Digital Doorway

Jones College rolls out the welcome wagon online for M.B.A. students

by Patsy B. Weiler

For students like first-year M.B.A. candidate Katie Medrano, whose undergraduate degree was not in business, Jones College of Business’ partnership with Coursera is the perfect gift—free access to the prerequisites they need, online and on their time.

“You don’t have to quit your job to attend school. I was so excited when I realized I saved a year of my life through Coursera.”

“Don’t worry if you don’t have any experience in business,” said Medrano, who earned her bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communication. “It is giving me the foundational knowledge I need to pursue my M.B.A. They give you deadlines to help you plan your time. They give me enough time to complete it. I like the flexibility.

Access to Coursera, with its enhanced and often accelerated learning experiences, is just one way Jones College is offering market-driven opportunities to Master of Business Administration students (see sidebar below on anti-money laundering).

In addition to prerequisites, some M.B.A. students may use the Coursera platform to pursue a variety of self-guided projects, certifications, and on-demand courses taught by leading universities and faculty around the world.

Students even have a semester to take such specialized courses after graduating with their master’s degrees, providing advanced education without cost or earning another degree.

Since MTSU entered the partnership in fall 2021, nearly 300 individuals—faculty, staff, and M.B.A. students at Jones College—have taken advantage of Coursera offerings.

INNOVATIVE LEARNING PARTNERSHIP

Jones College has a limited number of licenses with Coursera, allowing students free access to the platform. Participants are assigned a license, which is returned after studies are completed.

“Our partnership with Coursera has multiple purposes,” said Sesan Kim Sokoya, professor and associate dean for graduate and executive education. “One, it provides an opportunity for some of our students to get the necessary requisite knowledge to take graduate business courses. This is especially true for those students applying for graduate business programs who do not have an undergraduate degree in business.

“Two, the licenses we receive from Coursera also give our M.B.A. students the opportunity to pursue specialized professional credentials after graduating. It helps their employability and is a good way to market our University and the programs at the Jones College of Business.”

Jones College is 'on the cutting edge, providing short-duration certificate programs and other focused qualifications that will prepare people to advance in their careers without pursuing a full-blown degree program.'

Companies like Amazon Web Services, Google, IBM, and Meta (formerly Facebook) provide courses leading to specialized certifications on Coursera. Once completed, users can list the digital certificates on their résumés or place on LinkedIn as an icon called a badge, making them more attractive to job recruiters.

“We know that Jones College cannot possibly employ enough full-time faculty who cover the full range of expertise needed in today’s business environment. We have partnered with outside entities to meet the needs of the market,” Dean David Urban said.

EASY ON-RAMP TO M.B.A.

For students taking their M.B.A. prerequisites—often courses in finance, accounting, and statistics—through Coursera, Jones College does not give graduate credit that would be a part of their GPA. However, if the class is passed with a grade of B or higher, it fulfills the requirement and “is a good ramp to start the degree for many students,” Sokoya said.

Another first-year graduate student who came to MTSU to earn her degree is Savannah Beard, 27, of Clarksville. She is enrolled in MTSU’s Flex M.B.A. (a 12-month accelerated program with a 100% online option) and took advantage of Coursera studying on her day off from a full-time job.

“It was incredibly beneficial, and I am thankful I chose to take the courses,” Beard said. “My undergraduate degree was in history and did not give me the necessary background in accounting and finance.

“It is user-friendly and very easy to navigate. There were lecture videos for each topic. Math has never come easily to me, but I completed each course with a high A. I am grateful I did my prerequisites through Coursera and can now focus entirely on my degree.”

Medrano, 26, who works full time as coordinator in MTSU’s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, took two Coursera courses during winter break and two in the Spring 2023 semester along with an introductory M.B.A. organizational leadership course.

“Coursera was the perfect option for me because not only was it free through MTSU, but it allowed me to do asynchronous learning to earn my credits, which is perfect because I can plan my classes around my job,” she said. “It means I can have time with my family, which is very important to me. We can eat our dinner together.”

M.B.A. student Katie Medrano

Online Coursework Expands

Urban, leaving his dean position to return to a regular faculty position, is so impressed with Coursera that he’s taking courses himself in fall 2023.

“I believe so strongly in the value of the Coursera course content that I plan to complete two to three courses. . . . I expect the Coursera courses to help me in my personal retooling,” Urban said. Jones College is “on the cutting edge, providing short-duration certificate programs and other focused qualifications that will prepare people to advance in their careers without pursuing a full-blown degree program.”

Sokoya said the need for additional credentialing beyond the traditional degree and the availability of online coursework is only going to grow.

“It is a reality that graduate students want online delivery of courses. Across the nation, big schools or smaller schools, they all have online programs and classes. It is a new normal,” he said.

His observations are in sync with a 2022 Online College Students Report by Education Dynamics indicating 87% of undergraduate and graduate online students agreed or strongly agreed that online education was worth the cost. “Offering these types of programs draws both more students and professionals to Jones College and MTSU,” Sokoya said. “It is very attractive to them.”

Jones College has rolled out the digital welcome mat.

Anti-money-laundering professionals in demand

Money laundering is a big and growing problem. A report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said the estimated amount of money laundered globally in one year is 2%–5% of global GDP, or $800 billion to $2 trillion in current U.S. dollars.

The number of financial companies located in Nashville also is on the rise, which, in turn, increases local demand for anti-money-laundering professionals with expertise in detection, prevention, and enforcement.

In yet another partnership, MTSU’s Jones College is working with the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS)—the largest global membership organization dedicated to fighting financial crime—to provide training in compliance and anti-money-laundering (AML) practices. Such coursework helps individuals pursuing their Master of Business Administration degree build a stronger résumé and prepare for modern workforce demands.

The Investopedia website says anti-moneylaundering “refers to the web of laws, regulations, and procedures aimed at uncovering efforts to disguise illicit funds as legitimate income.”

Money laundering seeks to conceal crimes ranging from small-time tax evasion and drug trafficking to public corruption and the financing of groups designated as terrorist organizations.

“The ACAMS content in our classes is delivered with support from an ACAMS-certified instructor,” said MTSU Professor Sesan Kim Sokoya, associate dean for graduate and executive education. “As many industries increase their presence online and there are more virtual transactions, the need for AML professionals will continue to increase.”

He noted that “sanctions by both domestic and foreign governments have put companies on alert to do a better job” of addressing financial crimes such as money laundering. “Our partnership with ACAMS helps our folks be prepared to step into important positions in this growing field.”