MBA
program revamped
By
Amy Geiszler-Jones
|
The
changes
WSU’s
master of business administration degree program has undergone
some changes to make it more attractive to nonbusiness majors
and to reflect new business trends. With the new option of
concentrating in six different areas, the degree can also
enhance a student’s career.
Here’s
a breakdown of the changes.
•
Condensed background classes – Students without an undergraduate
degree in business used to have to take up to seven three-credit-hour
classes. By combining a marketing and a management class into
one, and an accounting and a finance course into a financial
statement analysis class, the number of background classes
is reduced.
•
New required classes – Under the old program, all students
were required to complete 30 hours of coursework. Now it will
take 36 hours. The program has added required classes in operations
management and in management information systems. The addition
of the operations management class reflects Wichita’s
distinction as a major business and medical center. The MIS
class will help students sharpen technology skills.
•
Areas of emphasis – Students will have the option of
concentrating in finance, marketing, entrepreneurship, international
business, operations management or health care administration.
-
Amy Geiszler-Jones
|
When
Neil Hague, a Cessna engineer, started checking into WSU’s
MBA program last year, he was prepared to spend four years taking
the nearly 60 hours to earn the degree.
While
Hague, who graduated with a master’s degree in aerospace engineering
last May from WSU, was taking some background business courses in
the fall and spring, WSU officials were working to revamp the program
to be more attractive to nonbusiness students like Hague.
The
changes, which include reducing the number of required prerequisites
for nonbusiness majors, mean nonbusiness students can finish their
degree sooner. Hague, for example, will finish a year sooner than
he expected.
But
just as importantly as condensing the background courses, WSU graduate
business school officials have added two new classes to reflect
business trends in operations and technology and have added areas
of concentration to the degree.
Up
until now, the MBA has been a generalist degree, explains Jim Wolff,
but now students can take specific, specialized training in finance,
marketing, entrepreneurship, international business, operations
management or health care administration. Wolff is associate dean
of graduate studies and research in WSU’s Barton School of
Business.
The
areas of concentration don’t mean extra time spent in the program.
And for many potential students, this is an attractive option.
"Prospective
students who call about the program are extremely happy" to
hear about those options, says Dotty Harpool, associate director
of graduate studies. "These concentration areas are what people
are asking for."
The
changes in the background courses are also a reflection of trends.
"The
whole concept for the MBA when it was created more than 75 years
ago was business education for the nonbusiness person," says
Harpool. As people moved from technical and nonbusiness jobs into
management positions, they didn’t want to return to college
for a second undergraduate degree so they went for the graduate
degree in business.
However,
during the past 20 years, more business majors nationally are pursuing
the MBA and fewer engineers, scientists, health care professional
and others are earning the degree.
With
the changes, WSU officials hope to reverse that trend and attract
more students like Hague, who is pursuing the degree to make himself
more marketable.
"If
I see an interesting job, I don’t want to be limited"
because of not having the required skills, he says.
While
other universities offer graduate business degrees in Wichita, Hague
chose WSU because he wanted a degree from an accredited program.
WSU’s program is the only one in south-central Kansas accredited
by AASCB International, which is the premier accreditation agency
for business schools nationwide. The accreditation ensures the program
is meeting high standards and quality.
