A collaboration between Regis University and the University of Ulster has resulted in a unique fully online Master of Science in International Management (MSIM) program.

The program is seeking to enroll 15 students by January 2005, with plans to ramp up to 300 students within 2 years. "We think this is a realistic forecast," says Program Co-Director and Regis MBA Professor Ed Cooper. "Our budget is somewhere in that framework."

Students in the MSIM program will be admitted to both schools, the degree will be jointly awarded, and the faculty in the program are equally responsible for half of the teaching. "The power is creating a degree that is seamless for the students and provides a bicultural experience that is asynchronous, runs on an accelerated format, and is taught jointly so that students get exposed to both schools," says Cooper. "We think it is the only one its kind in the world."

Cooper adds that every course in the program has an international focus and is geared toward providing students with international management theories and applications that will enable them to manage and conduct business in an increasingly global business arena.

The program consists of 12 accelerated eight-week courses, six from Regis and six from Ulster. Courses begin every ten weeks, with applications for the program due at least four weeks prior to the start of courses.

The program has its roots in a relationship between the two universities that was forged by Jim Lyons, a special advisor to Northern Ireland under the Clinton administration, who is also a Regis University trustee. Lyons saw the potential of bringing together two institutions that have strong online degree programs. Ulster, for instance, provides online learning opportunities through a special division of the university called CampusOne "Learning without Limits." Regis is well known as one of the earliest providers of fully online degree programs in the U.S. Both institutions use the WebCT course management system, making the technical side of converting courses to the joint degree program a relatively easy and smooth process.

What Lyons started has taken some doing, however. Before fully committing to the joint online degree program, Regis hired Hezel Associates to do a market analysis of the European Union (see "Research Shows Growing Market for Online Degree Programs in the European Union"). According to Cooper, "international management was selected because of the growing market and perceived need for this educational focus around the world. A master of science in a specialty area is likely to be more attractive to the international market than a traditional MBA degree."

Cooper notes that the process for getting this collaboration to work has its set of challenges. As George Bernard Shaw observed, "England and America are two countries divided by a common language," and that has been the case here. For example, American students use the term "course" when referring to specific classes while British students see a course as a full degree program. There are also differences in the way both institutions handle admissions, tuition payments and student record-keeping. Plus, faculty administration and academic policies are quite different between the two institutions. Couple that with the word-choice differences, and Cooper and his colleagues at both institutions have had their hands full. "We know from experience that these kinds of programs take a while to build momentum," says Cooper, adding that the overall organizational process is indicative of how business is conducted between two different cultures.

"This is the kind of thing students need to experience. Coming from their own ethnocentric perspectives, they need to know that systems have different ways of doing business and that you can’t always look at a word, even in the same language, and fully understand what it means."

Certainly it remains to be seen how well the MSIM program will ultimately fare in a global marketplace. Cooper is optimistic, noting that "as the global economy becomes more of a focus for companies doing business, not just internationally but as global companies, the need for specific education in managing and conducting business in a global environment is vital. The cooperative partnership between Regis and Ulster will lead other efforts in this field and will draw the attention of prospective students."