North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University has entered into a partnership with Project Kitty Hawk to offer at least seven online degree programs aimed at adult learners. The agreement was formalized during a ceremony at the A&T Farm Pavilion, attended by Chancellor James R. Martin II and Project Kitty Hawk President and CEO Andrew Kelly.
Project Kitty Hawk is a nonprofit organization affiliated with the University of North Carolina System. Its mission is to help public universities in North Carolina develop and launch online degree programs tailored for adults who are past traditional college age. These programs, known as “Flight Path” programs, focus on fields that are in demand among adult learners.
“Partnering with Project Kitty Hawk aligns with our deep commitment to expanding access to high-quality education, this time specifically reaching North Carolina’s adult learners,” said Catherine Edmonds, Ed.D., provost and executive vice chancellor for Academic Affairs. “By leveraging this collaboration, we are not only enhancing our capacity to deliver workforce-relevant programs but also continuing to grow in transformative ways that meet the evolving needs of our students and communities.”
The university plans to begin offering two Flight Path programs in January 2026: a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice and a Bachelor of Arts in liberal studies. In the following fall semester, it will add the human resources management concentration within its MBA program as well as another program yet to be named. Over the next 18 months, four additional online degree programs are expected to launch through this partnership.
University officials anticipate that these new offerings could enroll about 4,000 students over five years.
“We’re excited to extend N.C. A&T’s reach to adult learners through online degree programs that feature the same academic excellence and rigor that define the university’s brand,” said Kelly.
This marks the fourth partnership between Project Kitty Hawk and a UNC System institution, following similar collaborations with Appalachian State University, East Carolina University, and North Carolina Central University. The nonprofit also works with Fayetteville State University, UNC Greensboro, and UNC-Chapel Hill. There are currently 15 active Flight Path programs across these institutions.
Deanna Satterwhite, an A&T distance learning student who faced significant health challenges while pursuing her education, spoke about how online learning provided her with needed flexibility: “The idea of sitting in a classroom every day while managing treatments, appointments, and recovery was overwhelming. But then online learning changed everything,” she said. “Online education didn’t just offer flexibility – it offered dignity. It reminded me that I was still capable. That my goals were still valid. And that even on the hardest days, I could still move forward.”
Since Fall 2023 when Flight Path began offering its first program, more than 1,700 students have participated in these courses across partner universities. New student enrollment increased fivefold from 2023-24 to 2024-25 within Project Kitty Hawk’s portfolio of offerings; overall persistence rates stand at 88 percent for participating students; partner universities have collectively generated $10 million in additional tuition revenue from these academic initiatives.
