Kenan-Flagler Business School administrators say a new program, which allows students to earn their Masters of Business Administration degrees without setting foot on campus, is running smoothly.

The school is one of the first major business schools in the country to offer an online program for MBAs, said Douglas Shackelford, associate dean of MBA@UNC, the new program.

He added that despite some concerns, the program has been successful so far.

“I think it’s exceeded all expectations,” he said. “Across the board, things have gone better than could have reasonably been expected.”

But online degree programs are nothing new to UNC, with the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Gillings School of Global Public Health already boasting online options.

The online curriculum offered by MBA@UNC loses little in the move from the residential model, Shackelford said.

“It’s a real class, except it would be like having a seminar with 10 to 15 students sitting around the table,” he said.

Class discussions are conducted online, some by video. “Call it the Brady Bunch,” Shackelford said. “Everyone’s face is on the screen.”

Students raise their hands by clicking a button, discuss material and review problems together.

The journalism school launched an online program this year for 20 incoming students to earn Masters of Arts in Technology and Communication degrees, the first online degree in journalism offered in the UNC system.

The fundamental difference between the business and journalism programs is their development, said Louise Spieler, associate dean for professional education and strategic initiatives.

“The key difference is we developed the program completely in-house, and of course, the online MBA program is working with another company to develop their program,” Spieler said.

The business school partnered with the company 2tor to develop MBA@UNC. Spieler said it was more cost-efficient for the journalism school to develop the program on its own.

Smaller class sizes allow students in the journalism school’s online program to receive attention, Spieler said.

“We’re meant to be a small critique program that’s meant to be very much like what we’re doing with our residential program here on campus,” Spieler said.

Though the business and journalism online curriculum programs are just launching, the school of public health was one of the first schools at the University to develop online curricula, said Barbara Rimer, dean of the school.

Rimer said the school’s online degree in health policy and management and several certificate programs cater primarily to professionals.

“We are enabling them to get an education while they are working.”

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