Online MBA seekers can look to CSU, Stanislaus

After an idea that sprouted only a year and a half ago, California State University, Stanislaus, will launch an online master's of business administration program in the fall of 2012.

The online program came in response to student demand, said Randall Harris, professor of management at the university. He and a staff put together the online MBA "on a shoestring" for the university, which has suffered hefty budget cutbacks over the past several years.

"People ask, 'Why would you do something like this in the middle of a crisis?' " he said. "We didn't have a choice. This is where the market has gone."

The university already offers an executive MBA program, designed to meet the needs of people who have jobs. Those students meet outside traditional work hours. But Harris pointed out that "traditional" work hours no longer apply in many jobs, and several MBA students have family activities they're reluctant to miss.

"Students are working multiple jobs, some great distances from their homes," Harris said. "This program will allow them to study anytime, anywhere."

Harris pointed out that the traditional knock on such programs — that they don't replicate real-world experience — no longer applies.

"In workplaces, people work in virtual teams," he said. "We have Microsoft Exchange calendars, texting. This is just reflecting the evolution of your and my work."

In the online MBA program, which will open with a group of about 30, students will work together on projects and research. They will be taught by a faculty that has taken specialized courses in teaching online MBA classes. Harris pointed out that Stanislaus' program is the only one in the state accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

Only 5 percent of business schools are AACSB accredited, said Dave Tonelli, vice president for communications and public affairs at Stanislaus.

The online MBA will cost about as much as Stanislaus' traditional programs, in the low $20,000s. Private MBA programs locally, such as through the University of Phoenix, can run more than $50,000, while an Ivy League version would be a minimum of $80,000, Harris said.

Some portions of the program are being worked out, such as prerequisites and the application process, Harris said. But he's confident the university will get plenty of response once those pieces are in place.

"Without any announcement, we've already had inquiries," he said. "We'd be pleased to have more."

He said the faculty will continue developing the program as it moves forward.

"There are always challenges to delivering this kind of education," he said. "I anticipate making mistakes, and learning from them. In many cases, the students will teach us."

For more information on the online MBA program, contact the MBA office at the university, MBAprogram@csustan.edu or (209) 667-3280.

Bee staff writer Patty Guerra can be reached at pguerra@modbee.com or (209) 578-2343.

This story was originally published October 19, 2011 at 1:14 AM with the headline "Online MBA seekers can look to CSU, Stanislaus."