Roanoke College prepares to offer MBA program

Roanoke College faculty voted to add the College's first graduate program in 100 years.

SALEM, V.A., April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Roanoke College is poised to offer its first graduate program in more than a century, pending approval by the regional higher education accreditor, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SAACS-COC).

Faculty voted on March 23 to approve a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, and if approved, the College will begin administering the degree in summer 2023. If approved, this would be the first time the College will offer graduate courses since the 1920s, when Roanoke offered masters-level chemistry courses.

 "This is a victory for Roanoke and our students," President Michael C. Maxey said. "The faculty worked hard on the proposal and created an excellent final product. We are grateful to everyone involved in developing this program. It is a great step forward for Roanoke College and our students."

The program will be a four-plus-one program, where students will complete their undergraduate degree in four years and their MBA after a fifth year. It will require summer and regular-term courses and will consist of 11 courses taken by yearly cohorts of 20 students. These cohorts will contain four teams working together on projects that will culminate in a comprehensive team project. The MBA degree provides in-depth knowledge and application in the core areas of business: accounting, leadership, ethics, economics, management, marketing, finance, and data analysis.

The MBA program connects to and supports the liberal arts tradition at Roanoke College by enhancing the knowledge students receive as undergraduates and preparing them for career and professional advancement.

 Dr. Richard Grant, interim vice president for academic affairs, spearheaded the movement, as did a variety of faculty and staff members including Prof. Sharon Gibbs, interim associate dean for academic affairs and student engagement; Dr. Michelle Hagadorn, associate professor of business administration and economics; Dr. Gail Steehler, associate dean of academic affairs and administration; Dr. Shannon Anderson, associate professor of sociology and public health; and Dr. Charlene Kalinoski, professor of modern languages.

 Roanoke College has an established academic reputation in business administration. The Princeton Review has named Roanoke a Great School for Business/Finance Majors every year since 2014. Business administration is the College's most popular major and offers students a wide array of real-world learning experiences in addition to a solid background of the major functional areas of business.

SOURCE Roanoke College