The problem? The traditional university model wasn’t designed for the world we live – or work – in today. It’s too slow. Too expensive. And too disconnected from what employers actually need.
At Nexford, we decided it was time to change that.
Technology is reshaping every industry. Yet, while work has evolved dramatically, most universities haven’t. The result: a widening gap between what learners know and what employers expect.
According to Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, 66% of all U.S. jobs today require some form of postsecondary education, and that share is projected to rise to 72% by 2031. Each year, about 12.5 million of the 18.5 million U.S. job openings will demand workers with college–level education.
Globally, the pattern is the same. UNESCO projects that by 2025, more than 264 million people worldwide will be enrolled in higher education – more than double the number in 2000. In Sub–Saharan Africa, tertiary enrollments have doubled roughly every 20 years, yet participation remains below 10%, revealing enormous unmet demand.
But here’s the challenge: the world isn’t building universities fast enough to meet that demand. Even if it were, there aren’t enough qualified faculty members to teach the millions of learners entering higher education every year.
That means the old model – physical campuses, semester schedules, and high overhead costs – simply can’t scale.
The only viable solution is online learning.
But not just any online learning.
Too often, when traditional universities go online, they simply digitize what already exists: lectures, syllabi, and outdated course structures.
That’s not innovation. That’s replication.
What learners need is not a digital version of yesterday’s classroom – but a completely reimagined experience that fits today’s realities: flexible, relevant, and directly connected to the world of work.
That’s what we built.
Nexford’s reimagined Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) was shaped by thousands of conversations with learners and employers around the world – and designed from the ground up for the modern workforce.
Key innovations include:
This isn’t about putting old content online. It’s about creating a degree built for real life – and for real careers.
In the U.S., 95% of the 11.6 million jobs created after the Great Recession went to workers with at least some college education. Between 2021 and 2031, the economy will add 15.6 million new “good jobs” – those paying above $55,000 per year – for workers with bachelor’s degrees, while opportunities for those with only a high school diploma will shrink.
And the lifetime value of a degree is undeniable: workers with a bachelor’s degree earn about 75% more – roughly $1.2 million more over their careers – than those without one. Across developing economies, the gap is even larger: degree holders earn up to twice as much as non–degree workers.
Employers know it. Economies show it. And learners feel it every day.
For many professionals, skills have already taken them far – but not quite far enough. Employers still use degrees as a gateway to higher–paying, more stable roles. Yet for too many, the traditional path to earning one is simply out of reach – constrained by time, geography, and cost.
Our reimagined BBA bridges that gap. It recognizes what learners already know, builds on their real–world experience, and equips them with the business and technology skills to thrive in today’s digital economy – from data–driven decision–making to leadership and entrepreneurship.
“For millions of people around the world, their skills got them to where they are today. But in a world where the vast majority of ‘good jobs’ require a degree, having one can take them much further,” says Fadl Al Tarzi, Nexford’s CEO. “The traditional university model wasn’t designed for the world we live in today. Nexford’s reimagined Bachelor’s degree is built to bridge that gap – skills–focused, flexible, and radically more affordable.”
The demand for higher education is global and growing fast. But the traditional university model can’t scale to meet it. There simply aren’t enough classrooms – or faculty members – to educate the world through old methods.
Online learning must rise to the challenge. And that means going beyond digitized lectures to deliver a new kind of experience: flexible, career–focused, and built for the real world.
That’s what Nexford’s reimagined Bachelor’s degree delivers – a smarter, more accessible path to professional growth for the next generation of global learners.
Your skills got you here. The right degree can take you further.
👉 Learn more about Nexford’s reimagined BBA