http://www.cob.ohiou.edu/grad/

…leveraging education and experience.

Ohio University’s MBA program is innovative and intense. It uses applied learning to expand the student’s knowledge far beyond traditional classroom methods. Working in teams, the MBA students learn to research and solve authentic business problems. With knowledge gained from the classroom, guidance and mentoring from faculty and businesspersons, MBAs will be involved in crafting solutions for a range of actual businesses. This integration of content driven learning with real world application ensures a deep understanding of the tools necessary for success.

The Learning Process

A 15-month learning experience beginning in mid June every year, the full-time MBA program uses an action-learning format that develops skills in communication, collaboration and teamwork, and the personal characteristics (initiative, diligence, creativity, and personal responsibility) that are necessary for success. The understanding of the complexities of international business will be enhanced through participation in the Joint Student Consulting Project (JSCP). Comfort with information technology will increase dramatically as MBAs acquire information using the Internet, collaborate electronically with faculty members and peers, and develop professional computer-driven presentations.

With this successful problem-based experience as past, integral part of the OU MBA, the College of Business faculty, with the endorsement of the College of Business’ Executive Advisory Board (an external consultative group of corporate executives) have decided to move its full-time MBA program to a totally integrated format that leverages education and experience. A partnership with OU’s Voinovich Center promises to elevate the MBA’s applied learning to a  new level.

The Voinovich Center is Ohio University’s largest outreach program and pursues two main objectives: to provide research, technical assistance and training to local and state agencies, businesses, nonprofit organizations and communities, and in doing so, to create quality project-based learning experiences for students. Past MBAs completing graduate assistantships at the Voinovich Center have worked with, but more importantly learned from, the experienced, professional, consulting staff. The Voinovich Center developed a detailed training program for these graduate assistants which built on the value delivered inthe MBA core areas thus equipping them with skills and knowledge to solve a variety of real business problems. This management training program has been pivotal in helping these MBAs develop strong business management skills by providing them with invaluable consulting skills, exposure to a wide range of industries and practical application of business models and concepts. With this new practicum experience intertwined with the intense content delivery of the restructured program, you as an OU MBA, will acquire these highly sought after skill sets.

The Learning Participants

Approximately 60 students participate in the MBA program from all parts of the world. About half of the students have liberal arts or technical backgrounds, and all the students are committed to a challenging, interactive learning environment.

A dedicated team of graduate faculty members contribute to the learning process both in the classroom and in the field. All graduate faculty hold doctoral degrees and many have relevant, often multifunctional, industry experience. Voinovich Center consultants will join the faculty team, adding an invaluable level of professional experience and expertise to assist in guiding the learning of the MBA students.

Dual degree opportunities bring graduate students from the Master of Sports Administration and the Master of Health Administration programs to the learning community. These two year dual degree programs prepare students for leadership positions by combining the business teachings of the MBA program with the specific content and issues of the growing sport and health care industries. During the first year, students complete MBA core courses. During the intervening summer, Sports Administration students choose between joining the international consulting experience or completing a sports internship. Health administration dual majors complete the global experience before returning to Athens to begin their second, and final year of health administration courses.

The Learning Outcomes

Accounting – To understand the basic tenets and processes of accounting systems for external financial reporting for investor and creditor decisions, and internal managerial reporting for decision-making and evaluation. 

Economics – To understand and appropriately utilize quantitative tools necessary for basic economic relations and marginal analysis in decision making as well as economic optimization.

Management – To understand the responsibilities and opportunities of managing human capital in the workplace, with specific attention to building personal capacity for high performance leadership that advances the strategic intent of the organization.

Management Information Systems- To assess organizations for strategic opportunities where information intensity can be leveraged using information technology with particular attention to describing the capabilities provided by advanced information technologies from a managerial perspective and identifying underlying technologies that support business models.

Managerial Communication – To focus on improving strategic managerial communication skills in the complex and sometimes problematic workplace. Critical communication issues will be addressed in workshop format and will include such topics as conflict management, collaborative problems solving, leadership, emotional intelligence, performance evaluation, and managing difficult conversations.

Marketing – To understand the role of marketing as a bridging function between the firm and its environments, marketing’s responsibilities to aid the organization in understanding its customers and its environment, and it responsibilities to assist the organization in creating a sustainable competitive advantage by fulfilling customer needs.

