Online Business Programs
There are schools that offer online business programs—and then there is UBalt.
The UBalt way of teaching online is taught with care, rigor and quality. Many of our professors have been teaching online for more than 20 years and a majority hold Ph.D. degrees. Online business classes at UBalt are some of the most popular on campus. We believe online is about making business education accessible for people who need the flexibility to earn a degree and live their lives.
Our programs are backed by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), which is the gold standard of business school accreditation. Less than 5 percent of all business schools worldwide have been bestowed this hallmark of excellence.
Learn More About Our Online Business Programs
UNDERGRADUATE
Complete Your Business Degree Online: Students can complete their upper-level bachelor's degree requirements in UBalt's B.S. in Business Administration for both the General Business Specialization and the Accounting Concentration, fully online. The program is designed specifically for students who lead busy lives or live and work far from UBalt's Baltimore campus. Don’t worry: If you change your mind and want to take a class on campus, you have the flexibility to do so.
Online Summer School Offerings: We run summer session courses for our undergraduate students and welcome visiting students to study with our current business students. It is a great way to stay on track.
GRADUATE
Online MBA: Choose one of four fully online specializations: Data Analytics; Finance; Leadership; and Marketing. You can also choose the Custom option to build your own specialization based on your career goals. This is a 36-48 credit fully online program, including a Capstone.
Online M.S. in Accounting and Business Advisory Services: When you choose the Master's of Science in Accounting and Business Advisory Services program you'll go beyond just accounting—you'll build your knowledge in areas of finance and information systems, too. This is a 30-42 credit flexible program that includes 30 credits of coursework plus a maximum of 12 credits of foundation coursework for students with an undergraduate degree not in business or accounting. You may specialize in Data Analytics too.
An online degree program may be the right choice for you.
The University of Baltimore's Online Business programs offer the same content, rigor and collaboration between faculty and students as you would find in a face-to-face class on campus. The benefit of online education is that you can participate from anywhere with an internet connection without needing to travel to campus.
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Tips for Online Learning
To make your online learning experience rewarding we have some tips:
Be Motivated: Business School is challenging. Learning online can be too if you are not prepared for online learning and instruction. It takes a motivated student to make the most out of an online course. Being a self-starter, a collaborator and a good communicator, are great characteristics to have when you think about enrolling in a online course.
Be Present: You want to make the most of your experience and that means it is a good idea to limit distractions around while you are posting your thoughts, doing homework, taking a test or writing a paper.
Be a Planner: You have work and a personal life — and those are important — but now you've added business school and online classes. On campus, you would have the benefit of a professor verbally reminding you of assignments, projects, and exams. Online, you’ll need the discipline and time management to watch for the information, plan time for each task, and then budget your time in order to get everything done. Students who excel in time management usually spend a few minutes each day determining how much time to allocate to each task.
Be Savvy: That is tech savvy. If you’re not technologically savvy, don’t worry. Our online learning management system, Sakai, has a user-friendly infrastructure. Few people ever have issues with understanding the applications, but some do take longer to get comfortable than others.
Be Involved: Yes, you can be involved—virtually. The online learning environment can be as robust and dynamic as you want it to be. It is up to you, your classmates and the professor to post and bring breath and depth to the online conversation. Your peers can be excellent resources, both academically and professionally.
Be a Leader: Just like a face-to-face classroom there are ways for you to be a leader. There is a a value in your course (just like a your job) to be collaborative. It is also a good way to grow your network and earn valuable contacts that could lead to a job after graduation.
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UBalt Online Course Readiness Assessment
Here are some questions to consider when deciding if an online course/program is right for you.
Why are you taking an online course?
People commonly mistake an online education for an "instant education." Online learning is not easier than the traditional classroom experience. In fact, many students find it requires more time and commitment.
While you’ll have more flexibility in organizing your study schedule, you still must do regular academic work. Each three-credit UBalt online course requires a minimum of 10 hours of work per week. So if you don’t have sufficient time in your personal schedule to do the course work, you’re setting yourself up for failure.
Don’t consider an online course because you think the work will be easier than in a traditional class!Do you schedule your work time and follow through to meet deadlines?
Good time-management skills are essential for successful online learning. Students must be disciplined and structure their own schedules. It’s very easy to become distracted by personal or work commitments when attendance isn’t required at a particular place and time each week.
It’s important to complete all assignments on schedule because, once you get behind, it’s very difficult to catch up.Do you possess strong reading, writing, and critical-thinking skills?
UBalt online classes require you to learn from reading — typically using textbooks, internet-based materials, written “lectures” or notes from the instructor, etc. You must be able to interpret and synthesize the written word; differentiate between facts and opinions; and evaluate sources for accuracy, relevance, objectivity, and currency.
