Rice to Work with 2U on Launch of Online Business 'Short Courses'

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 05/21/18

Less than a year after Rice University in Houston announced plans to introduce a new online master of business administration with program management company 2U, the institution said it would work with the company to deliver master's-level "online short courses" in business and management as well. The first short course to be offered by Rice and 2U will be project management, expected to launch this fall. That also will be delivered through the university's school of business.

As is the case with the online MBA, the new short courses will be developed by Rice faculty working with course design experts at 2U. School officials said that students in the courses will receive "personalized, high-touch support." Those who complete the courses will receive a certificate.

MBA@Rice is a hybrid online degree for working professionals that offers the opportunity for students to take "residential intensive learning experiences." Those consist of simulations, are hosted on and off-campus and put participants in touch with peers, faculty and mentors.

"Rice University is meeting the needs of ambitious professionals by offering dynamic business- and management-focused online short courses," said Caroline Levander, Rice's vice president for global and digital strategy, in a prepared statement.

While 2U contracts with university clients to deliver short courses, it also competes with them. According to 2U's 2017 annual report, the company provides some 80 "short courses" through its 2017 acquisition, GetSmarter, which offers online classes from universities around the world. All of the short courses target working professionals seeking career advancement through skills attainment. The courses typically run between six and 16 weeks.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • robot waving

    Copilot Updates Aim to Make AI More Personal

    Microsoft has unveiled a range of updates to its Copilot platform, marking a new phase in its effort to deliver what it calls a "true AI companion" that adapts to individual users' needs, preferences and routines.

  • glowing futuristic laptop with a holographic screen displaying digital text

    New Turnitin Product Brings AI-Powered Tools to Students with Instructor Guardrails

    Academic integrity solution provider Turnitin has introduced Turnitin Clarity, a paid add-on for Turnitin Feedback Studio that provides a composition workspace for students with educator-guided AI assistance, AI-generated writing feedback, visibility into integrity insights, and more.

  • illustration of a futuristic building labeled "AI & Innovation," featuring circuit board patterns and an AI brain motif, surrounded by geometric trees and a simplified sky

    Cal Poly Pomona Launches AI and Innovation Center

    In an effort to advance AI innovation, foster community engagement, and prepare students for careers in STEM fields and business, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona has teamed up with AI, cloud, and advisory services provider Avanade to launch a new Avanade AI & Innovation Center.

  • Training the Next Generation of Space Cybersecurity Experts

    CT asked Scott Shackelford, Indiana University professor of law and director of the Ostrom Workshop Program on Cybersecurity and Internet Governance, about the possible emergence of space cybersecurity as a separate field that would support changing practices and foster future space cybersecurity leaders.