Lawrence Tech offers online certificate program

 

By April Lehmbeck

C & G Staff Writer

     SOUTHFIELD — Business professionals can kick off their dress shoes, hang up their suit coats and head to class in their slippers and pajama pants in another completely online program at Lawrence Technological University.

     The new post-graduate architectural management certificate is offered fully online, but the program isn’t impersonal. Students participate in discussion forums online, video conferencing and use other tools to communicate with their fellow students and class instructors.

     “The anytime, anywhere convenience of this online program is an exciting opportunity for professionals who can’t make it to our campus,” said Virginia North, assistant dean for graduate studies in the university’s College of Architecture and Design.

     This is the university’s third certificate program to be offered completely online.

     The convenience of an online course may be especially important for students who want to attend a recognized architectural program, but feel they don’t have time to leave home or the office to go to classes.

     LTU’s architectural program is one of the top five largest programs in the United States, and about 50 percent of the licensed architects in the state hail from LTU.

      The post-graduate architectural management certificate is aimed at professionals in the field of design. Students will take 15 credits in areas such as accounting, finance and human resource management, according to the university.

     “The architectural management certificate provides a concentrated course of study and a recognized academic credential for professionals who want to manage projects and run firms in the design profession,” LTU representative Diane Cairns said.

     It takes a certain type of individual to succeed at these online programs, and time management is one of the top abilities a student must possess to do well in an online course, according to a press release.

     The other two online certificate programs offered at the university are the graduate project management certificate and the graduate certificate in nonprofit management and leadership for those looking to head a nonprofit organization.

     Lawrence Tech isn’t new to the idea of offering non-traditional means of education to its students. While the school offers the traditional classroom setting, there are other options, including classes on evenings and weekends, and classes that are fully or partly online.

     “Online education mirrors the global and virtual nature of today’s workforce,” Cairns said. “Workers are increasingly collaborating with partners from different companies, cultures and time zones. As a result, they are often less able to commit to a regularly scheduled class taking place in a fixed location.”

     Students have told the university that the classes offered online work.

      “LTU has responded to the online learning movement and to the request of our students by establishing LTU Online,” Cairns said. “With this new initiative, our intention is not to follow but rather to lead in the delivery of online programs by using best practices, leveraging our significant technology resources, and designing courses that are true to our motto of ‘Theory and Practice.’”

     For more information, visit www.ltu.edu/ltuonline.