available for full-time students during the day and at night for part-timers when it comes on-line in September.

And close ties being developed with the prestigious Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh could further benefit Bermuda College students.

The move to offer the programme in the evening will afford many people in the work force the opportunity to improve their knowledge of the emerging industry.

During yesterday's formal announcement of the degree programme, members of Government's e-commerce advisory council expressed their delight with the course.

Council chairman Arlene Brock applauded the college's timely action and ability to "step up to the plate very quickly''.

She noted that the council met with the Bermuda College board and made the suggestion less than a year ago.

Marisa Hall, who heads the council's education committee, said she was "happy and proud'' that the college had adopted all her suggestions.

Ms Hall was instrumental in the development of the top ranked e-commerce course at Babson College in Wellsley, Massachusetts, before she left there in 1999.

Ms Hall said e-commerce was "just a new spin'' on business in general. "It's really just a way of doing business differently.'' The course is expected to change to reflect advances in technology and demands in the local e-commerce business world.

College vice-president Dr. Donald Peters said masters degrees in e-commerce were only available at Dalhousie University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Vanderbilt, North Carolina State and Carnegie-Mellon.

Dr. Peters noted that the college hoped to work very closely with Carnegie-Mellon who were promising to be leaders in business education.

The Bermuda College is now accepting applications for the e-commerce programme.