Category: Featured

UofL now offers tuition reduction to federal employees through Federal Academic Alliance

UofL now offers tuition reduction to federal employees through Federal Academic Alliance

The University of Louisville is a proud new member of the U.S. Government’s Federal Academic Alliance (FAA) and now offers a 10% tuition scholarship to all eligible non-military federal employees nationwide. Eligible federal employees can apply this 10% tuition reduction scholarship to all undergraduate, graduate and certificate online programs.

We are thrilled to provide this opportunity for our dedicated federal employees to more affordably further their education and professional development—through a flexible, fully online format that allows for a better balance of education with work and life priorities. 

Want to learn more about our FAA scholarship? Visit the University of Louisville FAA site.

“We are very excited to enter into an agreement as a Federal Academic Alliance member institution and we look forward to serving federal employees. Our online programs deliver the same renowned education and degree as students would receive in-person, developed and taught by UofL faculty,” said Gale Rhodes, vice provost and executive director of the Delphi Center for Teaching and Learning. “Our online students walk away with the same pride in their degree, ready to take the next step in their life and pursue career progressions.”

Online education is increasingly appealing to working professionals like federal employees, as it allows them to balance work, life and education without having to deprioritize the things that matter most. The Federal government’s Federal Academic Alliance was created to help address critical skill gaps and mission-critical occupations in areas including human resources, economics, cybersecurity, engineering, analytics, and more.

UofL now offers more than 50 fully online programs, including bachelor’s, master’s and certificates across a variety of industries and interest field, with nearly 70 total programs expected by Spring 2022. UofL’s online programs achieved several recognitions in U.S. News and World Report 2021 ratings, including Best Online Programs – Bachelor’s, Best Online Programs – Grad Education, and Best Online Programs – Criminal Justice.

Learn more about FAA eligibility, programs, how to apply, and more here.

New tracks available for UofL’s award-winning online leadership & learning B.S. degree

New tracks available for UofL’s award-winning online leadership & learning B.S. degree

Ready to complete your bachelor's degree?

The University of Louisville’s online B.S. in Organizational Leadership and Learning (B.S. OLL) now offers three new tracks for students—providing even more options for working professionals to complete their bachelor’s degree. The new tracks are Project Management for the Modern Workforce, Digital Leadership/IT, and Human Resource Development. Offered through the College of Education and Human Development, these tracks support the department’s goal to provide a faster and more affordable option to complete your bachelor’s degree and equip you with the skills to prepare for career advancement or change for your specific career path.

B.S. OLL Program Benefits

The B.S. OLL program not only further develops your skill and knowledge in leadership, project management, and organizational change, but also provides the opportunity for 48 credit hours tuition-free through the Prior Learning Assessment course.

If you started your degree but didn’t finish, the B.S. OLL program also allows for up to 31 credit hours transferred from previous college credit, rather it was UofL or another accredited college. Furthermore, all but one course is offered in 8-week terms. Take as many courses as you would like to finish your degree 100% online, on your schedule to balance education with life and work priorities.

Want to know more about the program and what the experience is really like? Hear from real online B.S. OLL students in the video below.

Now, let’s dive deeper into the new tracks!

Project Management for the Modern Workforce

The Project Management for the Modern Workforce track is designed for business professionals who want well-rounded skills in managing a multitude of projects for any industry as well as those who seek a pathway to a project management role or career. This track goes beyond traditional project management knowledge, providing students the opportunity to expand their expertise and successfully respond to organizational change in areas of technology, logistics and personnel management, effective communication, data analysis and efficiently built structures.

Upon successful completion of the Project Management track of the B.S. OLL program, students will be prepared to pursue the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAMP) or the Project Management Certification (PMP).

Digital Leadership/IT

The Digital Leadership/IT track is for business professionals seeking to develop their leadership skills as well as their knowledge in Information Technologies (IT). The curriculum focuses on organizational and employee effectiveness, work morale and more, while also providing broad-based technology knowledge. This program will give you the opportunity to gain the expertise to effectively lead employees in the rapidly-changing technology field and in industries that technology impacts.

UofL has partnered with several technology industry vendors including IBM, Google, Microsoft, and Adobe to provide the opportunity to earn recognized technology micro-credentials in certain Digital Leadership/IT courses, at no additional cost. Faculty and staff work with individual students to determine which micro-credentials are the best fit for their experience and career path.

