QUESTION: Where can I find information about online master's degree programs?

Pat Olsen, author of "Dot.Com Meets Dot.Edu: Trends in Learning Partnerships," offers insight on the growing importance of online learning: "In December 1999, the U.S. Department of Education reported that 60 percent of all 1997-1998 distance learning programs were offered over the Net, and that the fastest growing education technology was Internet-based. According to The Futurist, 95 percent of instruction in the United States will be digitally enhanced by 2025. A study by International Data Corporation reports that by 2002, corporations will budget $6 billion a year for Web-based training. Significantly, it's working adults--those desiring continuing and professional education--that account for most of the increase in WBT."

There are several publications that address academic distance learning. Among them are The Best Distance Learning Graduate Schools (Random House, 1999); Peterson's Guide to Distance Learning Programs, 2000 (Peterson's Guides, 1999); and Guide to Distance Learning Programs in Canada (Educational International Publishing, 2000).

Here's a sampling of online resources that you may find helpful:

• Gradschools.com offers links to numerous online graduate programs.
• Capella University has online graduate programs in areas of business, education and professional development, human services, and psychology.
• George Washington University offers opportunities for graduate-level distance learning. Of note is a master of arts in education and human development with a specialization in educational technology degree.
• Jones International, the first accredited online-only university, offers a master of arts degree in business communication and a master of business administration degree with seven areas of specialization.
• Strayer Online offers graduate degrees via distance learning, including business administration and communications technology.
• The University of Maryland offers master's degree programs in distance education, business administration, information technology, and technology management, among others.
• The University of Phoenix Online offers several online graduate-level programs: education/curriculum and technology, organizational management, and M.B.A./e-business, to name several.

Published: August 2000