UNH Whittemore School Restructures Part-Time MBA Program To Address Needs Of Students
Students Can Earn Graduate Degree in Two Years Instead of Three

Contact: Lori Wright
603-862-0574
UNH Media Relations

Aug. 15, 2005



DURHAM, N.H. – As part of its continued effort to offer challenging, current business graduate programs that best serve students, the Whittemore School of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire announces it has restructured its part-time MBA program, allowing students to complete the program in two years instead of nearly three years.

The decision comes following a major shift in its full-time MBA program to a one-year program this fall. The two-year full-time MBA program was discontinued, and the last group of students in the two-year program will graduate in May.

Demand for the part-time MBA program has been increasing, according to Barry Shore, professor of decision sciences and academic director of the MBA program. Many students prefer to work full-time and attend school that, in most cases, is funded by their employer.

“The new program is designed to better accommodate the busy schedules of today’s business professionals while at the same time maintaining the standards that are responsible for our recent ranking by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top 100 MBA programs in the country,” Shore said.

“This innovative curriculum was designed specifically to accelerate progress through a highly ranked 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,” he said. The program is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the top accrediting body in the world. Only two MBA programs in New Hampshire are accredited by the body.

According to the Whittemore School, the average part-time MBA student is 32 years old with nine years of professional work experience. Career level trends range from entry level to senior level, but most part-time MBA students are at the mid-manager level. Currently 48 percent of the enrolled part-time students are women, which is a high percentage compared to other part-time MBA programs.

The Whittemore School’s new part-time MBA consists of 16 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.

The restructuring of the part-time and full-time MBA programs 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.