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NAME: Athabasca University
LOCATION: Athabasca, Alberta
TYPE OF INSTITUTION: Online Education |
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| Athabasca University |
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Athabasca University (AU) is Canada's leading distance-education
university. It currently serves in excess of 22,000 students per year, including
international students from more than 67 countries. Some 150,000 students have benefited from
the AU's individualized courses and programs since the University was created by the
Government of Alberta in 1970.
AU is committed to increasing accessibility in Alberta, throughout Canada, and internationally to
university-level study, and to meeting the educational needs of the workplace.
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Breaking Down Barriers |
Athabasca University makes it possible for people to earn a university education
regardless of where they live or work, or their commitments to careers or
families. AU strives to remove the barriers of time, space,
past educational experience, and to a great degree, level of income.
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| Time |
- Individualized study courses allow you to learn at your own pace
- Flexible instruction frees you from the demands of specified class times and rigid institutional schedules
- For undergraduate individualized study, there are no admissions deadlines; students may enrol year-round
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| Space |
- The University can be wherever you are, through individualized-study packages and the Internet
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| Level of Income |
- AU's methods of learning allows you to pursue part-time studies and a full-time career.
- No longer does university education necessarily mean the loss of employment income.
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Distance Education at AU |
| Individualized Study (Undergraduate Level) |
- Students learn individually, moving at their own pace rather than as part of a group
- Courses can be started at the beginning of any month, rather than at the beginning of a semester
- Students can set their own schedule for completion of each course, within allowable time limits
- Students work their way through the learning materials and complete assignments by mail, fax, or through the Internet
- Course materials sent through the mail may include some or all of:--a study guide, textbook(s), CD=ROM,
audiocassettes, videocassettes, and home lab kits. Increasingly, courses have online components--either as an
optional enhancement or as a requirement
- All students have access to a tutor, who may be contacted by e-mail or telephone.
The tutor gives subject matter assistance and discusses scholarly issues, marks assignments,
provides feedback, and helps prepare for examinations
- Concluding examinations can be taken at many post-secondary institutions across Canada and overseas
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| Graduate Level Programs |
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Graduate Level programs (e.g., MBA, MHS and advanced graduate diplomas, but
not the MAIS) normally involve studying as part of a group online, with
specific start and end dates. Interaction with other students usually
takes place through the Internet--which is generally more central to the
learning process than in undergraduate individualized study courses.
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| E-Classes |
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A new mode of learning, introduced by the School of Business, is the
E-class, which involves study online as part of a group. E-class
students work with fellow students and instructors on a 13-week timetable,
starting in September and January.
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Programs |
- AU offers more than 500 courses, and more than 50 programs at bachelors, certificate, diploma, and masters levels.
- Athabasca University offers full bachelor degree programs in Arts, General Studies, Science,
Administrative Studies, Commerce and Nursing.
- Masters programs are offered in Business Administration (MBA), Distance Education (MDE) and Health Studies.
- A number of Certificate programs are offered as well.
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MBA & CPA |
Teamwork. Speed of light communications. Global Perspective.
These are some of the realities that are reinventing and re-energizing the world of business. Athabasca's online MBA
works in the same interactive, collaborative environment as business today. Below are just a few reasons why the AU MBA Program,
founded in 1994, is now the largest executive MBA in Canada and is one of the fastest growing programs in North America.
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- AU's 24-hour online format makes it feasible and practical to work on a high quality MBA while meeting commitments to work and family.
- The AU EMBA stands apart due to the program flexibility, ease of access, and more importantly, because of the high quality of faculty and staff,
program content, delivery method, and the relevant experience that students receive.
- AU's Executive MBA program was ranked third in Canadian Business Magazine, close behind Queen's and the Richard Ivey School of
Business at the University of Western Ontario.
- Working in partnership with other institutions and corporations, Athabasca's Centre for Innovative Management also offers an MBA in Information
Technology Management and an MBA in Agriculture.
- AU offers a flexible University Certificate in Accounting (US) program that makes international students eligible to sit US CPA exams.
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ESL |
English as a Second Language courses through AU provide students whose
first language is not English with the:
- Confidence and skills to pursue further educational objectives;
- Communication abilities required to enter and succeed in university or college level programs; and
- Foundation for success in predominantly English-speaking environments.
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All Athabasca University courses and programs are available through distance or online education.
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