Newswise — In the wake of the recession and in the midst of a competitive job market, college graduates are wondering if pursuing an MBA is the right choice to advance their career goals. With this climate top of mind, American University’s Kogod School of Business has redesigned its MBA programs to reflect the contemporary demands of 21st century business while capitalizing on its prime location in Washington, D.C.
"The idea [for the revised MBA] is to provide the opportunity for students to open themselves up to changing their mindset and to immerse themselves in new ways of thinking," said associate professor Mark Clark, faculty program director for the full-time MBA and an expert in human capital management.
An MBA for the 21st CenturyKogod’s MBA program is designed to be a career catalyst and the place where opportunity and experience meet. Grounded in a global, analytical, and experiential approach, the 21-month program consists of a solid business core that is completed in the first year. In the second year, students may choose electives with a consulting focus, developed with leading federal and commercial consulting firms. Students who do not wish to pursue a career in consulting may choose electives from a variety of business offerings at Kogod, and may also focus on soft skills, such as team building and motivational management.
Kogod’s full-time MBA program will provide proficiency in the key skill areas—strategy, accounting, marketing, management, finance, IT, and more—demanded by the private sector, allowing graduates to bring a fresh and innovative perspective to organizations that live where the public, private, and nonprofit worlds connect, such as The World Bank, Deloitte, U.S. Department of Defense, Raytheon, and others. In a global society where public and private entities are more dependent upon each other than ever, full-time MBA graduates will possess the expertise and agility to operate within these diverse organizations with ease.
Kogod full-time MBA students will gain knowledge and skill in both domestic and global business through experience and interaction with clients, professors, business leaders and fellow students, both inside and outside of the classroom.
The program features:- Two-week Signature Courses that will explore the traits of a globally-minded manager, and the interconnectedness of the private, public, and nongovernmental sectors. - The Business Leadership in D.C. Luncheon Series to provide students with exposure to business in Washington, networking, and consulting opportunities. - A required International Consulting Project and Trip to allow students the opportunity to use what they have learned to enhance their global perspective of business. New Morning Professional MBAThe Professional MBA (PMBA), Kogod’s part-time MBA program for working professionals, will introduce a morning cohort to complement its very successful evening program in fall 2014.
One of just a handful of morning MBA programs offered in the United States, Kogod’s new Morning PMBA program will allow students with flexible schedules to pursue an MBA degree by taking one class at a time, one day per week, in the morning (7:10 a.m. – 10:10 a.m.). In an ever more scheduled, hectic world, Kogod’s mission is to offer an innovative way for adult, professional learners to pursue a degree that for many is a vital tool in advancing their careers. "This [cohort] is for people who wake up ready to go at dawn…for those who, previously, have had to sit around and wait on the rest of the world to catch up with them," said Professor Jill Klein, PMBA faculty program director. "We're hoping to change that with classes for the breakfast crowd."
The morning PMBA will enable working parents to be home with their families in the evening. Students who have earned the flexibility to arrive late to the office one day per week will have school and work finished by 5:00 p.m. Federal government employees can take advantage of a flexible or condensed work schedule to attend class in the morning. And IT professionals, who may have a more flexible work schedule than the traditional 9-to-5, may find morning classes a viable option in pursuing their MBA.
“The PMBA’s class schedule fit into my life very easily—none of the other local universities offered a program that was equally convenient. You’re on campus one day per week and can do the online learning part of the program on your own time,” said Kari Jo Tiede, a current student in the evening PMBA program.
An all-inclusive program fee includes class materials, an iPad, international travel, tuition, and meals during class time, making the PMBA not only convenient, but financially predictable as well.
The Kogod School of Business at American University in Washington, D.C. is committed to the belief that profit and purpose are not at odds, and believes purpose-driven individuals create sustainable organizations which shape a thriving global economy. Kogod is accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). American University is a leader in global education, enrolling a diverse student body from throughout the United States and nearly 140 countries. The university provides opportunities for academic excellence, public service, and internships in the nation’s capital and around the world.
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