Flex appeal counts for grad schools

When Julie Vogt, head of a small company and mother of three teenagers, was shopping for an MBA program, convenience was key.

''I knew that there was no way, with my schedule, that I could afford to have any time behind the windshield, going to and from class," said Vogt, president and chief executive of Integrisys Communications Group of Portsmouth, N.H.

So instead of commuting to class a couple of nights a week, Vogt studied at home -- doing homework alongside her kids -- and completed projects online as part of a Babson College program tailored for professionals.

Once a month, the Portsmouth resident drove an hour and a half to the college's Wellesley campus to take classes Thursday through Saturday.

The Babson program is just one of several in the area that are making it easier for adults to fit graduate and continuing education courses into their busy home and work lives.

Richard Doherty, president of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Massachusetts, said the popularity of such programs appears to be growing.

''There does seem to be a trend and interest . . . to accommodate students closer to home," he said.

Doherty said new graduate and continuing education programs are springing up not only in the business corridors around Route 128 and Interstate 495 but also around Worcester and Springfield.

The growth means more options for area residents who, 20 years ago, might have had to drive into Boston a few nights a week to finish their bachelor's or MBA degrees.

And if the new locations aren't convenient enough, some schools are offering online courses or programs that involve both Internet-based and classroom learning.

''For the working professional, the ease of attending a program is a critical part of the decision-making process. We are trying to meet" that need, said Stephen Laster, Babson's director of curriculum innovation and technology.

Michele Greenberg, who works full time at an information management firm in Westborough, has been chipping away at her MBA since 2003.

Although she'll get her degree from Boston's Suffolk University, the Bellingham resident has been able to do her studies much closer to home, at Dean College in Franklin.

Dean, with about 1,400 full- and part-time students, offers mostly two-year associate degrees, but it also has a partnership with Suffolk to offer bachelor's and MBA degrees.

''The flexibility was there, more than anything. . . . It's huge to not have to take the T, not to worry about parking, about traffic, not to worry about if you're going to get to your class on time," Greenberg said.

The program is ''just a different alternative for people in the evening who can't access the city easily," said Susan Bonvouloir, director of enrollment for the Suffolk program at Dean.

Most of the students, she added, are working adults and many have young children, ''so fitting this all in is very challenging."

Another level of flexibility for Suffolk's program at Dean, which has 175 full- and part-time students: Students can also take courses at Suffolk's main campus in Boston, or at other Suffolk locations on Cape Cod or in the Merrimack Valley.

Curry College in Milton recently launched a hybrid program that boils an entire MBA down to 12 courses in 24 months, with students working online and spending one night a week in class.

Speed can be a big advantage for people who can't afford to take two years off to do a full-time MBA and are looking for a degree in less than the three to five years it takes for a traditional, part-time MBA.

''The issue of time-to-degree is very essential. How do you meld work life, home life, and academic life?" said Gail Arch, director of the Curry program. The school is launching similar programs in Plymouth and Worcester.

While online programs are increasingly popular, some believe in the benefits of a classroom learning experience.

''Why would somebody come to Franklin when they could sit at their computer? You know what? They want that face-to-face contact. . . . A lot of people want that bricks and mortar," Bonvouloir said.

Brian Sewell, who works for Fidelity Investments, is one of them. Sewell, 28, of Woonsocket, R.I., travels to Franklin to attend classes for a part-time associate's degree in business management at Dean.

When he finishes this spring, he wants to continue and get his bachelor's. Dean's program with Suffolk, providing the opportunity to interact directly with classmates and professors, is one option. ''I feel like getting out of the house is a good thing," he said.