The North Coast College
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
- 11724 Detroit Avenue Lakewood, OH 44107
- Visit website
Key stats
- Programs offered: 6
BestOnlineCollege.org is an advertising-supported website. Many of the school and program listings that appear on this site are from partners who compensate us, and this compensation may affect how, where, and in what order listings appear (such as featured placements). This compensation does not influence our editorial content, evaluations, or rankings, which are determined independently using publicly available data. We do not review or feature every school or program available in the marketplace. Our goal is to provide accurate, unbiased information so you can make informed decisions. Read our full Advertiser Disclosure.
How Online Business Development Degrees Work: Format & Classes
Online business development degrees use the same asynchronous, synchronous, and hybrid formats as other online programs, but the format decision carries a specific weight here. This is a field taught partly through performance – you practice a discovery call, someone critiques it, and you do it again – and the format determines how that practice happens. There is a version of an online sales degree that is all reading and multiple-choice quizzes. It exists, it is cheaper to run, and it does not make anyone better at selling.
This page explains the common online course formats for business development programs, how role-play and CRM coursework are delivered remotely, and how format affects workload and skill development.
Advantages
- Study on your own schedule with asynchronous formats
- Same core curriculum as campus programs at accredited schools
- Video role-plays are recordable and reviewable, which campus sections often cannot do
- Remote selling tools are the same tools most B2B sales teams now use daily
Disadvantages
- Requires strong self-discipline and consistent weekly time
- Coordinating role-play partners and group work across time zones is genuinely difficult
- Feedback on performance arrives on the instructor's schedule, not immediately
- Internship placement is harder to arrange at a distance from campus employer networks
Quick Answers
What are the main online course formats for business development programs?
Business development programs commonly use asynchronous, synchronous, or hybrid formats. The format mainly changes scheduling and interaction, not the core academic content – but in this field, interaction is part of the content.
How do role-plays work in an online program?
Usually through recorded video. You are assigned a scenario and a buyer persona, run the call over video conferencing with a classmate or a trained role-play partner, submit the recording, and receive a rubric-based critique. Some programs use scheduled live sessions with faculty instead. Ask which model a program uses and how many graded cycles you complete.
Do these programs teach actual CRM software?
The better ones do. Many business schools use educational access to major CRM platforms so students work in a live system: logging activity, managing pipeline stages, and building reports. Weaker programs describe CRM conceptually. Ask which platform is used and whether you will build reports in it yourself.
Is an internship required, and can I do it remotely?
Requirements vary. Where an internship is required, remote and hybrid placements have become common in B2B sales because much of the work is already conducted over video and phone. Ask how the school sources placements for online students who live outside its region.
How much time should I plan for each week?
Time commitment varies by course load and school. Business coursework is more predictable than technical coursework – readings, cases, and write-ups take roughly the time you budget. The variable is coordination: scheduling role-play partners and group presentations across schedules can consume more time than the assignment itself.
At a Glance
- Formats available: Asynchronous, synchronous, and hybrid
- Content: Same core curriculum as campus-based programs at accredited schools
- Tools: CRM platforms, video conferencing, sales simulations, presentation and proposal software
- Practice: Recorded or live role-plays with rubric-based feedback in stronger programs
- Deadlines: Weekly deadlines are standard in most formats
For a full overview of program options, start with the Business Development Program Guide.
Schools to compare
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Asynchronous online courses
Asynchronous courses let students access lectures and materials on their own schedule within a defined timeframe.
Typical characteristics
- Pre-recorded lectures, readings, and case studies
- Weekly discussion posts, case analyses, and recorded assignment submissions
- Fixed deadlines without live class meetings
- Flexibility to study at different times of day
This is the most common format in online business programs and generally the one working students prefer. The tradeoff in a sales program is specific: asynchronous role-play means you record a call and wait for a critique, rather than being corrected in the moment. That is slower, though the recording itself has an advantage – you can watch yourself, which campus students often never do.
Synchronous online courses
Synchronous courses are built around scheduled live sessions students attend online.
Typical characteristics
- Real-time lectures, case discussions, and live role-play or negotiation exercises
- Fixed meeting times each week
- Live interaction with instructors and peers
- Attendance expectations for sessions
This format suits business development coursework unusually well. Negotiation in particular is hard to teach asynchronously, because the whole skill is reading and responding to another person in real time. If a program offers live negotiation sessions, that is a meaningful quality signal.
