Busy executives or people who find it difficult to travel to college can now sign up for the first fully online Masters in Business Administration (MBA) course that is available in the Republic.

The MBA course consists of 10 core subjects, seven elective subjects and one research project. It is taught exclusively via the Web and does not require students to meet at any stage of their course.

Instant messenger, chat rooms and email are all used as communication tools, and course content is provided in a range of media formats to make it interesting.

The course, which usually takes two-five years to finish, is offered and accredited by Universitas 21 Global - a Singapore-based organisation made up of 16 universities and the firm Thompson Learning.

The organisation has linked up with PAI Publications, the publisher of Public Affairs Ireland, to offer the MBA to Irish students.

PAI will deal with local inquiries about the course and offer a physical presence to act as an administrative centre.

The course will cost Irish students €14,900, significantly more than the prices that are offered to students based in the developing world in countries such as China.

Dr Jeremy Williams, director of instruction and assessment at Universitas 21 Global, said about 300 students had enrolled in the first year of the course in 2003.

But he said he expected the number of students to increase dramatically within three years. There are no physical limitations on the number of people that can sign up, he said.

Dr Williams said Ireland was the first country in Europe which the organisation was seriously targeting, partly due to its reputation as a technology-savvy State. He said the internet was a perfect medium for MBAs as most work was conducted using the Web.