MBA and MOL Programs More Affordable and More Accessible

Change is a hallmark of successful business leadership and the St. Ambrose College of Business is introducing a series of changes that will make its graduate degree programs more affordable and more accessible to working professionals looking to enhance their business skills.

Tuition for the SAU H.L. McLaughlin Master of Business Administration and Master of Organizational Leadership programs will be reduced to $675 per credit hour for seated, online and hybrid classes starting May 22.

Additionally, the MOL program reduced credit hours from 36 to 30 making the degree both more affordable and more accessible to busy working professionals looking to enhance their leadership skill set. Students will now be able to complete the degree in five semesters.

Finally, the MOL will join the MBA in offering online classes. Students can complete their degree entirely online, with class content they can access at any time, allowing them to work at their own pace on their own schedule.

Both the MOL and the MBA also will welcome students to choose a hybrid menu of seated and online courses to achieve their degree, if that's their desired learning method.

"The business world continues to change at a rapid pace, and, now more than ever, graduate business education must adapt to the changing needs of the student," said College of Business Dean Maritza Espina, PhD. Students need flexibility in program delivery to account for the demands of work and home. "For more than 40 years, St. Ambrose has been the Quad Cities leading provider of graduate business programs, and we intend to maintain that position by adapting to the needs of our students and the business community."

Espina stressed the quality and rigor of both programs will not change. Faculty who bring years of experience in their academic disciplines leads each. Instructors whose workplace experience adds depth and practical knowledge to the subject content join them.

Added James Loftus, PhD, vice president for enrollment management at St. Ambrose, "Both of these programs have been built on the strength of St. Ambrose's relationship with leaders of local business and industry. Now more than ever, the leadership skills employees can gain through graduate education can help transform the workplace and help businesses compete, grow and succeed.

"Business moves quickly these days," Loftus added. "The aim of our program is to help our graduates attain the skills that will help them anticipate market changes and not just be prepared for new challenges but be prepared to embrace and grow with new market realities."

The changes to the MOL and MBA programs are being introduced just as St. Ambrose University's College of Business readies to make its home in a modernized McMullen Hall.

The new design is intended to reflect a contemporary corporate business setting. The hallmark of the new construction will be a two-story, light-filled atrium. Major design features will include six classrooms to accommodate new methods of learning and teaching, along with multiple lab spaces, a tiered lecture hall and a student commons area.

"The McMullen Hall project allows the university to provide learning spaces like the state-of-the-art finance lab, which will give students in-depth experience with some of the leading technology and software in use by professionals today," Espina said. "This will better prepare our graduates and give them a competitive edge in the workplace."

Sister Joan Lescinski, CSJ, PhD, president of St. Ambrose, said the changes to the cost and delivery of the MBA and MOL programs reflect the university's overall commitment to meet the needs of College of Business students in ways that address market changes.

"Agility is not just for entrepreneurs," she said. "A successful university must continually visualize and execute strategies that will improve the student experience and outcomes."