The more hectic the life becomes the more groundbreaking technologies are being implemented in various spheres of human activity, such as business, markets, building and so on. Internet, one of the most cutting-edge innovations, has brought to human life various alternations that now seem to be deeply rooted within society and could not be eliminated under any circumstance.
 
Internet has dramatically changed the image of education that has always been associated with highly acclaimed institutions with ancient, staid and respected traditions and methods of teaching. Today, education is no longer confined to the walls of academic institutions; it has significantly advanced. As a result, top universities and colleges, acknowledged all over the world, are experiencing a revival by entering Internet space expanding thus their domain to an unlimited scale.
Online colleges and universities provide students with ample opportunities to get educated in renowned educational institutions without even leaving their home. However, some people get a distorted image of online education basing their assumptions on some ill-considered factors and unproven assessments. This article outlines three universities that provide opportunities for distance learning and education through the Internet in the sphere of business highlighting institutions’ advantages and drawbacks.
 
University of Maryland
 
University of Maryland is famous throughout the world for its exceptional distance learning experience which enhances students’ career opportunities and increases their chances to compete successfully in job market providing variety of education programmes, flexible schedules of learning and multiple teaching techniques.
The major benefit of this university is that it gives the opportunity to choose among diverse bachelor, masters, doctoral degrees and graduate, undergraduate and certificate programmes.
 
The number of online degrees increases annually. Today, it is estimated at more than 100 programmes available completely on the Internet. University offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Management Studies, Financial Management and Information Systems. Doctoral degrees are presented by two options: Doctor of Management and Doctor of Management in Community College Policy and Administration. Among certificates students may choose various levels of accounting and other businesswise programmes.
 

Maryland online offers are held in high esteem among students since the university practices various ways of online learning ranging from online classes to individual schedules, 24-hour support from qualified professors and online libraries. A leader among universities that offer distance learning, Maryland University seems to be devoid of any shortcomings, which is supported by a huge number of 60,000 current online students.
 
Ashford University in Iowa
 
Ashford University is a college located in the USA in Iowa that has a long history dated back to the beginning of the 20th century. Nowadays, this university attracts thousands of students of a conventional mode of education as well as providing multiple opportunities for online students. Studying profile of this university, a lot of prospective students become flabbergasted at the number of advantages Ashford University possesses.
 
First and foremost, Ashford University in Iowa is one of the academic institutions, which offers three kinds of programmes, in particular associates, bachelors and masters fully available online. It should be noted that only one associate’s degree programme is accessible online, i.e. the Associate in Arts in Business. Conversely, bachelor’s and master’s degrees are presented in a wide range, for instance, Business Administration, Organizational Management, Public Relations and Marketing and the like, which totally compensates the shortage of associate’s degrees.
 
What’s more beneficial about this college is its low tuition costs of online learning programmes, which makes it immensely attractive for every student. Though there are no exact numbers of students and alumni of this university, the estimated approximate number would be about 20.000 undergraduates and graduates.
 
However, there is a slight shortcoming of this university as it provides only the asynchronous way of studying omitting the synchronous one. In other words, the studying is conducted through e-mail communication and discussion boards, which allows students to establish their own schedule of learning. Despite the absence of the synchronous way of studying, Ashford University is one of the best choices of distance education.
 
Western Governors University
 
Western Governors University (WGU) is a relatively young distance learning institution that is unique in its kind since it is the only university that has got four accreditations. The university operates in various locations, such as Salt Lake City, Utah and Phoenix, Arizona. The major distinction of WGU from other universities is that it caters for adult students while common online universities try to attract young students.
WGU has a vast number of online programme offerings of bachelor’s and master’s degrees and certificates.
 
Bachelor- and master-level degrees comprise such majors, as Accounting, HR Management, IT Management, Marketing Management, Business Management and other programmes. The university provides flexible variants of learning through web-based tutorials, online classes, course mentors, online video and audio communication. On top of that, a student has the possibility to choose among accelerated and usual programmes.
 
However, WGU would not fit every student, as the university put forward a number of requirements. Thus, the university admits students only above 24 years with a high school diploma for pursuing bachelor’s programmes and bachelor degree for masters-level programmes. Moreover, the minimum work experience of a student should comprise more than five years. A major disadvantage is that the university admits only students who are residents of the USA and some areas of Canada.
 
Consequently, the service WGU provides is not available for foreign students. Another thing that should be specially stressed on is that this university is owned by individuals. In other words, it is private but not a state university. Though this cannot be regarded as a disadvantage, some students may regard this fact as inconvenience.
 
The above mentioned three online universities are extremely popular and in demand among students of different ages, financial positions, interests and abilities. Universities in question may differ in many respects but what unites them is their competence and understanding of the needs of students and tendencies in sphere of education.