

Universities across the globe are partnering with Keypath Education to design and deliver high-quality, career-relevant, and industry-aligned graduate degrees built for working learners and the future of work, even across traditionally on-campus degrees with clinical placements. Leveraging KeypathEDGE, its integrated technology and data platform, Keypath works with university faculty to reimagine in-person degrees into online courses with rural areas, underserved communities, and a global reach in mind. University faculty design and teach the program curriculum and Keypath provides the program management to support an enhanced online student learning experience including program marketing, recruitment, student support, instructional and course design, clinical placement, and faculty recruitment services.

Student recruitment started in February 2023 for students with classes beginning this semester. For additional information and program details, visit this page.

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About Keypath Education:
Founded in 2014, Keypath is a global, market-leading edtech company in the online program management market. In collaboration with its university partners, Keypath delivers career-relevant, technology-enabled online higher education programs with the goal of preparing students for the future of work. The suite of services Keypath provides to its university partners includes designing, developing, launching, marketing, and managing online programs. Keypath also undertakes market research and provides student recruitment, support, and placement services. The services Keypath provides are underpinned by KeypathEDGE, its integrated technology and data platform. Keypath has more than 750 employees with operations in Australia, the United States, Canada, the UK, Malaysia and Singapore.

About Cleveland State University:
Founded in 1964, Cleveland State University is a public research institution located in the heart of Northeast Ohio with 16,000-plus students, ten colleges and schools, and more than 175 academic programs. Learn more at csuohio.edu or contact pr@csuohio.edu.