UMassOnline Revenue Grows 39% and Enrollments Grow 32% in FY 2004

More than 90 percent of the revenues are retained by the UMass campuses to support education and research programs.

Compared to the annual revenue and enrollment growth reported in a Primary Research Group survey of 71 colleges with distance learning programs, UMassOnline is experiencing strong growth compared to other college distance learning providers. “The Survey of Distance & Cyberlearning Programs in Higher Education, 2004 Edition” reports college distance learning programs’ revenues increased by a mean of 9.67% and enrollments increased by 27.64% in 2003.

“Providing high quality distance learning continues to be central to the UMass mission of serving the community here in Massachusetts and beyond,” UMass President Jack M. Wilson said. “The dramatic growth in UMassOnline enrollment and revenue is evidence that the University of Massachusetts is meeting a critical need and that our faculty and campuses are fully engaged in highly innovative, collaborative efforts to create new learning options for our citizens.”

UMassOnline attributes its continued steady growth to the quality, reputation, accessibility, and reliability that UMass Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth and Lowell campuses instill in their online programs.

“Comparing online education opportunities on the basis of costs, technical needs, support, and even accreditation, is relatively easy. Selecting the degree that will ultimately get recognized—and potentially rewarded—in the workplace is far more challenging,” says David Gray, UMassOnline CEO. “Our students and their employers tell us that they appreciate the quality intrinsic in a University of Massachusetts education.”

“The convenience is a wonderful perk, but the quality of the program is why I am ultimately there,” says Jennifer Morton, RN, BSN, who is enrolled in the UMass Amherst online MS (Nursing)/MPH Dual Degree program. “Online learning is a wholesome treat for those of us who want to further our education while maintaining our professional goals and raising a family at the same time. People ask me if I miss being a traditional student. I tell them that this kind of learning is what makes me a traditional student.”

“I don’t have to go to a classroom,” says Hui Huang, Ph.D., a student in the UMass Lowell Clinical Pathology certificate. “I can be in a “classroom” anytime, even on a business trip, as long as I have access to the Internet.”

In FY 04, UMassOnline launched new online programs including:

• Master’s Degree Program in Reading and Language (M.Ed.) (UMass Lowell)
  
• Master of Education in Instructional Design (UMass Boston)
  
• MS (Nursing)/MPH Dual Degree Program (UMass Amherst)
  
• Post Master’s Nurse Practitioner Certificate (UMass Boston)
  
• Bachelor of Business Administration (UMass Amherst)
  
• Certificate Program in Paralegal Studies (UMass Lowell)
  
• Certificate Program in Security Management and Homeland Security (UMass Lowell
  
• Basics in Exercise and Nutrition for Health and Human Performance Certificate of Completion (UMass Amherst)
  
• Online Certificate of Business Studies (UMass Amherst)

Today, UMassOnline offers 37 graduate and undergraduate programs online – including more than 300 courses – through the continuing education departments at UMass Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth and Lowell.

About UMassOnline:
UMassOnline delivers high quality online educational programs from University of Massachusetts Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth and Lowell. Academic programs are fully accredited by the relevant accrediting bodies such as the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and degrees are granted by the sponsoring campus. To learn more about UMassOnline, visit www.UMassOnline.net.

Leslie Granese
Director of Marketing
UMassOnline
617 287 7111
617 287 7044
www.UMassOnline.net