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the Amherst campus of the University of Massachusetts
Oct 19, 2001
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Online courses get high marks by Patrick J. Callahan, Chronicle staff  nline graduate programs offered in Public Health and Business Administration are ranked among the top programs in the nation, according to a new survey by U.S. News & World Report. Both programs are available through the Division of Continuing Education.The online Professional Master of Business Administration (MBA) program, offered by the Isenberg School of Management, was ranked among the top 25 by the magazine. The Master of Public Health (MPH) program, offered by the School of Public Health and Health Sciences, was among the three top programs cited by the magazine. The rankings are featured in the Oct. 15 issue of the magazine. Overall, U.S. News & World Report said it looked at data from 130 programs in a variety of graduate fields for the rankings. Kevin Aiken, director of Continuing Education, says the rankings show that the campus is a leader in offering quality online education. "We are delighted to have two UMass Amherst graduate programs selected as 'Best of the Online Grad Programs' by U.S. News & World Report," Aiken says. "The ranking is a clear indication of the high quality programs offered through the Division of Continuing Education." The degree programs are also part of the Univer- sity's system-wide UMassOnline initiative (www.umassonline.net), Aiken says. Gary Moore, associate professor and academic distance-learning coordinator in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences, says, "The online MPH in public health practice is a flexible distance-based program created to meet the needs of the public health workforce. Nothing could be more timely now that the nation's leaders are urgently calling for a better-prepared public health workforce to deal effectively with potential bioterrorist attacks from biological and chemical agents." Eric Berkowitz, director of graduate programs at the Isenberg School of Management, says the online MBA program utilizes regular full-time faculty, but gives students the flexibility they need. "People getting an MBA are working full-time, and have many demands on their time. Our program allows them to earn an advanced degree, and to do it very efficiently." |
