Universities Beef Up MBA Programs to Lure Students

Demand for MBA programs continues to grow in Northwest Arkansas and universities are taking steps to stay competitive and expand their programs.

John Brown University and Webster University each reported strong growth in their MBA enrollment this year and Searcy-based Harding University will begin offering its MBA program in Northwest Arkansas in January.

Webster has 200 students in its MBA program and Roger Esser, director of Webster’s Fayetteville campus, said enrollment is up around 20 percent from last year.

The program graduated 55 this past June, up from 45 a year earlier.

“It’s an overwhelmingly popular degree,” Esser said.

Each university’s MBA program consists of 36 credit hours that usually take 18 months to 24 months to complete.

Tuition costs are relatively comparable as well.

JBU is the lowest at $410 per hour, followed by Webster at $435 per hour and Harding at $455 per hour.

John Brown of Siloam Springs has moved its Northwest Center from Springdale to The Peaks in Rogers to accommodate growth in its MBA program.

JBU, which graduated 19 in its last MBA group, held its first classes in the new, 15,350-SF space on Sept. 24 and current enrollment is 98, up nearly 25 percent from 80 last year.

The location at The Peaks is around twice the size of the Springdale center JBU opened in 1999.

John Hill, regional director of the Rogers Center, said JBU found two-thirds of its students live in Benton and McDonald (Mo.) counties. Easier access and the need for more classroom space made the move a must.

Between its professional studies undergrad programs and multiple master’s programs, JBU needed six or seven classrooms on most nights in a space with five. There are 10 classrooms with the latest technology at The Peaks, which should accommodate JBU’s growth needs for the next two to three years.

JBU’s master’s in marriage, family and school counseling has also grown and is now being offered at both the Rogers Center and the home campus in Siloam Springs.

Harding, which opened a campus in Bentonville in November 2005, has also doubled its space, expanding this spring to 12,000 SF.

At its campuses in Searcy, North Little Rock and El Dorado, Harding reported MBA enrollment of 221, up 38 percent versus last year. Figley anticipates 20 students in the first class.

Harding’s last group of graduates numbered 60 in 2006-07 and director of graduate studies Allen Figley said the university is projecting 90 graduates in its next class.

Webster, which has 100 campuses worldwide, offers a rolling schedule of classes and students can enroll and begin the MBA program at any one of five nine-week terms.

Two begin in spring, one in the summer, and two in the fall.

Esser noted the competition has been getting stronger with the expansion of schools like JBU, Harding and the University of Phoenix, but he said Webster still offers the best MBA program around.

“What separates us from others is we have faculty with Ph.D.s and master’s degrees from prestigious universities,” Esser said. “And they are also practitioners. These adjunct professors bring enthusiasm and pragmatism. They are working professionals.

“We talk the talk and walk the walk.”