The University of North Carolina system has
developed UNCOnline, a central website that provides
one-stop access to more than 130 online degree,
certificate, and licensure programs offered by the 16
UNC campuses. The official launch date for the new
site is July 1, 2007, but a sneak peak is available now.
The new website lists more than 1,000 online
courses that are available to qualified students for the
fall 2007 semester. The website also offers special
sections with information specifically tailored for
community college students and military personnel
and their dependents based in North Carolina.
Initially, UNC campuses will offer over 90 fully online
degree programs (35 baccalaureate completion, 55
master's, 2 doctoral) and more than 40 online
certificate and licensure programs. Programs and
courses in high-need fields such as education,
nursing, business, technology, and the health
sciences are well represented. Fifteen of UNC's 16
university campuses currently offer online options,
and all are expected to in the future. The most popular
offering: education. UNC offers 41 education
programs online ranging from teacher licensure add-
on to masters in instructional technology and other
specialties.
"Young people and working adults all across North
Carolina know they need more education to compete
and win in a knowledge-based global economy," said
UNC President Erskine Bowles, "and they want a
degree that means something from established
universities they know and trust. In the best tradition of
our public University, the University of North Carolina
Online stands for access and affordability. It stands for
academic quality. And it stands for opportunity."
In terms of quality and opportunity, the Carolina
system has several times earned Best Buy rankings
from the GetEducated editorial team for their quality
degree programs, which are consistently more
affordable than the national average. Four of East
Carolina's distance graduate degrees, in criminal
justice, psychology, education, and business
administration, have appeared on GetEducated's Top
10 Best Buys rankings in their respective academic
major areas.
All UNC campuses are accredited by the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools, which requires
online offerings be similar in quality to residential
offerings. Demand for online UNC degree offerings
has grown exponentially in recent years, driven in
large part by older, working students who do not live
within commuting distance of a UNC campus. While
early market research suggests that the heaviest
users of the University of North Carolina Online will be
students aged 21-44, UNC campuses are exploring
expanding online offerings as one strategy to serve
the additional 80,000 students projected to enroll on
the campuses by the end of the next decade.
Visit UNC Online....
