For the first time, the institution is enrolling students in a Master of Business Administration program, significantly expanding the College’s graduate offerings and burnishing its international business credentials. The one-year, full-time, accelerated degree program is unique in South Carolina, and will offer more than 30 students advanced business coursework with an emphasis on teamwork and globalization.
It may be a win-win situation for potential business students and the College, but don’t expect to hear the champagne corks popping when the inaugural semester starts – there will be little time for celebration. In fact, this July, before the fall semester begins, the College’s M.B.A. students will attend a six-week business boot camp to prepare themselves for the busy year ahead. The College is counting on many applicants with non-business degrees to enroll in the program, and the boot camp gives students a base knowledge of business and prepares them for the fast pace of the program.
With more and more business students choosing full-time, one-year M.B.A. programs over part-time programs, says Rhonda Mack, the School of Business’ associate dean of graduate and professional programs, the College is responding to the marketplace, offering a relatively quick graduate business education without sacrificing quality or value.
Students obtaining an M.B.A. from the College should expect to become fully absorbed in their case- and project-based coursework. The M.B.A. program will follow a cohort model, with students working collaboratively and competitively in small teams while taking the same classes and moving through the program together – a model that is intended to mimic corporate culture both in structure and in tempo.
Besides regular coursework, students will engage in intensive professional development sessions once a week with guest lecturers and, toward the end of the program, they’ll participate in a three-week study-abroad course, with possible study destinations in Brazil, Germany, Spain and Vietnam. The majority of the program’s 13 faculty members have significant experience either teaching or working abroad, and all of them view international business education as an important component of the program.
In fact, by having an M.B.A. program, the College achieves greater credibility with international universities and increases its opportunities to partner with foreign schools for research and collaborative learning.
“Having a graduate program is a step up for sure,” says international business and marketing professor Henry Xie. “Most international cooperation is done on the graduate level.”
One last benefit to students earning their M.B.A. at the College is job-placement assistance, which will introduce graduates to companies and help students polish their interview skills.
All these components will help the M.B.A. program get off to a fast and successful start at the College, expanding the services the College provides to
its community.
“It gives us a new group of constituents to talk to that we haven’t talked to before,” says Mack.
And that’s just one more reason the College is looking forward to getting down to business. 
For more information about the M.B.A. program, visit mba.cofc.edu.