Human Relation Development

The Human Relation Development track is specifically designed for business professionals who would like to start or advance their career in the HR field. This track will develop your fundamental knowledge of Human Resources as well as the analytical and strategical skills necessary for the modern HR role. This track focuses on coaching and talent management, mediating conflict and data analytics needed to understand human dynamics in areas of organizational environment, employee satisfaction and more.

Upon successful completion of the HR Development track, graduates will be prepared to take the Certified Professional Human Resources (PHR) test.

Other Tracks Available

There are also other established tracks within the B.S. OLL program—designed with the same goal of degree completion and advancing your career—that may fit your profession and education goals:
  • Leadership, Training and Organizational Development
  • Healthcare Leadership (competency-based education)
  • Counseling and Human Relations
  • Early Childhood Education
  • Career and Technical Education
Learn more about the Bachelor’s in Organizational Leadership and Learning program benefits, all eight tracks, admission requirements, courses and more.

UofL once again recognized for Top Online Programs by U.S. News & World Report

UofL once again recognized for Top Online Programs by U.S. News & World Report

We’re excited to share that – for more than five years in a row! – the University of Louisville (UofL) has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report in their Best Online Programs rankings.

Our fully online programs were acknowledged among some of the top U.S. programs in 2021 across the following categories:

  • Online Bachelor’s
  • Online Bachelor’s Psychology
  • Online Grad Criminal Justice
  • Online Grad Education
  • Online Grad Engineering

UofL is also ranked as Best Online Programs for Veterans across all the same categories.

Notably, our online bachelor’s ranking actually rose nearly 40 spots between the 2020 and 2021 reports.

“Online learning is an extremely important area of growth for the University of Louisville. We continuously strive to offer programs that deliver flexible education at the standard of quality the UofL is known for while also meeting the needs of learners today, who are often juggling careers, families and other priorities while pursuing an education. This recognition by U.S. News & World Report is a testament to our commitment to bring market-driven online education opportunities to students.”
Gale Rhodes
Vice Provost & Executive Director, Delphi Center for Teaching and Learning

Over the past year, UofL launched 10 new online programs such as a Managerial Analytics CertificateMaster of Science in Healthcare Administration, interdisciplinary early childhood education programs, engineering programs in areas like artificial intelligence in medicine and materials and energy sciences, as well as a Bachelor of Business Administration.

Find out more about online programs at UofL and take the next step in your education today!

Managing in the Future: UofL’s Online MBA Prepares Students for the Future of Business [Video Q&A]

Managing in the Future: UofL’s Online MBA Prepares Students for the Future of Business [Video Q&A]

Prepare to Manage the Future of Business

UofL Online MBA: Elective Course "Managing in the Future"

“Managing in the Future” is a UofL MBA elective course designed to help students broaden their mindset and managerial expertise in order to overcome the ambiguity and theoretical nature of what may, can or will happen—and the impact of those possibilities on the future of business. 

For the first time, this course will be offered in a fully-online format as an elective for the UofL online MBA program. The Spring 2021 focus for the course will be about managing in a time of global pandemics, and will take a in-depth look at the effect that COVID-19 (Coronavirus) is currently having and will continue to have on the business industry.

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The course is designed and taught by Dr. Nat Irvin, UofL College of Business Professor and Assistant Dean. Hear from Nat in our video Q&A to learn about the takeaways of the course, how it helps business managers of today and tomorrow find new ways of seeing the future of work.

Where did you get the idea for "Managing in the Future," the MBA elective course?

Nat has been teaching this course for over 20 years—yet never teaches a section of the course in the same way. As he says, “How can you?” After all, there are always different developments and variables that come into play when we think about the future. 

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Nat shares that “Managing in the Future” was developed to help students learn to see all the possibilities that can impact the future of business and learn to identify relationships between business and evolving trends in society. The course is designed to complement the traditional information learned in an MBA program such as the fundamentals of accounting, marketing, leadership, CIS, etc., in order to create better, more well-rounded managers, ready for the future of business.

The course description talks about developing a “new way of seeing the future.” Tell us a bit more about that.

