Middle Georgia State University Partners With Amazon's Career Choice Program

Author: News Bureau
Posted: Monday, September 11, 2023 12:00 AM
Categories: School of Arts and Letters | School of Education and Behavioral Sciences | School of Health and Natural Sciences | Pressroom | Students | School of Business | Faculty/Staff | School of Computing | School of Aviation

Macon, GA

Amazon has selected Middle Georgia State University (MGA) to join its Career Choice program, which eases access to college degrees for hourly employees of the multinational technology company. 

Career Choice is an education benefit that empowers full-time and part-time Amazon employees to learn new skills for career success. The company provides pre-paid college tuition for credit-bearing courses. This benefit covers the cost of tuition and fees and reimburses Amazon employees for the cost of textbooks as they pursue certificates, associate’s, or bachelor’s degrees. There is no lifetime maximum on the award amount.  

As of mid-August 2023, nearly 25 Amazon employees were taking courses toward certificates or degrees at MGA. 

"We are thrilled to be part of the Career Choice program,” said Dr. Stephen Schultheis, the University’s vice president of Enrollment Management. “This partnership is a great example of our commitment to providing practical pathways for students who want to increase their skills and knowledge for career success. We are grateful to work with Amazon, which is committed to helping their employees gain access to quality higher education.” 

Dr. Melinda Robinson-Moffett, assistant vice president of Enrollment Management, said MGA is committed to working with Amazon through the University’s Office of Strategic Partnerships, part of the Enrollment Management division. Among other things, the office works directly with employers who want to help their employees earn college degrees and professional certifications. The connection to multiple services forms a longer partnership ultimately yielding a more regional impact. 

Amazon’s Career Choice program has a rigorous selection process for third-party partner educators, choosing partners that are focused on helping employees through their education programs, assisting them with job placements, and overall offering education that leads to career success.  

“We’re looking forward to Middle Georgia State University coming on board as an education partner for Career Choice, adding to the hundreds of best-in-class offerings available to our employees,” said Tammy Thieman, global program lead of Amazon’s Career Choice program. “We’re committed to empowering our employees by providing them access to the education and training they need to grow their careers, whether that’s with us or elsewhere. We have intentionally created a partner network of third-party educators and employers committed to providing excellent education, job placement resources, and continuous improvements to the experience. Today, over 110,000 Amazon employees around the world have participated in Career Choice and we’ve seen first-hand how it can transform their lives.”  

As an approved partner, MGA is provided co-branded promotion with the Career Choice program, featured in the employee-facing Career Choice School Discovery Tool, and invited to participate in Amazon-sponsored promotional events and campaigns. 

MGA offers 70+ areas of study, including 20 certificates and degree programs that are available entirely online. The fully online programs are often, though not exclusively, those most often pursued by employees of companies that work with MGA’s Office of Strategic Partnerships. 

Amazon employees interested in pursuing a certificate or degree from MGA can contact their human resources office or visit the Amazon Career Choice site at https://atoz.amazon.work/m/career_choice/resource. Other companies interested in connecting with the Office of Strategic Partnerships can connect via email at strategicpartnerships@mga.edu or via phone at 478.845.4707.