University of Memphis to double online course offerings

University of Memphis to double online course offerings

The University of Memphis has recently announced that it will nearly double its number of available online courses by the fall, according to the Commercial Appeal.

Officials with the university are planning on launching 18 new degree programs for the upcoming semester, including bachelors degrees in African American studies, business administration, philosophy and nursing. They will also add several new masters degree offerings in the fields of teaching, history and health administration.

Vicki Murrell, assistant dean for distance education at the university, said that the decision to add more programs was due to the popularity of the school's current online classes. Between 2007 and 2009, enrollment is distance education courses rose by nearly 50 percent.

Murrell added that the new courses will be taught by the same faculty, and the quality of instruction will be equal to on-campus classes.

"That's written in stone," she said, quoted by the news source. "Every course is the same online as on the ground. There is no negotiating about that."

The university's online programs are all accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Approximately 4.6 million students were enrolled in at least one online course in the fall of 2008, according to the 2009 Sloan Survey.

By Mark Danson