My dissertation research investigated an adult learner's experience in an online competency-based education (CBE) bachelor's degree program. The purpose of my study was to understand how CBE was transforming the practices of traditional post-secondary education and how CBE was serving the needs of students, particularly nontraditional adult students in higher education. The methodology used in this dissertation research was a qualitative case study. The participant was an adult learner enrolled in an online CBE bachelor's degree program at a public institution. My case study used a series of face-to-face interviews, document analysis, participant-guided web tours, and participant observation to collect data during a six-month period. The themes that emerged from my study include: (1) adult learning as a self-directed process, (2) adult learning as a flexible process, (3) adult learning as a social process, (4) adult learning as a goal-oriented and results-drive process, (5) adult learning as a change process, and (6) adult learning as a scaffolding process. The findings of my study suggest that CBE can make a valuable complement to the traditional higher education model and a functional alternative pathway to post-secondary credentials. While CBE has the potential to enhance existing models of higher education to address access, quality, and productivity challenges, it is certainly not a panacea that will save higher education and no one has claimed that it is. What competency-based education can bring is a catalyst for change and innovation that our higher education system desperately needs. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]