Coming less than 90 days after separate announcements last November that saw the launch of the nation's first fully-online Master of Public Health in Nutrition program as well as ten new programs featuring blended learning innovations pioneered by University of Massachusetts faculty and program developers, UMassOnline CEO David Gray today announced the formal launch of three more new, online study concentrations. These new programs include a collaborative concentration in Arts Administration - the first and only program of its kind in the nation - as well as concentrations in the rapidly changing fields of Journalism Studies and Health and Human Services.
SHREWSBURY, Mass. (Business Wire EON) January 29, 2008 --
Coming less than 90 days after separate announcements last November that
saw the launch of
the nation’s first fully-online Master of
Public Health in Nutrition program as well as ten new programs
featuring blended
learning innovations pioneered by University of Massachusetts
faculty and program developers, UMassOnline CEO David Gray today
announced the formal launch of three more new, online study
concentrations. These new programs include a collaborative concentration
in Arts Administration – the first and only
program of its kind in the nation – as well as
concentrations in the rapidly changing fields of Journalism Studies and
Health and Human Services.
“These new program developments,”
said Gray, “are a result of our ongoing
commitment to remain in the forefront of innovative online offerings in
step with extremely high-growth fields. In emerging disciplines where
sweeping changes are happening rapidly and the demand for highly
educated professionals continues to grow, the most rewarding career
opportunities favor those with the most advanced knowledge and best
contemporary understanding of the requirements for success.”
“Today’s leading
colleges and universities with a genuine interest in providing quality
online programs have an obligation to go well beyond the mere packaging
of long-established traditional courses with baseline delivery
technology. In addition to the requirement that the technology
significantly enhance and enrich the learning experience, the program
offerings themselves must remain contemporary, reflective of the real
world, and ever-evolving to meet and exceed growing demands for leading
professionals to have the contemporary knowledge demanded of the new
career opportunities.”
All three of the new offerings were developed by UMass Amherst’s
University Without Walls (UWW) program which, for 37 years, has been at
the forefront of groundbreaking degree completion programs for adult
learners. Applications for the new concentrations are currently being
accepted for fall 2008 with individual courses available now.
Collaborative
Concentrations in Arts Administration
Offered in partnership with UMass Amherst’s
Arts Extension Service (AES), a leading provider of professional arts
education, the program is the nation’s first
online arts administration individualized undergraduate degree
completion program designed for working adults. Participants may also
earn a nationally recognized Certificate in Arts Management in addition
to their fully accredited UMass Amherst bachelor’s
degree.
According to AES director Maren Brown, “Nonprofit
arts and culture is a growth industry.”
Citing a recent study by Americans for the Arts, the nonprofit arts and
culture industry grew 24 percent between 2000-2005, supporting 5.7
million full time equivalent jobs. Brown says, “There’s
currently a huge opportunity for people entering the field of arts
administration.”
Concentrations
in Journalism Studies
This new program is offered in partnership with UMass Amherst’s
Certificate of Journalism, recently named by the University Continuing
Education Association (UCEA) as a Program of Excellence, which is widely
considered the most prestigious award given in the field of distance
learning.
According to Norman Sims, full-time professor of journalism at UMass
Amherst and coordinator of the Certificate of Journalism, this degree
completion program was developed in response to rapid changes in the
field as well as an increased need for flexible learning environments
for working adults. “News has been moving
online for ten years. This revolution in the delivery of the news
requires both a general understanding of the field as well as
specialized online skills.”
Expanded
Concentrations in Health and Human Services
An outgrowth of the current program’s popular
Human Services concentration, the new degree area serves the dual
purpose of giving working adults the satisfaction of earning their
degree while also preparing to join a highly trained workforce in the
burgeoning, interconnected fields of human services and health care.
“With the population growing and aging, these
are extremely high-growth fields,” said UWW
faculty member Lee Manchester, who added, “These
new concentrations give students the latitude to cross over to a variety
of jobs in both areas, and for those currently in the healthcare field
to move into management and other roles that offer better paying, more
fulfilling work.”
About UMassOnline
UMassOnline provides the highest quality education offered by the UMass
system in a flexible, online format enabling students, professionals,
and lifelong learners to take courses anywhere, anytime. With 75
undergraduate and graduate degree, certificate and professional
development programs and more than 1,500 individual courses, UMassOnline
offers one of the largest accredited online programs available. For more
about UMassOnline, go to www.umassonline.net
or visit our blog at www.umassonlineblog.com
About the University Without Walls
At UWW, students design their own degree connecting life, work and
training experiences to individualized concentrations of study. With
students having a variety of backgrounds and interests, a UWW degree
reflects a wide range of creativity and interdisciplinary connections
ranging from arts administration, business and organizational studies,
education (licensed and non-licensed), health and human services,
to journalism studies, or a student’s own
idea. Given a choice of live, online, and blended courses, UWW students
accelerate completing a first ever undergraduate degree in an average of
just five semesters. For additional information about University Without
Walls, visit www.umass.edu/uww.
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