Wayne State University announces enhancements to M.B.A. program

The Wayne State University School of Business is about to make it less complicated for many students to start - and complete - its Master of Business Administration program. The business school faculty last week passed resolutions to offer entrance exam waivers and accelerated class schedules.

Exam Waivers

The traditional first step to a graduate degree in business is to take the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). While this is still an important step for many prospective students, the WSU School of Business will now offer GMAT waivers to highly qualified applicants.

This is generally defined as those applicants who meet one or more of the following criteria:

  • Acceptable score on the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE), Law School Admission Test (LSAT) or Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) entrance exam.
  • GPA of 3.0 or higher from an AACSB-accredited business program (or GPA of 3.2 or higher from a regionally-accredited university in any major) OR at least three years of relevant professional experience that shows increased responsibility over that period.

According to Kiantee Jones, the WSU business school’s acting director of graduate programs, each waiver request will be considered on a case-by-case basis, and students should be prepared to provide appropriate documentation with their request.

"Most applicants will still have to take an entrance exam of some kind to show evidence that they can succeed in our program," Jones said. "But we don't want to slow down the progress of an outstanding applicant who has already provided sufficient evidence through other means."

Accelerated Class Schedule

Since its founding in 1946, the WSU School of Business has prided itself on offering flexible degree options for both full-time and part-time students. The school will now build on that tradition by launching new course-delivery options that could cut students' time to degree in half.

Beginning next semester on a limited basis, and widely in the fall of 2015, the school will supplement the traditional 16-week semester models with a set of accelerated 12- and 4-week courses. The plan is to begin the fall term and end the winter term with the 12-week courses and sandwich the holiday break with 4-week courses that meet two nights each week and Saturday morning.

According to WSU Business School Dean Robert Forsythe, students who take full advantage of the accelerated offerings could earn their M.B.A. in as little as one calendar year. Forsythe, who implemented a similar delivery system as dean of the College of Business at the University of South Florida, believes that the execution of such ideas is long overdue.

"The traditional semester model has been around since the Middle Ages," he said. "While it is still has value, we need to be thinking more creatively about ways to work within the busy schedules of today’s students."

More to come

Many more plans are in the works to enhance the WSU M.B.A. experience. Forsythe says announcements will be made soon on intensive one-week courses and less time consuming and less expensive foundation course offerings.

Interested in an M.B.A. or any other graduate business degree from Wayne State University? Apply today or contact the School of Business Graduate Programs Office at 313-577-4511 or gradbusiness@wayne.edu.

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