Strategic Management – To understand the responsibilities and opportunities of strategic leadership, with specific attention to strategy formulation, strategy implementation and change leadership in competitive global business environments.

The Learning Sequence
The Fall Core

Fall quarter begins with an introductory project that requires integration and intensity. Student teams are immediately asked to begin leveraging the knowledge they’re learning in the classroom by applying it in a case project. The central theme of both the project and the content covered is how to assess and add value to business. Each course addresses the concept of value generation, with Managerial Economics, Accounting, Marketing, and Management all represented during the fall quarter. At the end of the first project, intense classroom delivery continues building a solid base of knowledge that students will use throughout the year and beyond. During the fall quarter, students also learn how knowledge represents their competitive advantage; hence they learn how to acquire information, how to assimilate that information, how to know which information is relevant to solve a problem, and how to apply their knowledge.

After the mid-point of the quarter students begin their formal application training by applying what they’re learning in the classroom on another project. This project is conducted under the guidance of faculty and helps students understand how to use the knowledge from the classroom in a field setting. Students are also instructed in the principles and applications of Project Management to assist them with this and future projects. This training period also includes an orientation to the Voinovich Center.

By the end of fall quarter students have completed their Voinovich Center training and are ready to begin their application experience. During the intercession students begin working with area businesses under the supervision of faculty and Voinovich Center staff.

Winter Core

The Winter Core entails the integration of classroom knowledge withapplication experiences throughout the quarter. During this quarter the content includes Managerial Finance, Operations, Organizational Change, Strategy, and Management Information Systems. Throughout this quarter students work in teams to directly apply what they’re learning with a range of businesses. Additionally, as students face actual business problems, course content is receptive to issues raised in the field setting.

Spring Core

During the ten-week Small Business Competition, all MBA students form teams which spend an estimated 400 to 500 consulting hours helping companies in Southeastern Ohio develop a plan to meeting their objectives. This annual, judged event is sponsored by the Ohio Small Business Development Center and the Appalachian Regional Entrepreneurship Initiative, Ohio University’s Voinovich Center for Leadership and Public Affairs. At current market rates, that equals  roughly $20,000 work of consulting and research for each business that participates, not to mention great practical experiences for the MBAs. Following a preliminary round of presentations to faculty and clients, five teams are selected to present their projects to a panel of external judges with monetary prizes awarded to the top placing teams!

Simultaneous with the Small Business Competition, students are involved in International Strategy and Marketing  courses. These courses begin with content necessary for the Small Business Competition, and extend to content that is more expansive throughout the quarter.

The end of the Spring Core and the beginning of Summer Core is spent building the necessary knowledge base for the international application experience (the Joint Student Consulting Project). Students receive a series of seminars in International Business, followed by an integrative international simulation.

Summer Core

One of the capstone experiences of the MBA program is the Joint Student Consulting Project (JSCP). Experience has shown that the most effective way to learn global competence is to place students in a foreign environment where they must build effective interpersonal relationships with people from a different culture. Accompanied by a faculty member, groups of 12-15 MBAs travel together to another country. Two to three Ohio University MBA students form consulting teams with two to three students from the host country university and complete a consulting assignment in the host country. The projects have been established and agreed to in advance by the faculty in the College of Business, the faculty of the host universities, and the local company representatives. Countries that have hosted the JSCP project in recent years include Brazil, South Africa, Hungary, Italy, Spain, and China.

Admission

Admission is competitive. Factors considered include undergraduate grade-point average (g.p.a.), Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) scores, work experience, M.B.A. questionnaire, interview, and recommendations. International applicants also must include their score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Successful applicants typically have at least a 3.0 undergraduate g.p.a. (on a 4.0 scale) and a score of 500 or better on the GMAT; international applicants typically have a TOEFL score of 600 or better.

To apply, submit two official transcripts of your undergraduate work, three letters of recommendation,a resume, and responses to the MBA questionnaire (available from the College of Business Graduate Programs Office). In addition, you must have GMAT scores submitted by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), Box 966, Princeton NJ 08540. If your native language is not English, you must also have ETS submit your TOEFL scores.

The priority deadline for application  February 1; candidates with complete applications will be contacted to schedule a mandatory interview. International candidates will be interviewed by phone.

Financial Aid

The College of Business has a number of graduate assistantships available for students who demonstrate outstanding potential.

Requests for financial aid should be noted on the application form. All awards for financial aid are generally announced in April.