16 of the top 25 AACSB-accredited distance MBA programs originate from southern universities. “The south is poised to become a dominant niche provider of online education to the national market as growing numbers of mature learners (average age 36) clamor for a more accessible and affordable higher education system,” comments Vicky Phillips, GetEducated.com’s founder and chief analyst.

Leading the AACSB pack is the State of Texas, with 4 options: Texas A & M Commerce, University System of Texas, University of Houston Victoria, and the University of North Texas. Florida ranks second with 3 options: Florida Atlantic, Florida Gulf Coast, and Florida State University.

Because consumers and employers favor “backyard brands,” that is colleges whose names are known to them and which tend to operate within their immediate geographic region, an exceptionally strong regional market exists for colleges who export their degrees online to local residents and residents of neighboring states.

Western residents can rely on solid brands such as California State University (California) while Midwesterners can turn to schools such as Upper Iowa University (Iowa), Bellevue University (Nebraska), Baker College (Michigan), and Fort Hays State (Kansas). Those in the Northeast may favor Saint Joseph’s College (Maine), and Marist College (New York). The South enjoys low-cost, quality providers such as Troy University (Alabama) and Tarleton State University (Texas).

An innovative online master’s program to develop highly qualified science teachers for elementary and middle schools is now offered by UMassOnline. The new Master’s Degree in Education for Science Teachers, developed with a National Science Foundation grant, is taught by education, science and engineering faculty of UMass Amherst and UMass Lowell. A 2002 National Center for Education Statistics report found 49 percent of middle grade science teachers lack a science major and almost 19 percent are not certified in the field of science.

The new degree features hands-on, inquiry-based online science and science education courses. Students use science kits to do experiments at home, then share their experiences in discussion boards online with university faculty and fellow students. Says one student, Dan Weston: “One might think that since electricity and magnetism are such hands-on topics that distance learning would not dovetail with it. But I have found the opposite to be true. The texts, materials, websites, and discussions seem to be working very well, better than I would have thought possible. I continue to be amazed by the quality and rigor of the online courses in this program.”

Frederick Community College - Instructional Designer: Join a vibrant campus in a growing community in the heart of Maryland just an hour from Washington D.C. and Baltimore. Full-time, 10-month Instructional Designer, faculty position in the Center for Teaching and Learning (#282163) beginning August 1, 2006. SALARY RANGE: $41,041 to $69,473 per year plus benefits.

Congress has repealed the act that prohibited colleges which offered more than 50% of their courses online from participating in federal student aid programs. Distance learning students will now be able to access government-backed student loans, meaning they will be able to borrow money at a generally more competitive rate than offered by private student loan companies. Undergraduates will be eligible for governmental Pell Grants, free awards that need not be paid back, which are available to low-income learners. The so-called 50% rule was enacted in an effort to block distance learning diploma mills from abusing government student aid programs before the rise of the Internet as a distance delivery conduit. Online learning has now become so mainstream, increasingly offered by name- brand colleges, that Congress has decided to accept Internet universities on the same level as brick and mortar schools -- at least in terms of financial aid access. Students must be enrolled in a university that has applied for and been approved for government aid in order to access federal student aid programs.

Latesha Gonzalez, 23, of Washington State, works about 60 hours a week and every month writes a check for her student loans -- but she's paying for an education she says was a waste of time. She dropped out of Crown College in Tacoma after learning her credits there won't be accepted at traditional universities. She says admissions agents at the for-profit, private school lied to her when she enrolled and told her it would be "no problem" to transfer her credits later to Gonzaga University (a regionally accredited college), where she wanted to study criminal psychology. The case highlights the problems students face in distinguishing the importance of accreditation -- and understanding why not all accreditors are equal when it comes to degree recognition regardless of whether the degree is earned on campus or online ...

National University Degree Consortium The National Universities Degree Consortium (NUDC) is a nationwide collaborative of 8 higher education institutions offering fully accredited distance learning courses and degrees. Visit http://nudc.org, a one- stop site, to learn about the 68 degrees delivered online or via correspondence. NUDC's member universities are Colorado State University, University of New Orleans, Kansas State University, University of South Carolina, Oklahoma State University, Washington State University, University of Missouri, and Weber State University.