WSU’s Online MBA Program recently added three new certificates to enhance their already top-rated program.

Cheryl Oliver, the assistant dean of online and graduate programs for WSU’s College of Business, said this addition to the program is beneficial to the online learner.

“Students can get a concentration and an actual certificate to show their emphasis in a particular area that can help them either switch fields if they already have a business degree or diversify their current degree,” Oliver said.

The new certificate programs include marketing, finance and international business.

“Students who want to take the certificates don’t necessarily have to take the entire MBA program,” Oliver said. “This is helpful to them if they either have a degree in another field and would just like to diversify their skills, or if they want to test out and see if an online MBA is right for them.”

Oliver adds that students who have previously earned an MBA, either online or through another college, can use the online program to get an additional certificate to further develop their credentials.

Stu Farmer is a full-time B747 test pilot for Boeing and a WSU online MBA student. He said the new courses help provide more options within the program.

“Before the certificate courses were added, there wasn’t a lot of diversity in the courses you could take,” Farmer said. “These really help you pick an emphasis in an area that will help your career or improve your knowledge to help make better decisions in the workplace.”

Farmer said the new certificates also increase the flexibility of the online program.

“Online media makes it flexible so I can do the course work anywhere in the world,” Farmer said. “I travel a lot, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to manage local classroom courses.”

Typically a person is working while taking an online program, Oliver said.

“It used to be that students would get an MBA, work for a while, then come back to school to get a new degree, and then find a new job,” Oliver said. “With the current economy, for most people it’s better to stay at their job while working toward a new degree.”

David Knuff, the director of the program, said 100 percent of online MBA students also have a full-time job and complete the program within two to three years, while the program on campus takes only one.

Knuff said the value of an online program, when compared to an on-campus program, differs from student to student.

“If you want to take classes online while still holding your full-time job, that’s a great value,” Knuff said. “Face-to-face has a value for some, and with classes on campus there is also interaction with a cohort of other students, which can help you build a large network.”

Farmer said the lack of face-to-face communication is a drawback, but the program is of high quality.

“The only negatives of the online program were that you miss out on one-on-one contact with your professor, but there are collaborative projects that you do with other online students,” Farmer said.

U.S. News and World Report recently ranked WSU’s Online MBA Program as the best online graduate business programs in the U.S. for 2013.

Oliver said WSU earned this recognition due to unique aspects of its online program.

“For some institutions, anyone who signs up and pays money can take online classes. For us, online classes are a way to continue the WSU promise across the globe,” Oliver said. “We have selectivity in our program, meaning anyone taking our online classes still has to meet our admission standards.”

Knuff said the core curriculum is the same for both the online and on-campus MBA programs, which makes WSU’s program appealing.

“Being ranked by someone prominent really speaks to what we’re producing,” he said.

Oliver said the recognition brings positive attention to the program, letting people know they are getting quality education.

“Now we have a big job to do,” Oliver said. “We have to live up to that standard and continue to do great work.”