Undergraduate Admissions

On the eve of its 40th birthday, the Gannon University Master of Business Administration (MBA) program is being reinvented.

The program has undergone a comprehensive restructuring so as to both better meet the needs of a changing marketplace and afford current and future Gannon MBA students more choice and flexibility.

Most notably, and effective with the upcoming fall semester, Gannon’s MBA program will allow students to complete their degree requirements in a more time-efficient manner. As a result of the restructuring, Gannon’s MBA program is transitioning from the popular “semester” model of course delivery to a newly adopted FasTrack model.

“As the marketplace continues to evolve, we know that time is of the essence for many students,” said Scott E. Miller, CPA, J.D., DBA, assistant professor, accounting; director of Graduate Programs; and associate director of Gannon University’s Dahlkemper School of Business Administration. “This new method of course delivery will be an ideal fit for those students who wish to earn a Gannon MBA degree in as little as one year.”

Under Gannon’s FasTrack model, students typically will take two classes – the equivalent of six credits – over a period of 10 weeks. After a break of a week, the students will begin a new 10 week cycle, taking two more classes, and continue repeating the same cycle. Night and weekend class options will be offered for the benefit of working professionals enrolled in the program.

Students likely will have a break beyond one week in August, and also around the Christmas holiday, Miller said, allowing students the ability to complete the program in one year.
“It is important to note that students still will earn the same, high quality Gannon University MBA degree under this model,” Miller added. “The difference is that now they will be able to do so in a more condensed time frame.”

Miller also noted other forthcoming changes to Gannon’s MBA program:

• Greater predictability for students – As a result of the program’s restructuring, the same four core courses will be offered during the same time period every year, Miller said. That way, students will know exactly when they will be able to enroll in a particular course.

• More flexibility in bypassing courses – Previously, Gannon MBA students could have certain courses waived based on their prior professional/work experience, fulfillment of specific undergraduate-level courses, or achievement of minimum scores on challenge exams. Through the MBA program’s overhaul, students now will be able to take a number of online, self-study options that also will allow them to have certain courses waived. The self-study options will be offered at significant discounts and, if all requirements are met, will allow students to bypass five courses: Financial Accounting; Statistical Analysis; Management and Marketing Concepts; Fundamentals of Financial Management; and Economic Environment of the Firm.

• A curriculum more closely aligned to the current marketplace – As the business world changes, so too is Gannon’s MBA program, which in 2010 will celebrate its 40th Anniversary. Specifically, the program will place greater emphasis on areas such as ethics and social responsibility, globalization, and communication and technology.

For more information on Gannon University’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) program, call 814-871-7576, or visit http://www.gannon.edu/mba.