CBE introduces full-time MBA program in Hudson

The College of Business and Economics (CBE) at UW-River Falls recently introduced a new full-time Master’s of Business Administration program that takes place at the Hudson Center in Hudson, Wis.

Leanne Van Allen is the Director of CBE Graduate Programs at UWRF. She, along with the dean of CBE, Glenn Potts, and other faculty members developed the full-time MBA program to support the needs of recent graduates and international students.

“The full time program just launched this fall so this is our first semester,” Van Allen said. “It’s an 18 month degree completion, so that’s very attractive to any recent graduates and our international student population.”

The CBE currently has two MBA programs, the new full-time program as well as the part-time program that has been around since 2000. Both programs are aimed mostly at business and accounting graduates.

“Many of our accounting grads will go on to get their CPA, in order to do this they need to get a certain amount of credits. The MBA lets them get the necessary credit hours to get there,” Van Allen said.

Joseph Dobbert graduated from the UWRF adult degree completion program and is currently enrolled in the full-time MBA program.

“I knew I needed a Master’s Degree so I looked for a local school with a good graduate program with the plan that I’d do both programs at the same place and be able to be done with it,” Dobbert said.

The CBE at UWRF is one of three schools in MN that is The Association to Advance to Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accredited. According to the AACSB website, this titles provides internationally recognized, specialized accreditation for business and accounting programs at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral level.

“The ‘gold standard’ in business programs is AACSB accreditation. UWRF probably does not jump to the top of people’s minds as a great school, but that’s lack of name recognition, not a reflection on the program itself,” Dobbert said. “CBE is an incredible college and the MBA program is no exception to that.”

Both the full-time and part-time MBA programs are flexible and are aimed to meet the needs of working professionals.

“The MBA program gives students the ability to still work but still have that fast track to that degree completion,” Van Allen said.

The full-time and part-time MBA programs have different schedules and credit amounts that can be earned over a certain period of time. The full-time program is a 36 credit program, while the part-time is a 30 credit program to earn an MBA degree.

To be a part of either MBA program, you need a four-year degree through an accredited university. You do not necessarily need a business or accounting degree to be a part of the program, but there are some extra foundation requirements for those students without those specific degrees.

“Everyone comes from an incredibly different background - from retail to finance to government,” Dobbert said. “It sounds cliché when people say it, but it turns out that you do learn as much from the students in a graduate program as you do the faculty.”