Lawrence Tech Launches Three Degree Programs Online

Mar 27, 2007 - Southfield, Mich. – Students can now earn three degrees at Lawrence Technological University without ever setting foot in a classroom, as the university continues to ramp up the course offerings at LTU Online.

Earlier this month the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools gave its approval for three Lawrence Tech degrees to be taught completely online – a master’s degree in business administration, a master’s degree in engineering management and a bachelor’s of science degree completion program in information technology.

Lawrence Tech has previously had graduate certificate programs in project management, nonprofit management and architectural management available online.

Some 300 Lawrence Tech students are already taking classes online.

More than 40 courses will be offered in the fall, and other degree and certificate programs will go online in the future, according to Provost Maria Vaz, Lawrence Tech’s chief academic officer.

Online courses eliminate commuting and make it easier for nontraditional students to fit classes into their schedules already packed with work and family commitments. More and more students are taking a hybrid approach to education by mixing online and classroom courses.

LTU Online makes degree and certificate programs accessible to students outside the Metro Detroit area. “The anytime, anywhere convenience of online programs is an exciting opportunity for professionals who can’t commute to our campus,” Vaz said.

A recent national survey showed that 19 percent of students want to take all their courses online, and 17 percent of all students are taking at least one online course, according to LTU Online Executive Director Alan McCord.

“The student interest is really there,” McCord said. “Students are starting to enroll earlier in online classes, and we’re getting inquiries about what’s going to be offered online in upcoming semesters.”

According to McCord, LTU Online is developing tools and course content that enhance the educational experience for courses in the traditional classroom setting. Examples include practitioner interviews and other streaming video content, podcasts, narrated Powerpoint presentations, test question banks, and the use of web collaboration tools.

Richard Bush, director of undergraduate management programs in the College of Management, has found that online courses can improve the educational experience for both students and professors.

“There’s a lot of effort to make sure quality is equal to or exceeds what is taught in the classroom,” said Bush, who teaches two online IT management courses.

Bush often gets back to students outside of office hours and has even responded to email from students while waiting at the airport. Sometimes students don’t get answers they need during or after class, but Bush finds that he can give a question his full attention when he responds online.

“There is much more one-on-one interaction online,” Bush said. “You don’t have the interruptions and distractions that sometimes occur in the classroom setting.”

For more information, see http://www.ltu.edu/ltuonline/.

Lawrence Technological University, www.ltu.edu, offers more than 60 undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degree programs in Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Management. Founded in 1932, the 5,000-student, private university pioneered evening classes 75 years ago, and today has a growing number of weekend and online programs. Lawrence Tech’s 102-acre campus is in Southfield, with education centers in Livonia, Clinton Township, Traverse City, and Petoskey. Lawrence Tech also offers programs with partner universities in Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Asia.

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