Starbucks and ASU partner in educating leaders for the world

In this Q&A, Starbucks and Arizona State University discuss their unprecedented education partnership.

What is this new program?

ASU is joining with Starbucks to offer an extraordinary new program, called the Starbucks College Acheivement Plan (CAP), to all of their full- and part-time partners of every brand, who are employed within the United States, the chance to finish a bachelor’s degree with full tuition coverage through ASU’s top-ranked degree program, delivered online.

Why is ASU partnering with Starbucks?

We both believe everyone deserves the opportunity to get a great education. Starbucks is establishing a new precedent for the responsibility and role of a public company that leads through the lens of humanity and supports its partners’ life goals with access to education. And we have a constant desire to find new ways to offer more people a quality higher education and the freedom to pursue their passions in any direction. With these shared values, this partnership was a natural for both of us.

Is ASU talking to other companies?

We have a constant desire to find new ways to offer qualified students the opportunity to receive a quality higher education, and will continue to seek out and evaluate partnerships with like-minded companies who are committed to the ongoing education of their employees. We will evaluate their mission and core values as a company, as well as the brand reputation and whether it will help elevate the prestige of the ASU brand. In addition, we seek to understand their commitment to their employees and how engaged their employees are with the company.

How many students can the infrastructure support, in terms of technology and offline support?

Our infrastructure is designed for scale, and can handle much higher demand than currently exists. We will proactively build out the infrastructure to meet any demand.

Are there going to be additional demands on the faculty to service these new students? 

No. ASU’s instructional models, tools and curriculum are designed for teaching and learning at scale. ASU is ensuring we have all the faculty and support staff to deliver the same quality programs that ASU already makes available on ASU Online.

Will there be new faculty hired to teach these new students?

New faculty will be hired as needed by each department to maintain an average faculty student ratio of 1:24.

Will there be special courses developed for the Starbucks partners?

Participating CAP students will be offered the same curricula as ASU online students, which is the same rigorous content taught on campus by the same top-ranked faculty.