Online Management Courses and Classes Overview

Online classes offer convenient ways to obtain general or specific management training in fields as diverse as manufacturing, retail sales, healthcare, engineering, information technology, entertainment and human resources.

Overview of Online Management Courses and Classes

Students may either enroll in online management classes through a formal degree program or from an independent institution that offers stand-alone courses. Some universities also have business schools or professional development centers that partner with outside organizations. All of these options offer a mixture of on-campus and online courses; however, classroom-based courses are more common and most classes are fee-based.
Colleges and universities grant degrees such as a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Management or graduate degrees, such as the Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Healthcare Management or a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Information Technology Management. An independent institution or business may award graduate certificates in areas including organizational leadership. Other types of certificates show mastery of specific knowledge like a Master Certificate in Six Sigma.
Schools often link their online class schedule to their academic calendar, and within that framework, some classes have set times for online lectures and distance-learning presentations while others have material accessible at any time. Usually the student has the option of enrolling in a complete program or taking individual classes as desired. If the student opts for the entire course of study, the institution often requires completion within a set period of time.

General Requirements for Online Courses

Schools and institutions often post general information like grading standards, required texts, outside reading, attendance policies and cost online. Such posts may also provide the syllabus, instructor's name and test schedules. When students will be required to examine case studies, conduct leadership experiments and write research papers, the sites often document these requirements as well.
Some classes have a professor-led streaming audio and video presentation, which requires a high-speed connection beyond basic online access. Speakers and headphones may be needed. Course descriptions often specify screen resolution and operating system requirements. Since students can work independently or collaborate with others, chat room access, an instant messaging account or internet phone connection such as Skype are useful.

Sample List of Online Management Courses

Management and Leadership Training Course

This class introduces the basic principles of management, leadership, ethics and communication. Day-to-day strategies and team-building concepts are presented in conjunction with basic tools and techniques for effective leadership.

Management Strategies for Small Businesses Course

This course emphasizes strategies for managing small and start-up businesses. It also details management functions of the entrepreneur. Since a small business may require the manager to fulfill multiple roles such as finance officer, marketing account manager or HR representative, this course also examines strategies to meet those needs.

Management Basics of Supply Chain Course

This course teaches the fundamentals of supply chain management. Students learn techniques to capture customer requirements, estimate client demands, create forecasts, define production standards, manage inventory and plan the strategic movement of goods and services.

Six Sigma Design and Management Course

This course teaches techniques to improve performance, reduce production errors and increase profitability by implementing, utilizing and managing the Six Sigma process.