{"id":44964,"date":"2025-10-30T16:35:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T21:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.und.edu\/und-today\/?p=44964"},"modified":"2026-04-28T13:02:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T18:02:32","slug":"the-north-dakota-magnet-of-online-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.und.edu\/und-today\/2025\/10\/the-north-dakota-magnet-of-online-education\/","title":{"rendered":"The North Dakota magnet of online education"},"content":{"rendered":"

UND\u2019s online programs keep North Dakotans rooted and thriving in-state, while drawing new people and positive attention from far and wide<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Student
Online education offers flexibility, savings and wider accessibility for students, as well as cost-effective workforce benefits for the state. Photo by Shawna Schill\/UND Today.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Editor\u2019s note:<\/strong>\u00a0In the\u00a0UND LEADS Strategic Plan,<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0the\u00a0\u201cEquity\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a>core value includes a call to \u201censure equity in our online learning environment by increasing support for online, hybrid and blended learning.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The following story, which was first published in UND Today on Oct. 30 and originally appeared in a special \u201cUND and the North Dakota Workforce\u201d<\/a><\/strong> edition of UND Today, describes how online learning is benefitting distance students and North Dakota alike, exactly as intended in the Strategic Plan.<\/em><\/p>\n

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When Maggie Brockling began UND\u2019s online Master of Public Administration program, she was living and working in Massachusetts. One degree later, she\u2019s now in Grand Forks, serving as the economic development director for East Grand Forks.<\/p>\n

How did that happen?<\/p>\n

\u201cThey had me at \u2018it\u2019s the coldest, flattest place\u2019 and \u2018you can watch your dog run away for days!\u2019\u201d she joked.<\/p>\n

\"maggie
Maggie Brockling<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But Brockling wasn\u2019t just charmed by the dry humor and weather. Through her UND courses, she connected with classmates working in public service across North Dakota and Minnesota. Meanwhile, she\u2019d hit a professional ceiling in Massachusetts, with few leadership opportunities opening up.<\/p>\n

In contrast, \u201con my first walk around the Grand Forks community, I learned about all the young people in leadership roles here,\u201d she said. \u201cI was like, \u2018Alright! This is awesome!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

That move set off a career trajectory that would firmly root her in the Red River Valley. Brockling first came to Grand Forks to serve as director of Evolve Grand Forks, later joining City Hall in key business development roles before stepping into her current position as East Grand Forks\u2019 economic development director.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would not have moved into this role, let alone this state, if I hadn\u2019t had the networks I developed through my online coursework,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

From snail mail to smartphones<\/h2>\n

Since 1911, UND has used distance learning to meet students where they are. Early learners received printed materials by mail. Later came video cassettes, DVDs and \u2014 as the Internet took off \u2014 fully online classes.<\/p>\n

But a common thread stitches all of those patches into a homespun, map-of-North-Dakota quilt: Distance learning long has been a strategic tool for strengthening North Dakota\u2019s workforce, extending UND\u2019s reach and generating economic benefits statewide.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the lesson of Maggie Brockling\u2019s experience \u2014 and the mission the University is pursuing into its next decade and beyond.<\/p>\n

Nearly 45% of UND\u2019s online graduates now work in North Dakota or the surrounding region, said Jeff Holm, UND\u2019s vice provost for Strategic Programming, Analytics & Effectiveness. In the College of Nursing & Professional Disciplines, that number rises to 59%.<\/p>\n

Many online graduates work in fields such as education, health care, business and public service \u2014 areas where the workforce need is greatest.<\/p>\n

That impact matters.\u00a0The Lightcast 2025 Talent Attraction Scorecard<\/a><\/strong> shows North Dakota ranking high in workforce growth and attraction of earners but low in the growth of college-educated populations. UND\u2019s online programs help close that gap \u2014 offering opportunities for North Dakotans to grow without leaving home, plus drawing new professionals into the state.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe University has always looked for ways to meet the needs of our students, first and foremost,\u201d Holm said. \u201cFor more than 100 years, it\u2019s been important for us to understand what our students are looking for \u2014 and how we can reduce those barriers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Woman
Online education ‘meets students where they’re at,’ including when they’re at home with three children. UND archival photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By the numbers<\/h2>\n

Of UND\u2019s total enrollment of 15,844 students this fall, 35% take some online classes, and just over a third \u2014 5,354 students \u2014 study exclusively online. (For more information<\/strong> about that total enrollment of 15,844 students, click on the image below.)\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"'Where<\/a>
Click on the image for a larger version.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

