New milestones met with 75,000 enrollments and $100 million in revenue in FY17
SHREWSBURY, Mass. -- The University of Massachusetts set new records for online enrollment and revenue in Fiscal Year 2017, highlighting the university's commitment to access and growth in online education.
UMassOnline course enrollments reached 75,565 for FY17, up 6.6 percent from the previous year, while revenues surpassed $100 million for the first time ever, up 9.2 percent from Fiscal Year 2016.
"I'm gratified to see UMassOnline providing innovative, flexible offerings that make a world-class UMass education more accessible to more students," said UMass President Marty Meehan. "UMass has been a pioneer in online education, which expands our reach globally while making critical contributions to workforce development right here in the Commonwealth."
"UMass is proud of its expansive online academic portfolio and diversity of offerings that meet the needs of students around the globe," said John Cunningham, chief executive officer of UMassOnline, a consortium that provides marketing, technology and other support services for online programming originating from the five UMass campuses. "UMass has made a commitment to providing robust online access to in-demand programs and has designed and deployed several new offerings for adult students looking to complete their college degrees or advance their careers."
Over the past five years, online enrollment at UMass has risen by 39 percent, while online revenues have risen by 46 percent. Those dramatic increases parallel the growth of the university as a whole, with enrollment rising to a record-high 74,678 students across the five campuses this past year and the Class of 2017 designated as the largest graduating class in UMass history, with more than 17,700 students earning degrees.
"UMassOnline gives non-traditional students critical access to UMass, helps on-campus students earn their degree on time through hybrid education options, and offers working professionals the chance to advance their careers and address evolving workforce needs in a global economy through certifications," said Meehan.
The UMass campuses launched several new online programs in FY17, including:
- UMass Amherst Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics - This certificate teaches students how to process and visualize data and solve real-life business problems through data analysis.
- UMass Boston Graduate Certificate in Game-Based Teaching with Technology - This certificate guides students through the process of turning a class into a curricular game at their level of technological expertise.
- UMass Dartmouth Master of Science in Nursing - This program prepares students to become leaders in nursing and healthcare education or in global public health, with courses that provide the foundational knowledge of healthcare systems, healthcare policy, nursing research methods and healthcare informatics.
- UMass Lowell Engineering Management Online Master's Degree - This program allows technical professionals and engineers to enhance their management and leadership skills through in-depth study of business principles and practices. Students who hold non-engineering or business undergraduate degrees can deepen their technical expertise through a specially selected list of engineering courses.
UMassOnline was created by the UMass Board of Trustees and university president in 2001 to meet the online educational needs of people locally, nationally and internationally by offering accredited educational programs via interactive, Internet-based learning systems.
Withmore than 150 UMass degrees and certificates now available online and more than 1,500 online courses offered annually, UMassOnline is proud to help busy professionals, lifelong learners and students worldwide continue their education, enhance their careers and enrich their lives no matter where they are located. Programs span the liberal arts, education, management, nursing, public health, information technology and more. For more about UMassOnline, visit www.umassonline.net.
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