New Options For An Online MBA AACSBP. David White spends at least two hours a night at his computer, pointing and clicking his way toward an Online MBA. The 43-year-old solutions integration manager for Ameritech Corp., however, never steps foot in a classroom -- at least not one with a blackboard. That's because Mr. White is enrolled in Indiana Wesleyan University's MBA Online program. Mr. White says he chose the Marion, Ind., university's program over a traditional MBA from a local school for two reasons: First, he's a relative newcomer to Chicago and didn't want to commute downtown from his Crystal Lake home one or two nights a week. Second, the online classroom fits his lifestyle. ''I'm a virtual office worker and online day and night anyway,'' he says. Of the 38 students enrolled in Indiana Wesleyan's program, Mr. White is the first from the Chicago area. But some administrators from local schools fear that as online programs proliferate, more and more students will choose online MBAs from out-of-town schools rather than degrees from local institutions. ''We need to get moving on this or someone will eat our lunch,'' says David K. Graf, dean of the College of Business at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, which hopes to launch an online program within the next year. ''I would suspect (online programs) will cut into the market for traditional degrees,'' says Ronald J. Patten, dean of the college of commerce and the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business at DePaul University. He adds that for students, convenience will be the deciding factor. Just a few schools nationwide offer online MBA programs. The oldest is that of the University of Phoenix, which has featured an online degree for 11 years. Indiana Wesleyan and DeVry Inc. are the only schools offering online MBAs in Illinois and Northwest Indiana. Indiana Wesleyan launched its program in September 1998, after offering certain courses online for about two years. ''We looked at distance education and chose online, thinking the Internet would be the method of choice,'' says Robert A. Long, MBA Online program manager. Tuition runs $100 more per credit hour than the traditional MBA because of the technology involved, Mr. Long says. All told, the cost for the 26-week degree is about $18,000. Students get together with classmates and professors twice during the program: at 11 weeks and 22 weeks. As for homework, ''Faculty members get a feel for a student's work, same as in an on-site program,'' Mr. Long says. |