Online university offers hundreds of courses

Online university offers hundreds of courses

Online enrollments experienced a 17 percent increase from 2008 to 2009, which exceeded the 1.2 percent growth of traditional on-campus enrollment. This may be a result of numerous nontraditional students seeking higher education from web-based institutions.

In order to help these learners find the right degree program, the 2010 edition of the Best Worst In Online Degree Programs - a global ratings service of web-based programs - has recently been released. The publication lists the University of Maryland University College among the top 10 online schools in the world. The institution offers approximately 800 online courses and more than 100 undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs.

This is the fourth time in the past eight years the university has been ranked among the best 300 institutions worldwide.

Fred DiUlus, research author for the publication, said that the school's mission has helped it grow over the years as one of the oldest providers of online higher education. The university has been one of the pioneers of web-based learning since the 1990s.

By Mark Danson