Wide range of courses, degrees offered at a distance by MSU

Contact: Maridith Geuder

Working adults seeking a degree or enhanced job skills may wish to consider numerous options at Mississippi State that bring instruction directly to the user.

Through its Division of Continuing Education, the university currently offers more than 140 courses and more than 20 programs available by distance learning.

"Distance learning options range from a master's of business administration degree to masters' degrees in engineering to individual courses such as microcomputers in education, art appreciation and community college administration," said distance education manager Duke West.

(A complete list of 2002 spring-semester study opportunities may be viewed at http://www.distance.msstate.edu/.)

West said MSU and the seven other state institutions of higher learning recently established Mississippi e-Campus, a one-stop, distance-learning marketplace accessible at http://www.msecampus.org/.

"We have significantly expanded our efforts in this area to respond to needs identified by the state's citizens and by industry," he added.

At Mississippi State, distance-learning courses are available through videotapes, the Internet, streaming video, electronic or regular mail, two-way interactive video classrooms, and CD-ROM.

Persons seeking an MSU degree first must satisfy the admission requirements of a particular program. For those not entering a degree program, an unconditional admissions process provides convenient access to individual courses.

"We're trying to provide a service especially for working adults who are place-bound," West said. "The many available options open the door for people who want to continue their education, even though they may not have physical access to the campus.

"Some programs can be completed entirely at a distance, while others require students to spend some time on campus, generally during the summer," he said.

Since 1917--when traditional correspondence courses first were sent by mail--Mississippi State has worked to provide distance education opportunities for state residents. Today, the university is a member of the Electronic Campus of the Southern Regional Education Board, which includes states stretching from Delaware to Texas.

Membership certifies that all courses and programs are offered by accredited SREB colleges and universities and meet the principles of good practice developed by the association's electronic campus initiative.