CSUN also offers fully online programs for those changing careers or those who need certificates or sets of courses to meet requirements in professional practice, or to prepare for advanced study in a new field (i.e., programs that help working adults redirect their careers in challenging times).

CSUN online programs are designed to accommodate enrollment levels appropriate for the level of study and the field in question. Enrollment levels can also be limited by the requirements of any special accreditation a program might have. Whether a CSUN program is offered on campus or online, the parameters for enrollments remain the same. The number of cohorts of any given program is also influenced by the number of faculty CSUN has in the field in question. Online programs provide a positive revenue stream that can support additional faculty hiring. For programs covering broader professional fields, the ability to add faculty allows the program to grow, but the availability of highly qualified faculty in more specialized fields can be limited. Some CSUN online programs are regularly fully enrolled, and newer programs are expected to reach that level in the years ahead. CSUN’s longest-running online program is regularly fully enrolled with a waiting list.

CSUN also offers a wide range of fully online courses and hybrid courses as part of its state-funded degree programs. For example, in 2012/2013 CSUN offered 369 fully online course/sections and 453 hybrid course/sections as part of its state-funded programs. These courses had 34,472 enrollments. Also, in the past year, over 2,000 full-time equivalent students (FTES) were enrolled in high-demand general education online and hybrid offerings of CSUN courses (bottle-neck courses). This included more than 550 FTES who were able to take advantage of the different approaches to teaching and learning offered as part of CSUN’s online and hybrid course sections, particularly the many offerings of the challenging courses that students often struggle to pass.

Financial Strategy for Investment and Growth

All of CSUN’s fully online degree programs are offered using self-support funding. When CSUN develops a fully online program, it pays faculty for the time they must invest to participate in CSUN’s more comprehensive approach to program development for online programs. CSUN also invests the time and resources of the CSUN eLearning team that provides all production services, instructional design support, technical support, faculty training/development and student orientation.