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MSM to MBA: The Evolution of Graduate Management Education

The first new graduate management program in NC State's new College of Management was the Master of Science in Management (MSM), established in 1993.

“MSM degrees were the flagship programs at major universities at the time – 1993 to 1995,” Allen said. With its fledgling faculty, the new college offered the basic graduate courses in management – marketing, finance, management – and a larger number of technical course options in areas such as textiles or operations,” he said. Its curriculum was managed by a board of faculty who represented about 10 departments from across the university.

But to have the students be competitive as management graduates, the program needed to change, Allen said. “We needed to add more management classes to the curriculum, and to restructure its governance so that it was led by faculty in the College of Management,” he said. Clark, who was interim dean at the time, appointed Allen as director of the MSM program and changes were quickly implemented.

Pam Bostic joined the MBA team as director in 2002. That was about the same time that the Master of Business Administration (MBA) was becoming the preferred degree for graduate-level positions in management, Allen said. With the digital reading of resumes, the MSM students’ qualifications never got past the scanners which were focused on finding MBA graduates. As a result, business schools at other major universities began changing to the MBA degree.

“It became clear we need to change our program, and in 2002, our graduate management program became an MBA,” he said. The program had about 200 MSM students enrolled, up from about 120 or so when the college was created. “We gave the students the option of which degree name they preferred; all but one chose the MBA,” Allen said. Within three years, enrollment in the MBA program had grown to more than 300 full time and part time students, he said.

Along with the name change came premium tuition, which enabled the college to add career development services, student advising, faculty support for new course development, and other resources that have enabled the program to continually improve over the years.

The now-named Jenkins MBA program “has been pretty successful,’ Allen said. “The first time it was eligible to be in the U.S. News & World Report rankings, in 2005, we were ranked 65. That was fairly significant for a program that just came on the scene. We have been consistently in the U.S. News’ top 75 programs from the start,” he said. The part time program, which has consistently had higher enrollments, has been on Businessweek’s Top 30 list.

To stay current with changing needs in business and industry, the Jenkins MBA program has added concentrations and new program delivery options. Students now can choose from six management concentrations: biosciences, financial, innovation, marketing, services and consulting, supply chain, and entrepreneurship and technology commercialization and six dual degree options with NC State's doctor of veterinary medicine and master's programs in biomanufacturing, industrial engineering and microbial biotechnology; Poole College's Master of Accounting and Global Innovation Management programs; and Campbell University's juris doctorate.

Deliver options have also changed, offering more options for working professionals. The Jenkins MBA options now include: the Jenkins Professional Online MBA, added in 2010; the Jenkins Full Time MBA; and the Jenkins Professional MBA, introduced in February 2013, with classes at Nelson Hall on NC State's main campus and the Jenkins MBA location in Research Triangle Park. The online MBA includes two residencies, one at NC State and one, globally.

“The Online MBA is doing well, putting the college ahead of MBA programs at many of its peer institutions, and we had a smooth transition to the Professional MBA model,” Allen said. This model includes two tracks: An accelerated track that can be completed in 21 months, and a flexible track that allows students to complete the degree requirements at their own pace.

MBA PROGRAM LEADERSHIP: Pam Bostic, MBA program director; Jen Arthur, assistant director; Judee Lonnee, assistant director for the professional MBA at RTP and the main campus; Jenny Champ, assistant director for the Professional Onlne MBA program. Professional and career development services are provided by Belinda Dowdy, John Hutchings, Claire Jefferies, and Amanda Sink. Daniel Bursch. is assistant director for student affairs and alumni.

Return to SOTC 2013 Jenkins Graduate Programs