The Oglethorpe University Board of Trustees voted Feb. 17 to approve a proposed Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree program, which is pending approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) with final approval expected in June.

Once approved, the program would begin in Fall Semester 2023 with participation limited to a select cohort of 24 students.

“Our students and graduates have been asking us to offer an MBA for several years, and when we get the final go-ahead from SACSCOC, we can begin to meet that need,” said Oglethorpe President Nick Ladany. “This will be an MBA through the liberal arts lens and will complement well any number of undergraduate degrees in a wide variety of disciplines.”

The Oglethorpe MBA will be a 10-course, 30-credit hour program that can be completed in a year. It will be taught by Hammack School of Business faculty, and students will not have to take prerequisites. Instead, they will have a self-paced, online “MBA Bootcamp” at the start of each semester to prepare for the coursework.

The MBA program will be offered in a convenient log-in/drop-in format with in-person instruction that maximizes face time with faculty and peers while providing virtual access to the live lectures for increased flexibility. Classes will be scheduled 6-8:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday, to accommodate working professionals.

“We have designed this degree program with the working professional in mind,” said Hammack School of Business Dean Stephen Craft. “The learner will have full control and flexibility in how they want to participate all while keeping live teaching with real professors as the cornerstone of the program.”

Like admission to all degree programs at Oglethorpe, standard tests — in this case the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) and Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) — are optional. They can be submitted with the application, but they are not required.

Concentrations will be offered in key strategic areas, allowing students to customize their degree. The first concentration offered will be management with those electives offered on Thursdays during each semester of the program and in June.

The Oglethorpe MBA schedule also allows for a seamless transition for students completing Oglethorpe’s new Adult Degree Program. Newly minted adult graduates can keep the same schedule during the week and move on to complete their MBA with an extra year of study.

“The Oglethorpe MBA is the ideal business-focused credential to pair with any undergraduate degree from any discipline,” Craft said. “By focusing on critical thinking and communication skills, delivering excellence in student-focused classroom instruction, and keeping live teaching in modest sized classes, our MBA will be an extension of the Oglethorpe experience to the graduate degree level.”

There will be an avenue for OU employees to participate, and more information will be forthcoming in the weeks ahead. For more information, visit the MBA program web page or sign up to receive additional information.

Information sessions will be hosted in-person and virtually by the dean at the following times (RSVP by clicking the dates below for the session you wish to attend):

• Noon to 1 p.m., March 29, in the Office of Admissions
• Noon to 1 p.m., April 6, virtually
• Noon to 1 p.m., April 10, in the Office of Admissions