Hybrid online formats
Hybrid formats combine asynchronous coursework with periodic live sessions.
Typical characteristics
- Mostly asynchronous content
- Periodic live sessions for role-plays, negotiation exercises, or project presentations
- Balance between flexibility and real-time practice
Some programs also include a short optional or required on-campus residency, often built around a sales competition, employer networking event, or intensive workshop. These are frequently the most valuable few days in the degree for building employer contacts. If travel is a constraint, confirm the requirement before enrolling.
Tools, software, and sales technology
Business development coursework is applied, and the tool stack is part of the curriculum. Expect some combination of:
- A CRM platform with student access, used for pipeline management, activity logging, and reporting
- Video conferencing for role-plays, negotiations, and group presentations, usually with recording enabled
- Sales simulations or case-based negotiation exercises
- Spreadsheet and business intelligence work for forecasting and territory analysis
- Presentation and proposal tools for client-facing deliverables
Ask specifically which CRM platform is used, whether you get hands-on access or only see demonstrations, and whether analytics coursework uses realistic data volumes. This varies more between schools than almost anything else in the format, and CRM fluency is one of the few hard technical skills the degree can hand you. It can also affect cost – see Affordable Online Business Development Degrees.
How format affects workload and skill development
The workload in a business development program is reasonably predictable in hours but unpredictable in scheduling. A case analysis takes the time you budget. Finding two classmates in compatible time zones for a graded negotiation exercise does not, and no amount of planning fully removes that friction.
More importantly, format affects how much you actually improve. Skill in selling comes from repetition with feedback. A program with six graded role-play cycles across the concentration develops you more than one with two, regardless of how good the readings are.
Consider
- How many graded performance assignments – role-plays, presentations, negotiations – the concentration includes
- Who provides feedback: faculty, trained coaches, peers, or an automated rubric
- How much group project work is required, and how partners are assigned
- Whether exams are proctored, timed, and how they are scheduled
- Whether the program runs or sponsors a sales competition team, and whether online students can participate
Pacing interacts with format. Compare: Accelerated Business Development Programs
Format comparison
| Feature | Asynchronous | Synchronous | Hybrid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schedule flexibility | High | Low | Medium |
| Live interaction | None | Required | Periodic |
| Weekly deadlines | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Role-play and negotiation practice | Recorded and critiqued | Live and coached | Periodic live sessions |
| Best for | Working students who can self-direct | Students who want coaching in the moment | Balance seekers |
Ask each school three questions: which CRM platform students use hands-on, how many graded role-play or negotiation cycles the concentration includes, and who delivers the feedback. The format label alone tells you very little – two programs both described as “online, asynchronous” can differ enormously on those three answers.
Online support services
Online business students typically have access to academic and career support, though quality varies more than availability.
Common support services
- Academic advising and degree planning
- Writing support for proposals, business cases, and case analyses
- Library and business research database access
- Technical support for learning platforms and CRM environments
- Career services, including resume review, mock interviews, and employer connections
Career services deserve particular scrutiny in this field, because sales recruiting is relationship-driven and schools with dedicated sales centers often have standing employer partnerships. Ask whether those connections extend to online students and whether support hours cover the evenings and weekends you will actually be available.
How to choose the right format
A good format choice depends on your schedule, your existing experience, and how you learn a performance skill.
Self-check questions
- Do I need flexible study hours, or do I benefit from scheduled live sessions
- Have I already sold professionally, or am I building the skill from zero and need frequent coaching
- Can I reliably coordinate with classmates across time zones for group and role-play work
- Do I have consistent weekly time, or does my availability spike at quarter-end
- Am I aiming at an entry-level sales role, where employer connections matter most, or at advancement in a job I already hold
If you are new to selling, a synchronous or hybrid format gives you the coaching cycles that build the skill. If you already carry a quota and want the credential and the management coursework, asynchronous is usually the practical choice. For a broader discussion of value and outcomes, see: Is an Online Business Development Degree Worth It
Related pages
- Business Development Program Guide
- Online Bachelor’s Pathways in Business Development
- Online Master’s Pathways in Business Development
- Business Development Programs by State
Data verified: August 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
Back to Online Business Development Degrees: Programs & Careers (2026)