The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is set to offer the first online MBA program. The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) will be provided in association with online education giant Coursera.

To be launched in 2015, it is the most flexible, online program that aims to integrate high-quality teaching and affordable education. The online MBA program is touted as a game changer in the field of online business education.

Daphne Koller, Coursera president, said, “Today, we are proud to announce an entirely new way to earn a graduate degree in business. The University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign College of Business is developing the first open online MBA offered in part through Coursera. This ‘iMBA’ program opens a number of pathways towards gaining a high quality education from a top business school.”

The program consists of various specializations in the field of business management. The learners have the option to choose one specialization or a set of specializations. The course will be freely available irrespective of the background. For a verified certificate one needs to pay. The cost for the program is USD 20,000. However, one can opt for the financial aid. As the course is divided into several specializations, each specialization costs USD 3,000. The program is completely on demand, that means a candidate can complete the course at his or her own pace. In order to finish the MBA program, one must complete at least six specializations. There are some enhanced components attached to the program. The components are available on the Illinois.edu web platform. These are high end interaction process with the peers and faculty members. One can earn University of Illinois credit.

The course syllabus is unique in its offering. From May 27, 2015, it is offering its first specialization called ‘Improving Business Finances and Operations. Other specializations are Strategic Management, Leadership and Management, Business Tools for Successful Execution, Business Environments and Corporate Responsibility, and Entrepreneurship and Innovation. It’s currently providing the ‘Digital Marketing’ specialization that includes a capstone project in the end. Apart from these, there are an array of specializations waiting to be approved.

Those are Global Business Strategy and Economics, Healthcare Management, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Business Analytics, Innovation and Technology, and Advanced topics in Finance and Accounting. The candidate must admit himself or herself as a degree-seeking student. Successfully completing the specialization in the program is the gateway for the admission.

Though the course is created for working professionals with three years of work experience, anyone with fundamental business knowledge can join the program. For the enhance learning, one needs to register here. The application process begins in June 2015 and the semester begins in January 2016.

Coursera is aggressively pushing the boundaries further in the field of online education. It is collaborating with tech companies such as Instagram and Business Schools such as Wharton to offer expansions. There are a lot of vocational business courses that are being developed in association with the tech companies. There is a growing demand for alternative education program that caters to the requirement of the recruiters.

For more information about the program, students can click here.