Valparaiso University has been phasing out the “old” and introducing the “new” with its revamped Master of Business Administration (MBA) program. According to the university’s website, “Valpo’s MBA program has made continual investments in programs and technology without sacrificing quality, convenience, or our values,” which is very evident in its updated curriculum.
Niclas Erhardt, Dean of the College of Business at Valparaiso University, said the pandemic kickstarted the revamp as the college introduced its asynchronous MBA track in January 2021.
Now, with the option of multiple tracks, students are able to earn their master’s degree within a schedule that is best suited for them. Erhardt mentioned that the six start times throughout the year provides greater flexibility to meet students’ needs to balance work, life while pursuing an MBA.
“We have an impressive incoming group of students starting the program this fall, which is exciting,” he said. Our new students hail from companies like Ford Motor Company LifeQuest , Nutrien as full-time, part-time, local and remote students that are looking to advance their careers, sharpen their business acumen, and connect with our alums. “We also have other students starting later in the semester, early spring, or in the summer. It’s all based around the students’ schedules.”
Students are also able to blend their learning into whichever style fits best, whether that is all in-person, all online, or a mix of both.
“At Valpo you’re not applying to be an online student or an in-person student. You can switch back and forth in our seven-week classes. You can take an online class one term and an in-person class the next,” Erhardt said.
According to Deborah Singer, Director of Graduate Programs in Business, “Regardless of the modality of learning, one of the key benefits of the Valpo MBA is our small class sizes. Students get to know their professors and classmates. They work together as a team to foster learning. There really is a sense of community within the program, whether a student is in the classroom or online. And our professional alumni network is very much part of this community.”
Students enrolled in the updated program are taught by faculty members as opposed to graduate students because of their industry experience and teaching emphasis.
“A lot of our professors have ten, fifteen, even twenty years of working experience before they get their PhD,” Erhardt said.
“We pride ourselves on being very close to the industry and hands-on learning, which includes undergraduate and graduate students – this is why we are able to place 98 percent of our graduates upon graduation. We focus on employer-driven soft skills such as critical thinking, creativity, emotional intelligence, ethics, and hard skills like linked with business analytics, digital marketing, supply chain management and logistics, and financial tools, and SAP.”
“As we work closely with businesses in our region and beyond, our MBA program is designed for a growing need of lifelong learning in business. I think the mindset of going to college to get a degree and start working is great, but it’s just the beginning. “The skills and knowledge that employers use today have about a five-year lifecycle. You’re going to have to keep on enhancing your toolkit and knowledge, in order to stay current and relevant” he said. Our seven-week classes and stackable certificates are designed for this purpose.
“But what really differentiates our program is how we approach business education from a values lens. Business schools tend to teach one best way to maximize profit. At Valpo, business is about making a difference, having a purpose greater than yourself. If you address what matters first – socially, environmentally, and financially responsible business practices, profit will follow. A lot of our cases, projects, reading assignments, and discussions are framed around societal benefits through business work.”
“We strive to maintain that gold standard of business education,” he said. “We teach business from a sustainable, social, environmental and financial angle. Erhardt says
“It’s not all about profit -- it’s about how you make the people in your community better off.”
Valparaiso University's College of Business sticks to its motto of “do well by doing good,” and with its new MBA program in full swing, this motto is reaffirmed.
To learn more about Valparaiso University’s updated MBA program, visit https://www.valpo.edu/college-of-business/.
