Whittemore School launches innovative one-year MBA program 

By Lori Wright, Media Relations

In a major shift in its MBA program, the Whittemore School of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire will offer a one-year full-time MBA program for the first time this fall, discontinuing its two-year full-time MBA program.

The new one-year program, which is open to all students with a bachelor’s degree, begins in August 2005 and concludes in June 2006.

“Our new intensive one-year MBA program, which models the most innovative emerging MBA programs, minimizes career interruptions and reduces tuition expenses, while retaining a strong educational value. Whittemore School MBA students will be getting one of the highest returns on investments for any AACSB-accredited school,” said Barry Shore, professor of decision sciences and academic director of the MBA program. AACSB, or the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, is the top accrediting body in the world. Only two MBA programs in New Hampshire are accredited by AACSB.

The Whittemore School’s new MBA can be completed in 10 months, and consists of 10 core courses, including economics, accounting, finance, marketing, information systems, quantitative decision making, operations and supply chain management, organizational behavior, organizational design and leadership, and business strategy. Students also will choose a business concentration from the following areas: financial management, entrepreneurial venture creation, marketing and supply chain management, and general management.

“This innovative curriculum was designed specifically to accelerate progress through a highly ranked AACSB-accredited MBA program. The program integrates courses, identifies key skills and concepts necessary for success in business, and helps students master these skills and concepts through class discussions, cases and projects,” Shore said.

The one-year MBA program is the latest advance in the Whittemore School’s efforts to provide the most relevant and innovative academic programs to business school students. The school’s ongoing efforts have been recognized nationally this year: the Whittemore School was named one of the top 100 business schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, ranked by Entrepreneur magazine in the second tier of the top 50 regionally recognized academic programs in the country, and UNH was named one of the Top 25 Most Entrepreneurial Colleges by The Princeton Review and Forbes.com, ranking 10th in the nation. The ranking was based largely on the Whittemore School’s programs.