The McIntire School of Commerce Foundation recently announced that its highly respected McIntire Business Institute (MBI) will be available online beginning in January 2014. Applications for the program are currently being accepted.

“For decades, the McIntire Business Institute certificate program has prepared students for successful careers in business, often introducing them to postgraduate business studies and preparing them for subsequent educational opportunities,” said McIntire Dean Carl Zeithaml. “We are delighted that this world-class program will be available online to many more students who wish to develop their business skills to meet the demands of a complex and exciting 21st-century workplace.”

The MBI certificate is an intensive, high-value program that delivers fundamental knowledge of business theory and practice to students with a limited business background. World-class McIntire faculty members teach core concepts and skills in management, marketing, finance, Excel, and accounting. The program is designed to develop students’ leadership abilities; help them master fundamentals of marketing and learn financial analysis skills; expand their knowledge of the global marketplace and its operations; and help them learn the basics of management, including innovative management strategies. Unique among similar certificate programs is McIntire’s focus on career advisement – with sessions on resume preparation, interview skills, and networking – that gives students an edge in the job-search process.

Graduates of the MBI program report that it gave them a strong business foundation, helping them in a variety of careers. Alumnus Michael T. Hogg, a communication specialist in Charlotte, N.C., with a major mutual fund company, said, "When I received my B.A. in communication in 2009, I did not have much of a career plan. By enrolling in MBI, I expected to build a base of business knowledge and investment acumen, but I gained something more. MBI helped me discover my passion for financial planning, which led to a very fulfilling professional pursuit. Looking back four years later, I have no doubt that MBI was the catalyst for my career. I am very grateful for this outstanding program!"

Participants who complete the 15-week online course will receive a certificate of completion, and students whose participation is exceptional will receive awards of outstanding achievement.

Academic Partnerships (AP), one of the largest representatives of public universities’ online learning in the United States and around the world, was selected to help convert the program into an online delivery format and recruit highly qualified students. AP will work closely with the McIntire School of Commerce Foundation to ensure that the new online program is rigorous, maintains the highest educational standards, and reaches broad numbers of prospective students nationally.

Learn more about the program or apply here.

About the McIntire School of Commerce Foundation: The McIntire School of Commerce Foundation, established in 1978, is the fundraising and financial nexus of private support for the McIntire School’s top-rated undergraduate and graduate programs. It is also home to the School’s executive education and non-degree programs. The Foundation provides a central point from which to fund the School’s six research centers, which fortify innovative and ambitious research projects; support individual forums and ongoing lecture series; and boost the School’s ability to nurture students into creative, intuitive, and responsible business professionals.

About Academic Partnerships: Academic Partnerships (AP) helps universities convert their traditional degree programs into an online format, recruits qualified students, and supports enrolled students through graduation. Serving more than 40 public universities in the United States and numerous top foreign institutions, AP is guided by the principle that the opportunities presented through distance learning make higher education more accessible and achievable for students in the United States and around the world. The company was founded by social entrepreneur Randy Best, an 18-year veteran of developing innovative learning solutions to improve education.