Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE- Despite his more than 20 years of experience in the project management field, Jeff Carter believed earning a master's degree would open up a whole new world of opportunities. Currently employed as a project manager at Rockwell Collins in Marion, Iowa, Carter graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville's online Master of Science in Project Management program last December.

Totaling 30 to 36 credits and offered completely online, the Master of Science in Project Management program prepares individuals like Carter to manage complex projects within finite time lines. The program provides professionals with a convenient, practical, quality course of study that allows them to develop the new skills that are needed in managing today's workplace. The biggest advantage to Carter, who was familiar with online learning, was that the program was presented in a format that fit his lifestyle.

"With my hectic work schedule and family life, online was the only way I could do it. I knew I had the discipline that it required. Distance learning enables you to do it at your own pace ... at a time that is convenient for you. And, there was nothing (on a campus) in my immediate area anyway."

Carter found out about Platteville's program though an Internet search. After doing a little research about the program, he applied, was accepted, and began taking classes in 2001. Carter said he was immediately impressed with the quality of the program, as well as the expertise and availability of the instructors.

"The level of interaction I had with faculty and students was very good," he said. "My advisor at the time, Tony Munos, was always there for me. I have absolutely nothing but positive things to say about my experience with him. As for the instructors, if you had any questions, about anything, they were always willing and able to help. They went above and beyond the call of duty, really." Carter said he found the program content current and relevant to his job, particularly the communications courses. "Ninety percent of the job in this line of work is communication," he said. "I learned about techniques for facilitating communication. And there was an emphasis on communication in the Platteville program that I didn't see in other programs."

The toughest challenge of an online program, according to Carter, is getting everyone together to work on group projects. But that challenge was also a very rewarding part of the process for Carter. "Working with a team of people you don't see on a daily basis is good thing. But you have to utilize different skills to bring everyone together."

As a distance education veteran, Carter encourages students who are new to distance education to read the texts and the lectures, reread them, and participate fully in the online discussions. "Hearing the perspectives of the other students and reading the comments from the instructor are very valuable," he said. "Of course, you need to set aside time to work everyday... establish a schedule and stick to it. Every night after 9 p.m. ... for however long it took to get my work done... is what I did. The trick is finding a few minutes here and there to work on it."

What is Carter's overall opinion of his UW-Platteville experience? "The Platteville program was just phenomenal," he said. "I really enjoyed it. The advisors were wonderful. The instructors were great; the students were great. Overall, I'd give it a Two-Thumbs-Up!"

For more information on this program, and UW-Platteville's other online degree and certificate programs, call toll free at 1-800-362-5460, send an e-mail to disted@uwplatt.edu or log on to: http://www.uwplatt.edu/disted/online.html.

Prepared by: Amy Pikalek, UW-Extension, pikalek@conted.uwex.edu

Contact: Darla Banfi, marketing coordinator, Distance Learning Center