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The Program > Online Learning

Five Mountain Buddhist Seminary does not have a campus. Courses are offered entirely over the Internet.

Flexibility

Five Mountain’s online classroom environment is asynchronous, meaning you can participate when it’s convenient for you within an assigned period. Weekly discussion topics, required readings, and assignments will all be listed in the online syllabus provided by your instructor.

Time Commitment

To get the most from your studies, you should dedicate blocks of time to your program. Students report that they spend 15 to 20 hours a week per course on readings, assignments, research projects, and online discussions.

Courses have defined start and completion dates. You’ll typically have one month off between quarters.

Technology Requirements

To ensure your success, you should be proficient using email, the Internet, and common desktop productivity software.

General technology requirements include

Windows ME/2000/XP/Vista or Mac OS X

512MB of RAM minimum (128MB for Windows ME/2000)

2GB hard drive

CD/DVD drive installed or connected to your computer

Microsoft Office

Adobe Acrobat Reader (version 8 or higher)

Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or higher)

Apple QuickTime (version 7 or higher)

Windows Media Player (version 7 or higher)

Antivirus software (e.g., McAfee or Norton) students must have a current version of antivirus software installed and running, and must keep its version current by promptly installing the upgrades, patches, etc. made available by the software manufacturer.

Internet access 

Standards compliant Web browser (we recommend Firefox 3 or at least IE 7)

Second Life

Beginning in January 2010 (Winter Quarter) course lectures, student gatherings, and faculty office hours will be available in Second Life at our Five Mountain location:

SLURL http://slurl.com/secondlife/Snowlion%20Mountain/237/31/33

(you must have the Second Life client installed for this link to work)

For more information regarding Second Life, including technology requirements, please visit their page here:

http://secondlife.com/

All Second Life interaction will be optional, and course lectures or other relevant events will be recorded and made available online in video and audio format to seminarians who for scheduling or technology reasons are unable to participate.