With the launch of a suite of new online degrees, the George Washington University School of Business is continuing its evolution from a traditional higher education institution to a community of learners.
The school announced today it would be adding an online MBA, a Master of Science in Project Management (MSPM), a Master of Science in Information Systems Technology (MSIST), and a Master of Tourism Administration Program. All four programs are launching in partnership with Pearson and build on the school’s emphasis on the intersection of business principles and government policy. The programs will launch in fall 2012.
“At GWSB, our students benefit from our strategic location, where business intersects with the shaping of policies, which in turn impact what happens in countries all over the world,” said Doug Guthrie, dean of the School of Business. “Through our suite of GWSB: DC programs, we are able to offer students the unique advantage of being embedded not only in their community, but also in our nation’s capital and the global economy. This is an exciting new domain in which to further enhance and develop a new breed of graduate students who will positively impact the world.”
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“These programs really are about creating a community of learners,” Associate Dean Liesl Riddle said via a phone interview. Riddle oversees the school’s online MBA programs.
The new online MBA program joins the business school’s online healthcare MBA.
Riddle said that the faculty and administration carefully considered a variety of factors in developing the curriculum for the new MBA.
“We’re rethinking the use of multimedia, social networking and creating co-curricular programs,” Riddle said. The online MBA will involve the school’s diverse alumni by involving former students in video, podcasts, and providing feedback on current students’ projects. There will also be a monthly Hot Topics seminar series and professional development workshops.
“Students come to MBA programs to be mentored,” Riddle said, adding that in addition to the alumni input on projects, students could be matched with an alumni with similar career interests for a mentoring relationship.
Though the three-year program is primarily online, Riddle said the program includes a required four-day residency at the school’s Foggy Bottom campus. This approach will enable students to have a deeper understanding of the commmunity and a greater appreciation of their program. These on-site, intensive courses facilitate conversations between students and include interaction with representitives from the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and the federal government, as well as faculty members.
The new programs are part of a broader effort by the university to engage students in traditional and digital channels. Riddle said that the online MBA speaks to the school’s commitment to train students to make a positive difference in the world through business.
– Sean Gallagher, OnlineMBA.com. Follow Sean on twitter @seangallagherla
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