Starting this fall, students from around the world will be able to earn an M.B.A. degree from Penn State almost entirely from their own living rooms.

On July 16, the Penn State Board of Trustees approved an online degree, with the first class to be admitted for the upcoming fall semester.

The program, approved earlier by the Graduate Council, is a collaboration of four Penn State Colleges: Penn State Erie, Penn State Great Valley, Penn State Harrisburg and the Smeal College of Business Administration.

The online M.B.A. program joins a master's degree in adult education as the only two degrees offered online by the university.

The online M.B.A. program allows Penn State the ability to reach an increasingly large number of students that want an advanced degree but are restricted in their options.

"Our research numbers show a significant number of people are looking for graduate degrees, especially M.B.A.'s," said Peter A. Rubba, director of academic programs for the World Campus.

"We have also found they are looking for convenience, in case they may not be able to leave their job, or they need to take care of a family," Rubba added.

Penn State joins a list of about 30 universities that offer online M.B.A.'s, including Duke, UCLA and fellow Big Ten members Northwestern University and University of Illinois.

Of the 30 or so programs offered, 12 can be completed entirely over the Internet.

The Penn State version will require students to attend one-week residential periods at the end of the third and eighth semesters, said John Fizel, professor of economics at Penn State Erie and chair of the online M.B.A. program.

Each residency period will act as a culmination of the class to date, with an emphasis on the just-completed semester.

The program was created and will be taught by the same professors who teach the traditional residential program, and the material will be the same.

"We still have textbooks, activities, group projects, discussions, everything from the residence program — only it's online," Fizel said.

"This program is unique," Fizel added.

"Instead of just taking text and material and putting it online, we have built the program from the ground up. The faculty was so careful in their development of this program, that in some ways, it is an enhanced equivalent."

The program is open to students from around the world.

One of its key components is a focus on the global economy, which may be an attraction for international students.

The curriculum is based on responses from companies and other professional organizations, which offered their thoughts about which areas the online curriculum should focus.

"This degree was designed to be offered online, but it was also designed by the same faculty which teach the residential program.

"To some degree a bias may exist, but that is only due to not being familiar with the program," Rubba said.

Students taking part in the program will not be isolated. Through the World Campus, students will have a chance to interact and share ideas. The online M.B.A. CyberForum, presents an opportunity to discuss business issues with faculty, classmates, and worldwide leaders in the business industry.

Discussions with students in the residential the M.B.A. program will also be available.

From the very beginning, the online M.B.A. program will try to meet a simple goal.

"We want an excellent program that is taught by an excellent faculty and presented by an outstanding delivery system. We also want for Penn State to reach students from around the world and give those students a chance for an outstanding degree with as little interruption in their lives as possible," Fizel said.