Seeing the future is more about eyesight. Nat aspires to help MBA students expand their perspective and open their minds in order to identify what is happening around them, and how those happenings (such as advancements in artificial 

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intelligence and social media) are impacting the future of business, as well as our daily lives.

Was there a particular MBA student segment or business-level manager that this course is targeted toward? Or do you feel it’s applicable to business leaders at varying levels?

MBA programs are sought after and applicable to students across various levels of business—small business owners, managers at private companies or non-profits, middle managers, people managers, CEOs—this course is no different. 

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Nat designs course material and lectures to align with the people that are in his class, focusing more on areas of interest for his students.

Business leaders everywhere are looking to adapt their management and leadership skills to adjust to unforeseen challenges. What sort of takeaways will students completing this elective as part of their MBA leave the program with?

As Nat puts it, “students get different things from a course like this.” His greatest hope for what students will achieve in the “Managing in the Future” elective? Great insights into themselves.

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The MBA has only been offered at UofL for little over a year now, and this is the first time Managing in the Future is being offered as an online elective.

What excites you most about bringing this great, innovative elective course option to online students?

Online education opens up possibilities for UofL to reach more students than ever—from outside our local area—extending our high-quality, research-based education to those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to enroll due to other priorities, location, etc. 

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Nat is personally excited about the 100% online delivery for this course providing the opportunity to bring this course to more MBA students and allowing him to bring in experts and speakers from the business industry, regardless of where they are in the world, to share their knowledge. 

The Spring 2021 topic for the course is focused around managing during and after COVID-19—which is obviously on the top of everyone’s mind as we navigate these unprecedented times.

What will students learn about the pandemic in this course?

COVID-19 is rocking the business world everyday, putting managers in extraordinary situations, facing unprecedented challenges. The coronavirus pandemic has required businesses everywhere to operate with greater 

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adaptability than ever before, especially as so many of our businesses shifted to flexible work from home operations. Naturally, when planning his Spring 2021 online section of the “Managing in the Future” course, Nat was drawn to helping student consider the short- and long-term implications of how this disease is shaping business and operations.

SPRING 2021 COURSE DESCRIPTION
Imagine living in a time when the very foundations of the world are being upended by one single event, COVID-19. An event so powerful that it has literally touched every single human on the planet. How does one prepare to manage and lead in this new world? What would you read? What new skills would you need to learn and what beliefs would should leave behind? Whom will you trust when there is so much uncertainty about the future, and the efficacy of sources of information? What questions will you ask when the world of “Black Mirror”, Black Lives Matter, Black Swans, Machine Learning, AI Nationalism, CRISPR, Climate Change, Aging, and Social Media all converge? This course is designed for the curious mind; to help you your way into a new way of seeing the future. You will be challenged to reach beyond your comfort zone in a journey to discover new emerging broad social, political, economic, technological, and environmental trends and events that will impact your effectiveness as a manager in a post-pandemic world.

University of Louisville College of Business Online MBAOffered through the College of Business, UofL’s online MBA is more than your typical MBA degree. Students will gain an understanding of the proven business theories, practices, and leadership skills expected of an MBA while also developing specialized expertise needed to stand out in today’s competitive business world. The program includes an optional 10-day business study trip, innovative electives like “Managing in the Future,” and the opportunity to earn a certificate in areas like Managerial Analytics or Distilled Spirits Business at no extra time or cost. Prepare for the future of business with UofL.

MORE ABOUT NAT IRVIN

Dr. Nat Irvin, II, is an author, innovator, futurist, teacher, composer, and former radio and television commentator. Dr Irvin serves as Assistant Dean of Thought Leadership and Civic Engagement, Woodrow M. Strickler Chair and Professor of Management Practice for the University of Louisville’s College of Business. He teaches graduate courses in the future of management, leadership, and team dynamics. Dr. Irvin has engaged the leadership and management teams of several groups and organizations, including Fortune 100 companies in strategic conversations focused on the significant social, political, economic, technological and environmental trends and events that will drive the mid-to-long term future. Dr. Irvin is a graduate of the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and a Master’s degree in Media Arts. An accomplished composer, he also holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in Music Composition from the University of North Texas and is a graduate of the Institute for Educational Management, Harvard University Graduate School of Education.