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3 Top Online Business Programs

By Wendy Croix
Learning & Life Columnist

When you think about online business degrees, does the MBA leap to mind? If so, it's no wonder. The MBA is the most popular degree for online students. As a result, the Amarillo Globe News reports that there were 120 MBA-granting programs online in 2004, and the number of online business schools just keeps growing.

Your online business degree options keep growing, too. Here are three:

• The Online Bachelor's Degree in Business: The bachelor's degree in business provides a core education in management, accounting, finance, and economics, and encourages you to develop a sub-specialty. Global or online business, public administration, and retail are other options. Consider this online degree if you're a working professional who wants to upgrade your credentials for career advance and salary enhancement. You'll need about 120 semester hours for a bachelor's in business, just like an on-campus degree. However, you may be able to get credit for work experience.
• The Online Bachelor's in Business Marketing: With a marketing emphasis, your bachelor's degree in business points you toward a career in the fast-growing goods and services sector. You'll study the global marketplace as well as marketing techniques and consumer research. You'll study business law and statistics in addition to the other core business subjects. Throw in a foreign language, if your goal is to go global.
• The Online MBA: The MBA, studied full-time, is a two-year degree. You can expect to take 50-60 semester units of core graduate business courses, as well as up-to-the-minute seminars in e-business and world economics. Apply to respected programs with good track records at well-established online universities having solid academic accreditation.

Once you're accepted into your bachelor's or master's program, you won't have to quit your job to get your business degree. In fact, your employer might foot all or some of the cost. Most work schedules accommodate the 10-13 hours a week typical of online coursework. With flexible online education, you can study when and where it's convenient, preparing for the position you want without giving up the job you have.

Sources:

• "The Degree's in the E-mail," by Margaret O. Kirk. The Philadelphia Daily News (Nov 07, 2005).
• "Distance Learning Trends and Benchmarks: Lessons from an Online MBA Program," by Candice R. Hollenbeck, George M. Zinkhan, and Warren French. Marketing Education Review 15.2 (Summer 2005).
• "The Importance of Interaction in Web-Based Education: A Program-level Case Study of Online MBA Courses," by Bude Su, et. al. Journal of Interactive Online Learning 4.1 (Summer 2005).
• "Online MBA students' perceptions of online learning: Benefits, challenges, and suggestions," by Kyong-Jee Kim, Shijuan Liu, and Curtis J. Bonk. Internet & Higher Education 8.4 (Dec 2005).
• "Web Site Rates West Texas A&M's MBA Program a Good Bargain," by Brandi Dean. Amarillo Globe-News (TX) (Apr 8, 2004).

About the Author
Wendy Croix, Ph.D. is a freelance writer, cultural critic and university professor. In her twenty years as a professional educator, Wendy has guided hundreds of students toward the careers of their dreams.

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