In an online course, nearly all communication is written. Therefore, you must comfortably and effectively convey your ideas and opinions in writing. Remember, your participation requires written communication with your instructor and classmates.
There is no face-to-face interaction.
If you have limited writing skills, consider taking a writing workshop or mini-course with UBalt’s Achievement and Learning Center.Are you comfortable with computers?
You don’t have to be a computer whiz to succeed in an online course. However, you should possess basic computer skills: finding, opening, saving, printing, and managing files using Microsoft Office applications (particularly Word, PowerPoint, and, to a lesser extent, Excel). Additionally, students must be proficient in managing e-mails, sending file attachments, conducting web searches, and saving (or downloading) online files using a current web browser.
Since online courses are technology-based, you need a basic comfort level with computers, software, and internet service providers. If you’re easily frustrated or intimidated by computers, then you probably won’t be very happy in an online course.Are you concerned about feeling isolated in an online course?
UBalt online courses are not independent-study courses. They are highly structured and involve frequent interactions with the instructor and with your fellow students. It is critical you contribute your ideas, perspective, and comments on the subject you’re studying and read about those of your classmates.
Your instructor is not the only source of information in your course. Having classmates from across the country and around the world is a wonderful educational opportunity in itself. You can gain great insight from your peers, and they can learn from you as well.
Interaction is an important key to success. By exchanging ideas and contributing to the lively give-and-take of discussions, you’ll find the learning process more rewarding and enjoyable.Are you willing to ask for clarification or help?
Many of the non-verbal cues instructors use in determining whether students are having problems (confusion, boredom, frustration, absence, etc.) are not visible in the online environment. If you experience difficulty on any level (either with the technology or the course content), you must communicate this immediately. Otherwise, the instructor may never know what’s wrong.
If you have a problem, don’t wait. Post a question to the course discussion area or contact your instructor right away.
Merrick School of Business Statement of Values for Online Teaching and Learning
Adopted by the Merrick School of Business Faculty Senate Mar. 14, 2018
The Faculty of the Merrick School of Business put forth the following values as being integral in our online courses and programs.
I. We value the artisan approach to course creation, reflecting the unique content of MSB programs and the nature of our students.
Our history has helped to determine our strength. Merrick School of Business faculty are encouraged to use multiple pedagogical and teaching tools that best meet the needs of today’s students.
We create content in a dynamic, evolving environment. While we may “borrow” freely available content, it is integrated into our own unique, faculty-driven instruction.
II. Within our courses, Merrick School of Business faculty expect to see and work in a flexible environment, enforcing the principle of academic integrity. MSB faculty believe that personal integrity promotes substantive learning, validates the recognition of scholarly achievement, and enables effective cooperation and collaboration by demonstrating respect for the work of others.
MSB faculty support teaching and learning in a safe environment where discipline and professional goals guide the approach to ensuring academic integrity in each course.
In some instances, student collaboration is expected and encouraged; in other instances, the online platform allows uniquely individual challenges to each student. In still other instances, a specific approach may be needed to promote academic integrity in a given course
III. Students are learners and co-creators they are not retail customers. Our true customers are the stakeholders in in our students’ future careers.
This value is also reflected in the Merrick Code of Conduct, which identifies the importance of student preparation, participation, and communication as well as the expectation of similar behavior on the part of MSB faculty.
IV. Each online course is an asynchronous learning community that allows students time to absorb, ponder, integrate, and apply the elemental learning goals of the course and the overarching program learning goals. Students will have opportunities to exchange ideas and values within these courses in a cohesive, collegial manner as an orchestrated group.
Along the asynchronous path, MSB faculty value a clear statement of coursework expectations to promote full and deliberate student engagement. Students should never be surprised or face unreasonable and/or unnecessary changes.
We provide learning activities that promote the achievement of known learning objectives for individuals and for groups of students.
V. MSB Faculty value prompt, regular communication.
- Faculty to student
- Student to faculty
- Student to student
VI. MSB faculty practice quality assurance.
- Faculty are fully prepared to teach online.
- Content and pedagogy are driven by learning objectives.
VII. Content coordinated across same (B.S.B.A. core, MBA core) course sections reflect learning objective-driven pedagogy and content supporting program goals.
VIII. MSB faculty strive to deliver a high-quality and meaningful experience to each student. Supporting the implementation of practices and strategies leading to the attainment of these goals, MSB faculty need to consider appropriate class sizes, given technology and Learning Community participant characteristics.
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Did you know?
The Merrick School of Business is a pioneer in online education.
In 1999, the University of Baltimore launched a fully online MBA that had AACSB International accreditation—and we were first in the world to do so.
Thousands of graduates have benefited from the foresight and innovative thinking that our faculty built. They collaboratively transformed the traditional MBA to be delivered online.