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August 16, 2002 |
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Insurance, business
administration
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TERRE HAUTE, Ind. —
Individuals
who have commitments to work and family and are unable to attend
classes on the campus of Indiana State University may conveniently
complete their insurance or business administration degrees through
ISU’s DegreeLink using the Internet. “The
distance education program serves people who are place and time
bound,” said Sandra J. Nelson, assistant dean and distance
education coordinator for the School of Business. DegreeLink,
implemented in spring 1998, enables individuals to transfer credit
from Ivy Tech State College, Vincennes University and other
accredited institutions and then complete their bachelor’s degree.
The online program is a degree-completion program where students
take the junior/senior level courses to complete degree
requirements. Students
who are on campus may also take web-based distance education
courses. Mary Ann Boose, associate professor and coordinator of the
insurance and risk management program is pleased with the reactions
to distance education. “Experiences with the program have been
extremely positive,” she said. Currently,
the School of Business offers two degree completion programs:
business administration and insurance. The
business administration degree completion program offers a broad
range of business subjects. “The business administration degree is
a generalist degree, it’s flexible. You tailor your own program to
fit your needs,” Nelson said. This program prepares students to
have specialized knowledge in one of three areas – management,
insurance and marketing. Some of the entry-level positions graduates
take after completing this major are – sales associate,
supervisor, restaurant or hotel management and general manager. ISU
is one of four universities to offer 11 or more undergraduate
courses in insurance or risk management. The insurance degree
completion program covers diverse topics such as life and health
insurance, employee benefits, investments and business planning. “Having
a minor or major in insurance helps to be prepared for this industry
or to be an informed consumer,” Boose said. According to a 1999
Purdue University study, “employees working for a carrier
[insurance company] make an average salary of $38,205 compared to
the state average annual wage of $22,107.”
Distance
education is not for everyone, but it is convenient for some.
“Distance education requires an independent learner who is willing
to experiment,” Nelson said. “The successful distance education
student is inquisitive, independent and disciplined.” Lora
DeVault, a senior management and insurance and risk management
double major says the distance courses have been valuable to her.
“It was easy to manage the class around my other activities
because it was web-based,” she said. “I was able to work at my
convenience and it was easy to communicate with other people in the
class through the website.” The
distance education classes for business administration and insurance
are usually not offered in summer sessions, though that may change
in the future. “Distance
education enrollment is generally increasing,” Nelson said.
Student needs and resources will determine future distance education
classes offered by the school of business. “Distance
education is a tremendous program, it is truly sensitive to our
students and it allows them to complete their degrees in a different
way then we did before,” Boose said. For more information on DegreeLink, visit http://web.indstate.edu/degreelink/. Contact Sandra J. Nelson for general School of Business distance education information at (812) 237-2000. -30- Contact: Writer: ISU
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