Charles Sturt University (CSU) will continue to cement its place as Australia's leading provider of online education next year with a new course dedicated to developing the next generation of online education leaders.

The Master of Leading Online, Open and Distance Education (MLOODE) is designed to provide graduates with the requisite knowledge and skills to support the development and integration of educational programs in their organisation or workplace that take full advantage of the online environment.

The two-year course will be delivered through CSU Online which course director in the Faculty of Education Dr David Smith sees as only fitting.

"The course has been designed by international experts in online learning to utilise technology and demonstrate effective online learning practice," Dr Smith said.

"Graduates should understand first-hand the complexities and advantages of the online environment for students. The course will be an example of Charles Sturt University's commitment to developing flexible and engaging online courses."

The MLOODE is designed to fill a gap in professional development opportunities for mid‐level/senior managers in online, open and distance education.

"There is an accelerated development of online, open and distance education courses globally and Australia needs the skills and expertise to keep up," Dr Smith said.

"There are rapid advances in digital technology that require digital literacy, leadership and management skills. This course is designed to strengthen professional competencies of academic staff and online, open, and distance education professionals nationally and internationally to help them take full advantage of technology and the online environment."

Dr Smith expects online courses to become essential for education providers for their future survival.

"Online learning exponentially increases the capacity of institutions to deliver programs. There are very few institutions that do not have an online sector as part of their organisational structure and it is very much the norm now," Dr Smith said.

"The MOOC phenomena has forced providers to rethink their approach to delivering higher education. Increased student mobility means providers must offer flexible learning options.

"Providers will increasingly require their staff to be fully versed in the online education world and this course is designed to help them achieve this."

The Master of Leading Online, Open and Distance Education (MLOODE) will begin in session one 2016. Applications are now open. For more information visit the CSU website.