To reach students seeking flexible degree formats, three schools have introduced
new online degree options to the market.
In April, the Barney School of Business at the University of Hartford in
Connecticut announced its launch of a master of science in management (MSM)
program designed for working professionals without formal business education.
Delivered fully online, the 30-credit, part-time MSM has three intakes throughout
the year and requires less than two years for students to complete. In addition to
foundational business knowledge, the program emphasizes areas such as negotiation
and conflict resolution, leadership and organizational behavior, innovation
management, and business communications.
Two other schools have partnered with the online educational platform 2U
Inc. to create flexible online MBA programs. The Daniels College of Business
at the University of Denver in Colorado has created MBA@Denver. Students in
its program will meet with faculty weekly in live online classes and will access
interactive course content online.
The University of Dayton School of Business Administration in Ohio has
begun accepting applications to its new online program, MBA@Dayton, which
offers two options. The first, a 48-credit general MBA, targets individuals with
limited business backgrounds. The second, a 30-credit Advanced Standing MBA,
targets those who have recently earned undergraduate degrees in business. Students
with significant work experience might be eligible to have their previous
experience count as credit toward the Advanced Standing MBA, allowing them to
complete the program in as little as one year.
Both MBA@Denver and MBA@Dayton will require in-person immersion experiences,
in which students will have opportunities to interact with other students,
faculty, and members of the business community. MBA@Dayton, which includes
immersions on the Dayton campus as well as in other U.S. cities, will welcome its
first cohort in October. MBA@Denver will launch in 2018.