UM sees record enrollment in MBA program
March 17, 2021
The Michael E. Stephens College of Business at the University of Montevallo has seen enrollment in its Master of Business Administration program rise significantly over the past year, as more students than ever are taking advantage of the University’s high-quality, flexible and affordable MBA program.
The MBA program has set new enrollment records each of the past two semesters. In fall 2020, the program had 60 enrollees, which was up from the previous all-time high of 47. This spring, enrollment increased even more to 64 students.
“It is inspiring to see so many people taking this opportunity to invest in their own human capital through Montevallo’s MBA program,” said Dr. Stephen Craft, dean of the AACSB-accredited Stephens College of Business. “The pandemic has created a moment of inflection in all of our lives. How exciting to see our new MBA students preparing themselves to emerge stronger and ready to pursue careers of distinction.”
The MBA program has been offering log-in/drop-in options for all of its classes for years, which allows students to decide if they will attend classes in-person or online on any given day. This flexibility has allowed the program to continue offering the same quality it always has, even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our MBA program has positioned itself as an important next step for both working professionals and recent graduates. This past year it was clear from our applicants that they were looking for a program that offered them flexibility and online classroom options,” said Dr. Gary Johnson, MBA program director. “Our recent growth this past year included an increase in enrollment from professionals with at least 10 years of full-time working experience. These students want to invest in the future of their career. I believe the recent COVID crisis has many professionals exploring ways they can invest in themselves and increase their value in the marketplace. The MBA degree at UM offers both working professionals and recent graduates a dynamic classroom experience and outcomes they will use throughout their career.”
All of the University’s MBA faculty are Quality Matters certified, which is considered the gold standard certification for online educators.
“It has been great having a mixture of students online and in-person, with diverse backgrounds from government, human resources, sales – and even recent graduates from other programs,” said Dr. Amiee Mellon, associate professor and department chair of the Stephens College of Business. “Keeping our class sizes to less than 25 students and using the online/in-person format, we have been able to keep the small classroom feel with personal touchpoints and have engaging conversations on relevant, breaking news.”
The MBA program’s commitment to preparing students for success in an in-demand career field has produced numerous success stories. Because the MBA program can be completed in as little as one year or over the course of multiple years, students can choose the class load that’s right for their schedule.
“If you are looking for a good quality MBA program that you can complete part-time, while continuing to work full-time, the University of Montevallo is for you,” said John Lovoy, a project consultant in Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama’s Office of Strategy and Project Management who is working toward his MBA at UM. “There were two items that sold me on the program. First, Montevallo is ranked as one of the top 15 best public regional universities in the Southeast. Second, the program is offered as a HyFlex course model, meaning based off my full-time job, I can either attend a specific class in-person or online on a week-by-week basis.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the MBA program has temporarily waived the GMAT or GRE test requirement for admission. To learn more about Montevallo’s MBA program, or to apply for the program, visit montevallo.edu/mba.