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Distance Learning

New Entry's Distance Learning initiative is an innovative program which provides an opportunity for a broader audience to participate in our farmer training programs. Through the flexibility offered by the distance learning environment, New Entry hopes to make our resources available to many more farmers each year.

Since 2011, New Entry has offered its long-standing Farm Business Planning Course online. The online course was created to engage interested students who may experience barriers to attending weekly classroom sessions in Lowell. The online course provides students with a fully-integrated learning experience which mirrors the learning objectives of the classroom course while taking advantage of innovative technologies. Like the classroom course, the online version is offered twice each year, in October and in January..

The 8-week online course requires students to travel to downtown Boston for one weekend afternoon and to participate in one live webinar. Other than these commitments, students are able to work independently to complete the weekly course modules and associated homework assignments. See the Course Syllabus for the upcoming course session for more detail. The course fee is $500 with tuition assistance available to students demonstrating financial need.

Click here to download an Farm Business Online Course Application.Applications for Fall 2012 are due no later than September 14th and those for the Winter 2013 session are due by December 7th.

Prospective students may apply for a partial tuition scholarship. Scholarships will be awarded based on financial need and cover up to 80% of the course fee. Click here to download a Tuition Scholarship Application. This form must be received no later than 10 days prior to the start of class in order to qualify.

For more information on the Online Farm Business Planning Course, contact Maura Schorr Beaufait at maura.beaufait@tufts.edu.