Professor Martha Culbreth

Meet Professor Martha Culbreth: Helping Students One at a Time

Degrees:

• M.S. in Internet Business Systems, Mercy College, 2006
• A.A. in Photography, Art Institute of Houston, 1996
• M.S. in Finance, University of Houston, Clear Lake, 1989
• MBA in Management, Houston Baptist University, 1986
• B.B.A. in Marketing, University of Texas at Austin, 1978

Out of the Classroom:

Prof. Culbreth is an avid cyclist and has done bike trips in Maryland, Prince Edward Island, California, and the Gulf Islands.

Prof. Martha Culbreth knows the power of degrees. She has two Master's degrees herself, and is part-way through another. "In my own life, my education is what I am most proud of. Each degree has helped carry me somewhere."

It's almost been a decade now since Prof. Culbreth started "giving her education back," using her academic knowledge and real-world experience to help others get degrees that can carry them somewhere in their careers. "I have always been interested in education. Obviously, I've been in school a fair bit myself, and then many of my family members have been involved in various education fields. As soon as I got into it, I knew I would find it fulfilling and enjoyable."

Prof. Culbreth's students find her teaching fulfilling and enjoyable, too. Most of AIU Houston's classes are kept very small, and Prof. Culbreth takes maximum advantage of the ease of student-teacher interaction this affords. "I can give students at the school much more individual attention than I have been able to in previous teaching positions." (Prof. Culbreth has taught at several schools in the Houston area.) "Our classes are very accelerated, and it's not easy for everyone. But since the classes are small, I'm able to work with the students who are having difficulties and with the ones who are very advanced. I think this potential for one-on-one interaction is a huge benefit of being at AIU."

Because she has seen the inside of a few other schools, Prof. Culbreth knows other benefits of being at AIU. "The community college I taught at didn't go into the depth AIU does in its classes. I also saw that they would promise and not be able to deliver. The community college told students they would be able to get certificates at the end of two years, but then would cancel some of the necessary classes because not enough students had enrolled. It would take longer than had been promised. That's not the case at AIU."

Wherever Prof. Culbreth is teaching-be it AIU, a community college or a corporation (she does digital imaging training for executives)-the satisfaction for her is the same: "Any signs of success in a student make me so happy. Even if it's just seeing a light bulb go on when a student in class gets a concept that was difficult for them. I love hearing about students who go on to further their education even more, or about jobs they get or awards they've won. I love doing what I do."

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