The Poole College of Management introduced a new MBA program that can be completed in less than two years, starting in the fall 2013 semester.
“The University created the professional MBA to make a new degree that is more practical,” said Steven Allen, associate dean for graduate programs at the Poole College of Management.
“We were looking at how to make the degree more attractive to potential students,” Allen said. “We did a careful analysis of what kind of knowledge and skills someone with a MBA needs to have. We then looked at our own courses and requirements, and started to think imaginatively how we could provide the real essence of the degree in a timeframe that made more sense to students.”
The previous program had a typical timeframe for completion and took a part-time student two to three years to complete, according to Allen. However, because several schools in the area, including UNC-Chapel Hill, were able to provide a MBA in a shorter time frame, N.C. State decided to implement a fast-track of its own.
The program has two options, the accelerated track and the flexible track. “The accelerated track allows students to get their MBA in as few as 21 months and is attractive to those with part-time jobs. The flexible track is designed to be completed in about three years, giving students more time to balance work, family and friends,” Allen said.
The professional MBA also boasts award-winning faculty, an innovative curriculum and affordable tuition, according to the College of Management’s website. “The degree appears to be an effective alternative to more traditional programs due to its small class sizes and competitive admission process,” the webpage stated.
“We want N.C. State to be a place to provide people opportunity, and I think by making it more accessible we can do that,” Allen said.
Allen also expressed the desire to be more respected on a national level. ww
“Our MBA program was ranked in the top 30 by Business Week,” Allen said. “That’s a pretty good start but we’d like to be ranked higher. We want to see the business school respected as much as engineering, design and veterinary medicine. We want everyone to be proud of the business school as well.”