The Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education has authorized the Craig School of Business at Missouri Western State University to begin offering its first Master of Business Administration degrees. MBA classes will begin in 2017.
“This is a very important development in the evolution of our university,” said Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Missouri Western’s president. “This is a true community partnership with St. Joseph and beyond. In particular, the letters of support we received for this degree from our community leaders reflected overwhelming justification for this program. It will provide a wonderful continuing educational opportunity for many local leaders and business people in our community and beyond.”
Providing letters of support were Representative Pat Conway, the 139th Airlift Wing of the Missouri National Guard, AgriLabs, Ltd., Altec industries, Inc., BioZyme, Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc., CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP, Commerce Bank, Herzog Contracting Corp. and the News Press & Gazette Company.
Dr. Mike Lane, Dean, Craig School of Business
“I want to thank those local leaders for their support of this new program,” said Dr. Mike Lane, dean of the Craig School of Business, adding that Missouri Western’s accreditation by AACSB International is evidence that the program will be of top quality. “AACSB International is the most prestigious business accreditation organization in the world, with fewer than five percent of business schools globally earning their accreditation, and we are very excited to be able to offer an AACSB-accredited MBA program for the first time in St. Joseph.”
Missouri Western will offer three concentrations within the MBA program: forensic accounting, enterprise resource planning, and animal and life sciences. Each concentration will require 18 credit hours of core courses in finance and accounting, marketing, management, analytics and communication, and 12 hours in the concentration area. Classes will be offered in the evening for the convenience of working professionals aiming to advance their careers by earning an advanced degree.
“As with all of our graduate degree programs, the emphasis of the MBA program will be to provide very practical educational opportunities that will equip our students for the workforce of the St. Joseph region,” said Dr. Ben Caldwell, dean of Missouri Western’s Graduate School.
The MBA program will be the second graduate degree of the Craig School of Business. The school began offering a Master of Information Management in Enterprise Resource Planning in 2014 and enrollment has exceeded expectations, with more than 40 students enrolled last semester. For more information on the Craig School, visit www.missouriwestern.edu/business.
The MBA is Missouri Western’s 17th master’s degree program. The Graduate School also offers 7 graduate certificate programs. For more information on Missouri Western’s advanced degrees, visit www.missouriwestern.edu/graduate.
Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.