Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE- Ben Schnelle was working fulltime when he first considered completing his undergraduate degree, so he investigated the traditional evening and weekend courses in his area. His job required travel and none of the programs he researched seemed very flexible, so Schnelle decided to continue his search. Eventually he found a book called "Distance Degrees" by Mark Wilson, which lists the various distance learning schools. He concluded that the University of Wisconsin-Platteville undergraduate business administration program offered the best fit with his lifestyle and his career goals.

"There were a lot of obstacles along the way, but time was my key issue," Schnelle says. "I really work very hard at my job and put in a lot of hours, so making sure that I set aside enough time to study and have fun was crucial. I learned that setting a schedule I could follow each week was very important and I also had to extend my original goals so that I didn't stretch myself too thin."

Having earned his undergraduate degree through a combination of traditional and distance courses, Schnelle is well qualified to compare the two formats. "Distance learning, when conducted properly like UWP does, is the most difficult and challenging way to learn and the students take the most away from each class," he notes. "However, I would not recommend distance learning to everyone, as you must be able to stay focused and work independently."

Schnelle is currently an associate product manager for Bemis Manufacturing Company in Sheboygan Falls, where he says he's been able to apply most of what he's learned at a distance. "While many of the marketing related classes covered topics that I had already learned about through work, I was very surprised at how the human resource and accounting classes came in handy," he says. "Overall, I'd say that I've learned something from almost every class that has directly related to my job or that I can apply to my future."

UWP offers four degrees at a distance: a bachelor of science in business administration, a master of science in criminal justice, a master of engineering, and a master of science in project management. For more information, visit online at http://www.uwplatt.edu/disted/, call 800-362-5460 or e-mail disted@uwplatt.edu.