MSU announces development of new online programs

Montana State University has announced development of several new
online programs as part of an initiative to expand the university’s distance
education offerings.

MSU Provost Martha Potvin announced that the following degree and
certificate programs were selected from among a dozen ideas suggested by MSU
faculty in response to a university-wide push to expand MSU’s service to
Montanans through distance learning. Montana State Online in Extended
University will help develop the programs, which are already moving through
MSU and Montana Board of Regents approval processes. Faculty anticipate that
the first online courses for each of the following programs will be offered
in Fall 2012 or Spring 2013.

Graduate Certificate in Professional Practice of Architecture: This
certificate is intended for working professionals in the architecture
industry and will combine a business core course from MSU’s new online
professional Master of Science and Engineering Management with graduate
credits from the School of Architecture. Professionals completing this
program will acquire the essentials of contemporary accounting and finance,
specific strategies for architectural marketing, office management, human
resources, contracts, the law, liability and entrepreneurship, as well as an
exploration of alternative models and philosophies of professional practice.

Certificate in Digital Marketing: This undergraduate certificate program
from the College of Business will help business owners and managers learn to
expand their businesses to online markets. From camouflage seat covers to
gourmet caramels, many Montana businesses have succeeded in expanding their
sales and success through digital marketing, and the online certificate will
help businesspeople learn to use Internet markets to extend their reach to
national or global markets.

Certificate in Entrepreneurship: This undergraduate certificate from the
College of Business is designed to provide students with the basic
perspectives and skills to pursue a successful entrepreneurial career. The
certificate is available to budding entrepreneurs from around Montana and
surrounding states as well as students from all majors who can use this
certificate as a springboard to start their own businesses.

Certificate of Applied Science in Residential Building Performance: Gallatin
College Programs will develop 14 credits of online coursework to supplement
face-to-face training from weatherization centers in a new certificate of
applied science in residential building performance developed in partnership
with MSU Extension – Montana Weatherization Training Center and the U. S.
Department of Energy. The program will satisfy both local and national
needs as more emphasis is placed on energy efficiency and green building
practices. It will serve two populations of students: employees of the
well-established U. S. Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance
Program and private industry professionals, entrepreneurs, and recent high
school graduates.

Minor in Business Administration: The business administration undergraduate
minor from the College of Business represents a minor program for MSU
students from any major as well as an opportunity for place-bound business
owners and managers who are seeking formal university-level business
training.

Core courses for undergraduate degrees: The College of Letters and Science
has begun work on an initiative that aims at making a coherent set of Core
2.0 courses available online starting Fall 2012. These courses are part of
the online bachelor’s degree completion program in Liberal Studies,
development of which began last year. The online Liberal Studies program is
intended for people who have completed 60 credits of college work and who
want to complete a flexible interdisciplinary degree.

Both Provost Potvin and MSU President Waded Cruzado include creation of new
online programs as a top priority for the university. MSU has issued two
calls to faculty for proposals and ideas for new online programs, with a
priority placed on those that meet the needs of place-bound Montanans,
particularly those who have earned some college credits but who have not
completed a degree.

"We are excited to see how thoughtfully our MSU faculty have been
considering online education and how it can serve the needs of people for
whom campus-based classes are not feasible," Potvin said. "Distance
education continues to be a top priority for MSU as we work to serve more
non-traditional students in Montana and beyond."

"Distance learning has been a strength of MSU for decades," said Kim Obbink,
director of Extended University. "However, our current online offerings are
primarily graduate education programs. It’s exciting to offer new
certificates, minors and degree-completion programs for undergraduates."

Several online programs proposed last spring are now available to students,
including the Liberal Studies degree completion program, a master’s degree
in Land Resources and Environmental Science and a professional master’s in
Science and Engineering Management degree with a track that focuses on
Construction Engineering Management.

For more information about MSU’s online programs and initiatives, visit
http://www.montana.edu/online

This story can be found on the Web at:
http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=11060&pid=2