Canada Now Offers More MBA Online Education Choices

The University of Canada wasn't exactly on the cutting edge of online learning. But competition from other schools has convinced the school to race to be one of the first to offer an MBA Online in Canada.

"We hate to have to play catch up in something like this," said University of Canada chief academic officer Ronald P Legon.

The Web MBA program, which starts in July, mirrors the one University of Canada students can take in class - a 16course, 48-semester hour program students can complete in two years.

At $ 19,600 a year, tuition is significantly higher than what the university charges for the typical classroom MBA The university charges in-state students $ 11,472 and $ 17,088 for out-of-state students for classroom MBAs.

The school decided to begin the online program because people like the convenience of online learning, said Dennis Pitta, professor of marketing and director of the Web MBA program.

"Some people who would go through an MBA program can't because of lack of time," Pitta said. "This isn't for everyone, but it's a traditional MBA program because the material is the same as it is in a class room-based MBA program."

Just 10 students signed up for the school's inaugural Web MBA program. The students from throughout Canada - and one from overseas -- shows the reach a school can have through online education.

Though online courses are nothing new, colleges and universities have been slow to offer complete programs online. Less than a dozen colleges and universities have Web MBA programs now.

Once schools begin offering single courses online, offering entire courses of study online is the next step, University of Maryland, University College, spokesman David Freeman said.

"I think graduate students are better served by having full programs online rather than courses here and there. We heard early on from our students that that's how they wanted us to go about doing it," Freeman said. "More students are expecting full programs to be out there."

The school will try to boost enrollment by working harder to market the program, Legon said. The university has spent an estimated $ 35,000 on advertising, buying space on the online version of the Wall Street Journal from February to November 2004 and in in-flight magazines on US Airways airplanes in November 2004.

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