MBA classes to begin January ‘08June 22, 2007
Accountants, managers, analysts and all other business sector employees looking for graduate-level classes taught from a Christian perspective can now enroll in a new MBA program at Corban College & Graduate School. Corban will begin offering online Master of Business Administration classes in January 2008. This announcement comes after the college’s accrediting organization; the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities approved the program this month. “We’ve been dreaming about this for 10 years,” said Dr. Bryce Bernard, business program dean. “We’ve had alumni asking us when we were going to start an MBA program.” Aimed at working adults, the MBA program consists of 36 credit hours of coursework that can be taken online. Students can choose from a non-profit management track and a management elective track. A student can earn a master’s degree in 16 months. “Courses will be five weeks in length, with students taking up to three courses each semester, one course at a time,” Bernard explained. The MBA program can also help undergraduate business students meet the requirements for becoming certified public accountants. To become a CPA, a student must, in addition to other requirements, earn 150 college credit hours – approximately 20 credits more than a typical bachelor’s degree. “Students from all Oregon institutions most commonly begin work on a master’s degree program in order to meet those requirements,” Bernard said. Because of its convenient online format, the MBA program is available to students beyond Oregon and even beyond the United States. Its first class will be Biblical Leadership and Ethics, followed by Economic Analysis and Policy, and Financial Management. “This is a wonderful opportunity to talk about business from a Christian perspective,” said Corban Provost Linda Samek. “In today's world, that’s something we really need.” The MBA program is Corban’s second graduate-level offering. A Master of Science in Education program was unveiled in 2004. The M.Ed. program is now serving 60 students, most of them full-time teachers. The MBA was a natural next choice, as the college’s successful business program has awarded bachelor’s degrees to 856 students since its introduction in 1972. It is the college’s second-largest major, with 164 current students. The MBA program’s faculty will include Dr. Bryce Bernard, Dr. Bruce Merritt, Dr. Rich Meyers, Jim Sprow, Don Leavitt, Justin Sherwood, Eric Straw and two new professors expected to join the faculty in 2008. -- By Christena Brooks |
