University Offering Start-to-Finish Online Bachelor's Degree Program in Business

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas will offer its first start-to-finish online bachelor’s degree program – a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration – in fall 2014.

The launch of the B.S.B.A. in general business by the Sam M. Walton College of Business means that, for the first time, students across the state who cannot travel to the Fayetteville campus can begin and complete a U of A bachelor’s degree program online.

For more information on the online B.S.B.A., contact Karen Boston, assistant dean for undergraduate programs in Walton College, at kboston@walton.uark.edu.

 “Giving students the option to earn a general business degree online allows Walton College faculty to share their teaching and scholarship with students who do not have the opportunity to attend classes on campus,” said Eli Jones, Walton College dean. “An online course of study makes it possible for working professionals, entrepreneurs and students who have family, work and other responsibilities that prevent them from studying on campus to complete a degree from Walton College – a nationally ranked, internationally accredited college of business.”

Students can begin the B.S.B.A. as freshmen and complete all four years of coursework online. The program also gives students who have completed an associate’s degree in business, or those who are near completion of their business degree, the option to complete the B.S.B.A. online through Walton College.

The B.S.B.A. is the latest addition to 29 University of Arkansas degree, licensure and certificate programs that are delivered completely or primarily online. More are being developed. The programs are offered by the Walton College; the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences; the College of Education and Health Professions; the College of Engineering; and the School of Law.

“The University of Arkansas is committed to enhancing and expanding distance education to make the Fayetteville campus more accessible to people across the state,” said Javier A. Reyes, vice provost for distance education at the university. “This growth – especially in online bachelor’s degree programs – is in line with the university’s goals to meet students’ needs and with the state’s efforts to double the number of its citizens who hold bachelor’s degrees by 2025.”

Gov. Mike Beebe issued a challenge to the state in 2011 to double the number of college graduates in Arkansas by 2025, saying this will help secure a positive economic future for the state. Arkansas ranks 49^th in the nation in persons age 25 years and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher, with 18.8 percent of the population fitting that description, according to a 2008 statistical abstract by the U.S. Census Bureau.

“Not only does the online Bachelor of Science in Business Administration provide the opportunity for a student to pursue a Walton College degree without physically being in Fayetteville, but for students who were never able to complete their degree, they may now do so – even if they are located in another part of the state, country or even internationally,” said Boston.

Online B.S.B.A. students will be able to earn all 120 credit hours toward their degree. The program is designed so that students can complete coursework in four years, following a traditional pattern of 15-week fall and spring semesters. Two five-week sessions of summer classes will be optional. Online students also have the option of taking self-paced online courses to accelerate program completion.

University of Arkansas faculty provide course content and set outcome goals, and they work with instructional designers from the U of A Global Campus to develop online course design that meets national standards. Online students receive support from units across the campus, including library services, tutoring, supplemental instruction and career development.

The U of A Global Campus supports Walton College and the university’s other academic colleges and schools in the development and delivery of online and distance education programs and courses. It provides instructional design services, access to national distance education organizations, technology services, and assistance with strategic academic program development and marketing.