Beginning in January 2007, the first cohort of students will enter Metropolitan State University's online Masters in Business Administration (MBA) program. It is the only online MBA offered by a public Minnesota university.
Metropolitan State's MBA program differs from others in several ways. It will be sponsored by employers or professional organizations, so that while students will receive education in common bodies of knowledge, such as organizational behavior, finance, MIS, operations management and strategic management, many of the cases, electives and business projects will be tailored to meet the unique needs of an organization. A health care organization, for example, might offer a course in the economics of health care; an education organization might offer a course in management and governance in higher education. "Cohorts formed this way are likely to have more in common than simply the coincidence of timing," said Barbara Keinath, Professor of Management, and Director, Metropolitan State University's Center for Online Learning. "Students come with similar industry backgrounds and professional training." Students also typically stay enrolled in cohorts more consistently because of the support their fellow students provide.
Another unique element is the combination of customized and "off the shelf" classes. The online MBA program will consist of 11 courses for 40 credits, which students can complete in five semesters. "Students will complete coursework online, but they will be expected to participate in two in-person residencies," said Keinath, "which will include community building activities." Residencies last from Friday afternoon through Sunday and can take place on campus or at a location chosen by the sponsoring organization. The first residency will occur in the first semester and will be focused on getting the cohort off to a successful start.
An orientation to the program, it will introduce students to the instructional management system, review the program requirements, provide an overview of the questions and issues addressed by the MBA program and introduce Metropolitan State's online library resources.
The second residency will reconvene the group to reinforce a sense of community, possibly through a panel of experts discussing a topic relevant to one of the courses during the semester. The second residency also introduces a business project that will be the integrative project of the program. Here teams of two or three students will work on a real-life project of importance to the sponsor or employer. "The projects will require students to integrate and apply skills and knowledge gained throughout the program to research and analyze the situation and propose feasible solutions," said Keinath.
The third residency will take place online and include team reports on the business projects, review of those projects by a panel of experts and a program wrap-up. "Our program will also be distinguished by the rich media we are building into the courses, as well as a maximum amount of interaction between students and faculty," said Gary Seiler, Dean, College of Management.
"The program will be highly integrative in its approach, with learning in one course applied to other courses. In addition to the courses themselves, we will have a full support network, including advisors, tutors, library and bookstore."
"Students who are interested in pursuing an online MBA degree should compare programs for quality, flexibility class size and cost," recommended Keinath.
Quality
Look for resident faculty who are PhD prepared and have relevant work
experience. "When there are multiple faculty members involved in course
development, the students benefit from the team approach," she said.
At Metropolitan State, a development team creates the curriculum, but instructors always have the ability to tailor classes to their individual skills and backgrounds, and to the students in their class. All Metropolitan State faculty members who develop courses for the online MBA and who teach online are trained through the Teaching Online course and trained on use of the instructional management system.
Flexibility
Metropolitan State offers multiple delivery modes for its
courses, some of which will be online while others will be in the
classroom. A full complement of required courses will be held during the
summer, as well as during spring and fall semesters. Students can take
one course a semester, a full schedule of 12 credits or something in
between, stopping for a semester as needed to attend to family, work or
personal demands.
Class Size
At Metropolitan State, class size is about
20 to 22 students, whether online or in the classroom. "That's small
enough for individual attention from the instructor, but large enough to
provide a diversity of learning styles, skills and perspectives from
students," said Keinath.
Cost
Because Metropolitan State's online MBA
program builds on courses it already offers, it can provide the program
at a lower cost than most other providers. Organizations that wish to
participate in the program should contact Seiler at
gary.seiler@metrostate.edu.
Students who are interested in the online MBA program should let their organizations know of their interest. Some may be able to join a cohort through the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL). Metropolitan State may also soon form a cohort sponsored by MnSCU for instructors in the system who want to pursue an MBA.
Metropolitan State University (www.metrostate.edu), a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System, provides high-quality, affordable academic and professional degree programs at the bachelor's and master's levels.