Athabasca University 는 온라인과 원격 교육의 세계적 선두주자이다. 어디서든 언제든지 자신의 페이스대로 학습할 수 있다. 캐나다 전역과 90여개의 나라에서 38,000여명의 학생들이 집과 직장을 벗어날 필요없이 최고수준의 교육을 받고 있습니다.

현재 학사와 석사 과정으로 903개에 이르는 다양한 프로그램을 제공하고 있고, 16세 이상이면 과거의 교육경험과 상관없이 입학할 수 있다.    

Athabasca University (AU), Canada’s Open University, is a world leader in online and distance education. AU puts students in control, allowing them to study anywhere, any time and at their own pace. This flexibility allows over 38,000 students a year from across Canada and 90 countries around the world to obtain a top quality postsecondary education without leaving their home or workplace.

Established by Order in Council of the Government of Alberta in 1970, AU, initially conceived as a traditional, campus-based institution, changed course in 1972 through a pilot project to test the concept of an open, distance university. The university’s first course was offered in 1973, and the first Convocation occurred in 1977. AU achieved self-governing status as Alberta’s fourth public university on April 12, 1978. By 1984, the university had outgrown its original Edmonton campus and moved 145 km north to Athabasca. Satellite campuses have since been established in Calgary, Edmonton and St. Albert, Alberta. During the 1980s, in keeping with its mandate to explore new ways of delivering postsecondary education to students anywhere, any time, AU pioneered the use of computers to deliver online courses. AU’s Executive MBA program, the world’s first online EMBA, was introduced in 1994.

Today, AU offers 903courses in a broad range of undergraduate and graduate degree, diploma and certificate programs in arts, science and professional disciplines. Anyone 16 or older is eligible for admission to undergraduate study, regardless of previous educational experience. Students are admitted year-round and can start most undergraduate courses at their convenience.

AU uses a variety of distance learning methods including multi-media online activities, print materials, e-mail, Internet, CD-ROM, computer software, audio/video conferencing and TV or radio. Any particular course might use a combination of delivery methods. Students registering for online courses require access to a computer with an Internet connection.

Students applying to an AU program can usually receive transfer credit for courses previously completed at other accredited postsecondary institutions. Many other students take AU courses for transfer into a program at another institution. Still others take AU courses for personal or professional development.

Student fees

Canadian student fees 2011-12 *

Undergraduate tuition fees: $4,660 - $5,710

Graduate tuition fees: $13,000

International student fees 2011-12 *

Undergraduate tuition fees: $9,320 - $10,370

Graduate tuition fees: $15,000

* Source: Statistics Canada. Fees for general programs in arts and humanities.

Note: In addition to tuition fees, universities generally charge fees for goods and services supplied to students. This includes areas such as student associations, sports and health. These additional fees vary widely per university and per student and can run from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars. Check with the university for details.

Student enrolment

2011 rounded preliminary fall enrolment *

Part-time (undergraduates): 36,240

Part-time (graduates): 3,460

* Source: Athabasca University