Veduca, a Brazilian education tech company, has launched the world’s first open online MBA in Engineering and Innovation, which will begin on 5 November. Content will be delivered in Portugese through video classes from Brazil’s leading engineering schools while also offering a certificate programme for those who wish to pay.
Last year 5.8 million people enrolled in distance learning courses in Brazil
The certificate will be recognised by the Brazilian Ministry of Education.
“We have received very good feedback from different employer companies in Brazil, who would like to use this tool for in-company training for the employees,” Carlos Souza, CEO of Veduca, told The PIE News.
This privately-funded initiative is Souza’s latest addition to what he calls a “democratic model of education.” After launching in 2012, Veduca has marketed the open course movement across Brazil by adding Portuguese subtitles to content from foreign universities in order to make them more accessible.
A two-year MBA program in Brazil typically costs US$30,000. Students studying with Veduca can expect to pay around 25% of what a traditional MBA of a similar quality would charge. Payment plans include 18 monthly instalments of R$369.00, bringing the total to R$6,642.00 (US$3000).
In addition to a government-recognised certificate, fees will also cover individual tutoring and subject support. UniSEB University Center, a distance learning service provider in Brazil, has partnered with Veduca to oversee the paid for certification process.
The massive open online course (MOOC) will need an estimated 360 hours of study tested by in-person exams – a requirement of the Ministry of Education – and a final project marked by a panel of examiners.
“It could represent a great opportunity for the Brazilian and Portuguese communities living abroad to also participate,” Ronaldo Mota, Former Secretary of Higher Education and Distance Learning for the Ministry of Education told The PIE News.
Plans to launch a Spanish and English version of the MBA are in the pipeline.
Next year, Veduca also plans to launch more open online courses in partnership with SM Educacao and the Instituto Tecnologico de Aeronautica (ITA – Aeronautics Technological Institute).
Last year, 5.8 million people enrolled in distance learning courses in Brazil and of these, 2.3 million were admitted to post-graduation and extension online courses. The number of students enrolled in these distance learning courses increased by 61% from 2011 to 2012, indicating that demand for MOOCs in Brazil is set to rise.
