TAMPA, Fla., Nov. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- When it comes to online education, today's students expect more than the convenience of high technology. They want the academic excellence of a traditional university. That's the basis for the ongoing success of University Alliance Online, which collaborates with accredited ground-based universities to provide access to certificate and degree programs online (http://www.universityalliance.com/info/).

"We continue to see huge demand, particularly for online access to traditional universities," said Adrian Marrullier, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at University Alliance Online (http://www.universityalliance.com/info/). "Whether students want to earn a professional development certificate or an associate's, bachelor's or master's degree, they want it to come from a university recognized for academic quality."

Prestige was high on the list of William Zagoren, who recently enrolled in the online Master of Science in Educational Administration program at The University of Scranton (http://www.uscranton.com/). "It is one thing to get a master's degree because you want a pay raise," he noted. "But it is something else to know you'll be taken seriously once you actually earn the degree. That's why I chose a reputable, real-life university with a high-quality online program."

Although coursework is completely online, Zagoren and other students are never alone. They experience a dynamic, interactive classroom through a combination of professor-led streaming video lectures, faculty-monitored chat rooms, message boards and email.

The success of University Alliance Online programs reflects growing interest in online courses across the industry. Enrollment increased nearly 40 percent last year, according to a report released this month by the Sloan Consortium, an association of colleges engaged in online learning. That statistic doesn't surprise University Alliance Online officials, whose interactive programs (http://www.universityalliance.com/info/) have attracted more than 300,000 enrollments to date.

University Alliance Online works with 10 of the nation's leading campus- based universities (http://www.universityalliance.com/info/): Villanova University, the University of Notre Dame, Tulane University's Freeman School of Business, Thunderbird - The Garvin School of International Management, the University of South Florida, Regis University, Florida Institute of Technology, The University of Scranton, Saint Leo University and Jacksonville University.

CONTACT: Natalie Speechley, Director of Marketing Services, of
University Alliance Online, +1-800-404-7355, ext. 650

Web site: http://www.universityalliance.com/info