Towson, UB unveil redesigned joint MBA

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Towson University and the University of Baltimore have redesigned their joint MBA program to better reflect the business environment and the needs of students and employers, the institutions said Wednesday.

The decision to revamp the existing program was made in response to increasing skepticism nationwide about whether a master of business administration degree is as valuable as it once was, school officials said in a statement.

The new curriculum, which will be implemented this coming fall semester, will give students more flexibility when selecting their courses, offering 10 different specializations in an entrepreneurial and/or corporate focus.

The redesigned program was developed by a group of prominent Baltimore-area business leaders, alumni, faculty and current and prospective students. The program, which will be available online and on both campuses, will be offered in seven-week sessions in addition to the traditional 15-week format.

The joint MBA program was introduced in 2006 as a collaboration between UB’s Merrick School of Business and Towson’s College of Business and Economics.

“It takes a team of strong and self-aware institutions like the University of Baltimore and Towson University to seek constructive feedback to redesign a program as important as the MBA,” Jerome Collier, senior vice president and managing director at M&T Bank, said in a statement.

Collier, who holds a master’s degree from UB and a bachelor’s from Towson, served on the advisory committee that helped redesign the curriculum.

Frank Navratil, interim dean of the Merrick School, said: “Our graduates will be tackling 21st-century business problems and will do so with the both traditional and entrepreneurial know-how. There is something to be said when a prominent degree program like the MBA has a distinctive shift in the way it is taught and delivered. We weren’t afraid to move mountains for the betterment of students and the business community.”

Towson University and the University of Baltimore have redesigned their joint MBA program to better reflect the business environment and the needs of students and employers, the institutions said Wednesday.

The decision to revamp the existing program was made in response to increasing skepticism nationwide about whether a master of business administration degree is as valuable as it once was, school officials said in a statement.

The new curriculum, which will be implemented this coming fall semester, will give students more flexibility when selecting their courses, offering 10 different specializations.

The redesigned program was developed by a group of prominent Baltimore-area business leaders, alumni, faculty and current and prospective students. The program, which will be available online and on both campuses, will be offered in seven-week sessions in addition to the traditional 15-week format.

The joint MBA program was introduced in 2006 as a collaboration between UB’s Merrick School of Business and Towson’s College of Business and Economics.

“It takes a team of strong and self-aware institutions like the University of Baltimore and Towson University to seek constructive feedback to redesign a program as important as the MBA,” Jerome Collier, senior vice president and managing director at M&T Bank, said in a statement.

Collier, who holds a master’s degree from UB and a bachelor’s from Towson, served on the advisory committee that helped redesign the curriculum.