After seeing year-over-year increases during the previous six years, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater set a new graduate enrollment record of 1,567 students in fall 2020.
The record enrollment follows the launch of UW-Whitewater Online, which was largely conceived and developed in 2019. UW-Whitewater Online currently encompasses 11 master’s degrees, 20 graduate certificates and 11 bachelor’s programs.
“We have seen tremendous success with online graduate programs in the college, and they were clearly a driver of growth,” said John Chenoweth, dean of the College of Business and Economics. “The convenience and flexibility of online delivery make a master’s degree more attainable for working professionals.”
“The online degree programs at UW-Whitewater are among the best in the country and have earned strong rankings by U.S. News & World Report,” said Joan Littlefield Cook, interim associate provost at UW-Whitewater. “The UW-Whitewater Online brand was developed to organize our efforts campus-wide and to generate the awareness these programs deserved.”
The university launched its fully online MBA in 1998. By building on that success and investing in faculty and technology over the past two decades, UW-Whitewater is able to deliver high-quality graduate education to students worldwide.
All UW-Whitewater Online graduate programs are developed and delivered by Ph.D. faculty with assistance from experienced instructional designers and media specialists. Courses are completely asynchronous and delivered 100 percent online.
The university also responds to market demands and higher education trends related to both its online and on-campus programs.
“One of the strengths of our MBA program is the number of emphasis options we offer,” said Paul Ambrose, associate dean of the College of Business and Economics. “We took two popular emphases that have particularly strong market demand, and created Master of Science degrees in business analytics and finance for people interested in more focused coursework.”
“Expanding our portfolio of graduate programs has been intentional and focused on degrees in demand,” said Chenoweth. “As a result, they are a great choice for professionals looking to change careers, update their resume or position themselves for advancement.”
In the last several years, the College of Letters and Sciences added a Master of Science in Computer Science degree and a Master of Science in Social Work, which have been very successful. The new M.S. in Cybersecurity, offered jointly by the Colleges of Business and Economics and Letters and Sciences, provides students the advanced training needed to succeed in this growing and competitive field.
“The creation of the M.S. degree in cybersecurity allows us to build on existing faculty strengths in a way that benefits our current students as well as those who will join us in the future,” said Frank Goza, dean of the College of Letters and Sciences. “We are extremely excited about this dynamic new program as it will provide our students with cutting-edge knowledge that will enable them to advance in their current positions or find rewarding new careers.”
To better meet students’ needs, the colleges are employing a new format of eight-week courses organized into stackable certificates, allowing students to earn certificates in specific areas while completing a master’s degree. The new M.S. in Instructional Design and Learning Technology in the College of Education and Professional Studies uses this structure, as does the newly restructured online M.S. in Communication in the College of Arts and Communication.
For questions about UW-Whitewater’s 100 percent online master’s programs, contact Paul Ambrose, associate dean of the College of Business and Economics, at 262-472-1945 or gradbus@uww.edu.
