Academics
The School of Business offers the Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Arts in Management (MAM) as well as a doctoral program, Doctor of Business Administration, and a joint degree in communication, divinity, government, education, law, psychology, counseling, and leadership studies and the arts. Other programs include interdisciplinary study, cross-registration through the Tidewater Consortium, and internships. The strongest areas of study are entrepreneurship, management, finance, and marketing. The most popular courses are From Idea to Market Success, Leading and Managing People, and Strategic Leadership. Regular programs bring distinguished speakers and visiting professors to campus, including the Executive Leadership series.
Forty-eight total credits are required to complete the MBA, including 12 elective credits. Required courses include:
- Successful Executive Life
- Leading with Excellence and Integrity
- Marketing
- Financial Reporting and Control
- Teamwork and Interpersonal Relations
- From Idea to Market Success
- Corporate Finance
- Managerial Economics and Decision Analysis
- Technology and Operations Management
- Marketing Strategy
- Managerial Finance
- Business in the Global Environment
- Strategic Decision-Making
- Choose 3 Classes from 8 Elective Specializations
Required courses for the MAM include:
- Successful Executive Life
- Leading with Excellence and Integrity
- Marketing and Entrepreneurial Thinking
- Financial Reporting and Control
- Teamwork and Interpersonal Relations
- From Idea to Market Success
- Technology and Operations Management
- Choose 3 Classes from 8 Elective Specializations
Students may eliminate or substitute requirements through waiver examinations and prior graduate course work considered on an individual basis.
Business students may take relevant nonbusiness courses in other departments. The minimum time permitted to complete the master’s degree program attending full time is 1 <1/2> years; maximum, 5 years. For students attending part time, the minimum is 2 <1/2> years; maximum, 5 years.
In a recent year there were 12 total full-time graduate business faculty, of whom 75% held a doctorate; there are 6 part-time faculty, of whom 33% held a doctorate. Average number of courses faculty teach is 3; average business class size is 20.