Dive Brief:
- Saint Mary’s University in Minnesota now offers an online, accelerated MBA program that may be the first of its kind.
- Campus Technology reports the 18-month program can be customized so students can focus on social media management and marketing, data analytics, or sustainability and environmental management, or get a general MBA degree.
- The program includes an experiential component where students must complete a capstone project with a corporation in the U.S. or abroad to graduate.
Dive Insight:
Traditional higher education institutions are facing pressure to compete with short-term and otherwise flexible job training programs, some of which will soon have access to federal financial aid through an experimental sites program.
The accelerated online credential may tempt returning students who were considering other short-term options. The specialization component allows adults with some business experience to expand the depth or breadth of their knowledge by focusing on an aspect of business that makes them more marketable in their job searches.