MBA Guide 2020

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OHIO MBA GUIDE

S1 April 27, 2020

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2020

OHIO MBA GUIDE

The evolution of the MBA By KATHY AMES CARR Crain’s Content Studio-Cleveland

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n 1908, the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration unveiled the world’s first MBA program in the U.S. as nationwide industrial growth prompted a demand for educated executives who could oversee such industry surge in production. More universities followed suit, feeding the talent pipeline with graduates who were proficient in accounting, finance, economics and management. Fast forward more than 100 years, and the MBA still is a popular degree that brandishes

the résumés of professionals, from pedigreed leaders in the C-suite to budding entrepreneurs. Its traditionally structured format and delivery, however, has evolved to accommodate the demands of modern students and the workforce in this 21st century age of information and global interconnectivity, local college and university officials say. “We are undergoing a major revision of our MBA program,” said Heidi Hylton Meier, associate dean for academic programs and student affairs at Cleveland State University

Ashland University’s 1-Year International MBA Program features two international study tours, including, most recently, educational trips to Barcelona and Lisbon, Portugal.

Monte Ahuja College of Business. “The pillars that form the program’s business foundation — including accounting, marketing and finance — will remain the same, but we are rolling out more specializations and certificates that will give students more marketable skills.” The timeline has yet to be determined, but when the new program is implemented, students will find more flexibility and options available to accommodate their lifestyle and career needs, she said. Currently, Cleveland State’s MBA is structured to meet the demands of today’s working professionals, with options that include a 19-month EMBA, full-time, part-time, hybrid or a fully online program. Soon, students also will be able to earn certificates in areas such as governance; risk management and compliance; entrepreneurship; or business analytics. These certificates can be “stacked” to meet the completion requirements of an MBA. Graduate business certificates in business analytics or health care management represent some of the newer features of the MBA program at Baldwin Wallace University, which also has shifted in recent years from more traditional forms of delivery into a model that prioritizes quality and scheduling convenience, said Carmen Castro-Rivera, director of graduate business admissions. The graduate business certificates, for one, offer the dual benefit of bolstering one’s career with microcredentials

in big data analytics or leadership in the age of the complex health care industry, while also giving students an on-ramp into the MBA program, should they so choose. Students who enroll in the full-time, part-time, evening or weekend program now can blend between these different formats. “Our core content includes the traditional, foundational and functional levels of business at the leadership level, but we have adjusted our program to meet students where

knowledgeable health informatics professionals play such a key role. Our health informatics concentration courses are taught by a board-certified nurse informaticist with the depth and breadth of knowledge health informatics professionals need to make an impact in their role in the health care industry.” This aspect of health care is crucial, particularly amid the coronavirus global pandemic.

“It is almost impossible to talk about delivering health care in all its forms without technology.” - Douglas Bird, director of the Parker MBA Program at Lake Erie College

they are and to give them what they need. Our programs continue to evolve to meet the demands of the local and global workforce,” she said. Lake Erie College offers a traditional or online MBA, with optional concentrations in health care administration, information technology management and health informatics. Undergraduates also can earn their MBA through the 4+1 MBA program. Similarly, Lake Erie College has amplified its MBA with health care and technology specializations that address the talent need in the health care industry, said Douglas Bird, director of the Parker MBA Program at Lake Erie College. “It is almost impossible to talk about delivering health care in all its forms without technology,” Bird said. “The gap between technology and delivering health care continues to narrow at a rapid rate. That is why

“Current and future health care professionals with a strong background in health care informatics will be crucial in the times ahead,” he said.

A challenging topic

Colleges and universities have also been motivated to retool their MBA programs because of overall declines in enrollment during the past few years. According to the Graduate Management Admission Council, total applications to business schools dipped 6.9% in 2019 after two years of positive year-over-year change in total applications (+9.5% in 2017 and +3.7% in 2018). The steepest declines were in the highly ranked two-year MBAs — although those programs still continue to attract the highest number of applicants per seat, according to the report. Business schools with diversified MBA programs will be more competitively positioned to weather

This advertising-supported section/feature is produced by Crain’s Content Studio-Cleveland, the marketing storytelling arm of Crain’s Cleveland Business. The Crain’s Cleveland Business newsroom is not involved in creating Crain’s Content Studio content.

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