19 Spears School students to earn graduate degrees via distance learning

Friday, May 8, 2009

(May 8, 2009   Stillwater, OK) – When Oklahoma State University holds its graduate commencement ceremony this Friday at Gallagher-Iba Arena, 19 students from the Spears School of Business will have a different story to tell than their peers. These students are unique because they will have earned their degrees via distance learning, rather than through traditional on-campus classroom instruction.

The students will earn degrees in 3 program areas: 15 will receive a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, one will receive a Master of Science in management information systems (MSMIS) degree and 3 will receive a Master of Science in telecommunications management degree (MSTM). The three MSTM students also will receive a Graduate Certificate of Information Assurance.

“I would like to congratulate these students on their significant achievement,” said Sara Freedman, Spears School dean. “The Spears School has a long history of delivering high-quality distance education programs, and we are proud to provide students with an alternative to traditional classroom instruction.”

Distance learning is ideal for many students because of full-time employment, geography, learning styles or other issues that may not be conducive to traditional classroom instruction. Distance learning courses in the Spears School are presented by OSU faculty members and are delivered in a variety of formats, ranging from video presentations to online discussion to written assignments.

“The Spears School of Business adopts the latest technologies in order to make earning degrees through distance learning more convenient for students,” said Robert Dooley, Spears School associate dean for graduate programs and research.

The Spears School offered 114 courses this past fiscal year. Students enrolled in distance business courses were from 34 states and seven countries, and 45 are in the military.

The Spears School offers distance learning degrees in four areas: Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in management information systems, Master of Science in telecommunications management, and a dual degree Master of Business Administration and Master of Science in telecommunications management.

The distance learning programs in the Spears School are facilitated through the OSU Center for Executive and Professional Development. For more information, call 405-744-4048 or visit cepd.okstate.edu/dl