New MBA 4 + 1 Degree Available to Westminster Students
A new partnership with Maryville University in St. Louis will make a 4 + 1 Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree program available to Westminster students.
Students who choose to stay at Westminster a fifth year and successfully complete the intensive program will finish the year having earned an MBA.
“We had quite a bit of student interest in this program when we discussed it in the fall semester, and Maryville will recruit students this semester as well. Students will be a part of a cohort that will start in June, and they will complete their courses together over the next year,” says Dr. Carolyn Perry, Senior Vice President of the College and Dean of Faculty. “We believe this model works well because students not only get to extend their time at Westminster, but they also get to work with current classmates and encourage one another as they complete their MBA.”
Caitlin Ladd, Associate Director and Strategic Partnership Coordinator at Maryville University, will be on the Westminster campus to discuss the program with Westminster students from 1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. in the Hunter Activity Center on Wednesday, Feb. 15.
Maryville University will allow Westminster students to count a designated six hours of their undergraduate coursework as electives toward the MBA.
Courses will be taught by instructors from both Westminster College and Maryville University and will be a hybrid of classroom and online learning.
The curriculum will include MBA-level management, accounting, ethics, marketing, leadership and other business courses offered through Maryville’s John E. Simon School of Business.
“We are very excited about this new partnership, which offers a great opportunity for our students,” says President Benjamin Ola. Akande. “Any time two excellent institutions like Maryville and Westminster can come together to provide new graduate education opportunities for our students, it is a win-win all around.”
President Akande emphasized that the blended format of classroom time, complemented with online coursework, will allow students to balance their academic and personal lives and receive an advanced degree in an accelerated time frame.
“It was an easy decision to create a joint MBA program when President Akande approached us with the opportunity,” said Dr. Mark Lombardi, President of Maryville University. “Higher education is rapidly changing, so we must work collaboratively to ensure we are able to meet the needs of students where they are.”
Westminster and Maryville are already offering a joint MBA program for employees of Ameren Missouri’s Callaway Energy Center, which started Jan. 16. Westminster also offers a 4+ 1 master’s degree in accounting, in partnership with Washington University.
Founded in 1872, Maryville University is a comprehensive and nationally-ranked private institution with an enrollment of more than 6,800 students. Maryville offers over 90 degrees at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels to students from 50 states and 54 countries.
In addition to their excellent undergraduate and graduate curricula and their campus life opportunities, both Westminster College and Maryville University focus on student outcomes. As a result, approximately 95 percent of their graduates find jobs in their field of interest within six months of graduation.
For more information on the Westminster College/Maryville University, listen to a Westminster Waves podcast interview with Westminster Chief of Staff Gary Stocker.
