NON-TRADITIONAL MBA PROGRAMS
How Non-traditional MBA Programs Foster an
INCLU Dr Emad Rahim and Dr Amine Ayad
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any people find the subject of business management to be fascinating, but they often find the context that is used to teach and promote business education intimidating and unapproachable. Based on the authors' experiences, students from low socioeconomic backgrounds and non-traditional adult students who can contribute a great deal to the field are interested in pursuing business education, but they veer away from such an endeavor because they often believe they lack the necessary background to pursue a Master of Business Administration degree (MBA). Moreover, the cost of tuition, entrance exams, professional references and letters of recommendation often serve to further entrench a student's impression of an unachievable goal. To attract more diverse MBA students, the image and language that are used to promote business programs need to be more inclusive. The universities that promote and teach traditional MBA degree programs need to consider the diverse population that is not currently being serviced. The purpose of this article is to review MBA traditions and challenges facing inclusive MBA education.
The universities that promote and teach traditional MBA degree programs need to consider the diverse population that is not currently being serviced.
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The Traditional MBA The history of advance business education started with Dartmouth College. Dartmouth College introduced the first advanced degree in the study of business in 1900 (Hahn, 2006). In 1908 Harvard University followed along Dartmouth’s footsteps by offering the first MBA degree, which was further developed in 1925 by Stanford University. According to Hahn, the MBA program then struggled as a career enhancement alternative for students until the Carnegie Corporation and Ford Foundation concluded that the MBA program required more analytical education after conducting a thorough research investigation. The study supported the application of analytical practices to deal with business problems and they recommended that more academic research projects be introduced into the MBA curriculum. In 1991 AACSB, the business school accreditation organization, revised its standards on required business curriculums, removing management science from its accepted position as part of the canon of the MBA. Many business programs replaced the management science courses with leadership and organizational behavior courses. These changes were correlated to MBA programs trying to adapt to the current business trends and the needs of practitioners. During this time there was also a huge enrollment decline in MBA students throughout universities in the nation. A report issued by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC, 2004) reported that 78 per cent of institutions offering traditional two-year MBA programs experienced a decline in enrollment in 2004/05. CEO MAGAZINE
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