No stranger to national recognition, UND was ranked No. 7 by ZDNET among America\u2019s top self-paced online colleges. Forbes magazine last year also named UND the best online college in North Dakota, noting that the University \u201coffers more than 200 online programs, including 67 majors.\u201d<\/p>\n

UND\u2019s online programs continue to grow the state\u2019s workforce in direct and meaningful ways.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven today, driving across North Dakota takes a long time,\u201d Holm said. \u201cWe\u2019re in a big and sparsely populated state, and people are going to be looking for options that let them save time and stay rooted while earning a degree.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nicole Burkhartsmeier is one such student. The chief deputy for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Fargo and a mother of three, Burkhartsmeier found online learning to be the best fit for her busy life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI live in Fargo; my program\u2019s in Grand Forks,\u201d she said. \u201cI could seriously go from washing the dishes at 6:55 to logging into Zoom at 6:57.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like Brockling, Burkhartsmeier found connection and community through UND\u2019s online courses.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a group text, so we talk about school and our personal lives, too,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s one classmate in South Carolina, another in Virginia \u2014 and we\u2019ve even talked about them coming up here so we can show them around.\u201d<\/p>\n

About 63% of UND\u2019s online graduates are or were residents of North Dakota, its neighboring states or employees of the North Dakota University System, Holm said. And most of the rest \u2014 the 37% who don\u2019t already know North Dakota \u2014 will get to know us by spending time on UND\u2019s campus, fulfilling program requirements.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnline programs add a lot of value to North Dakota \u2014 whether by letting students work while they earn their degree, advance in their careers, or fill workforce needs that might otherwise go unmet,\u201d Holm added.<\/p>\n

Online programs also help curb \u201cbrain drain,\u201d giving North Dakotans the chance to earn advanced credentials without leaving home. \u201cAnd, of course, that\u2019s also valuable to employers, because their employees can stay in Williston while they go to school at UND,\u201d Holm said.<\/p>\n

Partnerships for prosperity<\/h2>\n

Accordingly, UND\u2019s online offerings also can be shaped to meet state workforce needs, including in areas such as engineering, nursing, cybersecurity, education and business.<\/p>\n

Through advisory boards of business and civic leaders, UND\u2019s deans and department chairs regularly meet to identify skills gaps and opportunities.<\/p>\n

As a result, UND has forged partnerships with companies such as Digi-Key, enabling employees to earn online degrees in fields such as electrical engineering and computer science. Digi-Key, a multibillion-dollar electronics distributor in Thief River Falls, Minn., employs more than 4,000 people \u2014 including many who commute daily from Grand Forks.<\/p>\n

Another result is UND\u2019s expanding suite of certificate programs, many designed directly in response to industry demand, including those addressing artificial intelligence and machine learning, energy systems and optimization, and petroleum engineering.<\/p>\n

And of the 1,180 students currently pursuing certificates or nondegree courses, 866 study exclusively online.<\/p>\n

\"Laura
Laura Link<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Meeting state\u2019s future school leaders where they work<\/h2>\n

UND\u2019s Aspiring Principals Pipeline \u2014 a program funded through the state Department of Public Instruction\u2019s Grow Your Own initiative \u2014 is another example of how a strategic investment in online classes directly can fuel workforce development.<\/p>\n

The University\u2019s fully online, asynchronous Master of Science in Teaching & Leadership program lets working educators earn their school-leadership credentials without leaving their classrooms, families or communities behind.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor our graduate students \u2014 already certified, full-time teachers with deep community ties \u2014 meeting them online is one of the only ways this works,\u201d said Laura Link<\/a><\/strong>, the program\u2019s director and an associate professor of Teaching & Leadership. \u201cIf we didn\u2019t have the online component, we likely wouldn\u2019t have these students enrolled with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

All 10 members of UND\u2019s inaugural 2024-25 cohort completed their 30-credit leadership program while serving full time in schools across Grand Forks, Grafton, Manvel and North Border, Link said. Each logged more than 400 hours of authentic, in-district leadership experience guided by principal mentors and residency coaches.<\/p>\n

This hybrid model \u2014 academic rigor online, leadership practice in person \u2014 ensures aspiring principals immediately can apply new learning within their home districts. The results speak volumes:<\/p>\n