Features

Online programs: A vital part of AUB Global

By MainGate Staff

Spring 2022

A robust roster of online programs is an integral part of AUB’s strategic vision—VITAL 2030—and its efforts to increase the global presence and influence of the institution. Having entered nearly a decade ago the world of online education, with the launch of the online Pro-Green Diploma program followed by the Executive MBA program, the commitment from the university to continue in this direction has been put into overdrive during the past two years. Today, every AUB faculty is developing or already delivering a combination of online degrees, diplomas, or certificates.

Part of AUB’s mission is to serve multiple constituencies including its students, faculty, alumni, employers, and the surrounding community. Launching varied online offerings broadens the university’s impact and opens new opportunities to further our mission beyond Lebanon and the Arab region, while also strengthening our home base in Beirut by contributing to the sustainability and growth of the institution along with the surrounding community through job creation.

Online programs increase the diversity of the student body as well as the faculty body. Beyond fully online students, on-campus students could take some online courses as part of their studies, thus interacting virtually with students from around the world. Similarly, AUB’s faculty can co-develop and co-deliver new credentials and degrees with a broader set of world-renowned academicians, thus further diversifying our faculty and providing new opportunities for students to learn from experts around the globe.

After launching the MBA Online in 2019, AUB’s first intentionally and deliberately designed and developed program to be delivered fully online, other faculties began developing online programs to serve various unmet needs in the market. In addition to serving a larger population of motivated online learners, online programs offer the opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration and cooperation among faculties to design, develop, and deliver high-demand programs in healthcare—especially nursing and public health—as well as education, engineering, agriculture, and business and management.

AUB’s online offerings to date include graduate degree programs as well as several diploma and certificate programs, which range from individual short-duration courses of three to five days in length to degree programs that take up to three years. Some offer the option of transferring the credits earned to a graduate degree program later on. These mainly target older learners who want to advance their careers and achieve personal, professional, and business goals. Plans are also in place to target younger learners, with offerings such as high school advanced placement courses that could even count as credit toward an AUB degree.

Closer alignment with industry has become a critical success factor for universities globally and also presents an area of opportunity in higher education. Recently at AUB, the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture (MSFEA) demonstrated this by collaborating with a company based in the MENA region to deliver their Master’s in Engineering Management program. This cooperative arrangement allowed MSFEA to better understand the needs and expectations from an industry perspective and tailor certain electives to more closely align with those needs.

To experience the next generation of a world-class AUB education, peruse AUB’s online offerings, and enroll yourself, a family member, or even colleagues.

Please check back regularly, as we are continually launching new, timely, and highly relevant online offerings.