It is more than business as usual for the College of Business at Athens State University.

The College of Business experienced a 22.7 percent increase in its enrollment for the 2006 fall semester when late registration closed this week. It is the third double digit percentage enrollment increase the college has experienced since it announced that it was offering all four of its majors online beginning last year.

Final figures show that enrollment jumped 17 percent for the 2006 spring semester compared to the 2005 spring semester. The college experienced a 14 percent increase in its 2006 summer enrollment when compared to the 2005 summer enrollment. Athens State offers four business majors including management, management of technology, accounting, and human resources management.

The university’s total enrollment for the 2006 fall semester was 2,767 which is up about 4.73 percent from a year ago. Athens State is an upper-division university offering only junior and senior-level courses. All students who are enrolled at Athens State University have either attended a community college or a four-year university before transferring.

“The online majors have created a tremendous amount of interest,” said Dr. Linda Shonesy, Dean of the College of Business. “We are seeing students from not only our North Alabama region but also students from beyond the traditional traveling distance to our campus. It is very exciting.”

While the online offerings have created a great demand, the College of Business hasn’t abandoned its traditional classroom offerings. In fact, many of the traditional classes offered have benefited from the technology that is typically associated with online coursework. For instance, several professors are providing video from their lectures that is available online for students to review what they have learned in class.

“Many students feel comfortable in a traditional classroom and we still have a strong demand particularly in our evening classes,” said Shonesy. “Technology is making that learning experience even better.”

The University is expected to offer additional majors online and is targeting majors that lend themselves to an online learning.