Posted 03.29.2010

Choices and more choices

Paths toward MBA and other post-graduate work offer plenty of variety

By Nora Caley

For many workers, it might be time to go back to school. Colorado secondary institutions are responding by updating or expanding programs and by making it easier for students to attend classes. New programs include sustainable energy certificates, fast-track master of business administration degrees, and online learning.
Here are brief summaries of what some local business schools offer. These are just highlights, so be sure to visit the schools' websites for more information on admissions, tuition and start dates.

COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY

The three MBA programs at Colorado State University are 21-month programs. The Denver Executive MBA, designed for managers, executives and entrepreneurs, consists of evening classes in downtown Denver plus an international trip. The Professional MBA emphasizes team building and long-term networking, and classes are held in Fort Collins in the evening. The Distance MBA consists of lectures on DVDs and video streaming, and can be scheduled over four years instead of two.
CSU also offers the Global Social and Sustainable Enterprise (GSSE) concentration in the Master of Science in Business Administration at the College of Business. The focus is on becoming a global social entrepreneur. The program includes a 10-week international summer practicum in which teams of three to five students travel to work on projects such as increasing fuel efficiency of municipal vehicles in India or developing solar energy in Peru.
There are also master's degree programs in management practice, accountancy, global social sustainable enterprise and others. For more information visit www.biz.colostate.edu.

 UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER
The University of Colorado at Boulder Leeds School of Business offers two MBA programs. The full-time and evening programs each take about two years to complete. Students can choose among five portfolios, or areas of interest: entrepreneurship, finance, marketing, real estate and sustainability.
Leeds recently changed the evening MBA structure from 33 months to 24 months. "We made the change in part because most of the other programs in the region are two-year programs, and we thought the compressed time frame would be more appealing to candidates," says Anne Sandoe, director of MBA programs. Classes for the first two-year Leeds Evening MBA class begin in May.
CU Boulder also offers energy-related degree programs. The Renewable and Sustainable Energy Graduate Certificate Program, which requires 18 hours of coursework, is available to enrolled students who are pursuing a master's degree. Non-students can sign up for an intensive four-day certificate program offered by the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, or year-long certificate programs from the Division of Continuing Education and Professional Studies.
For more information on the business school visit http://leeds.colorado.edu/MBA. For more information on the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute visit http://rasei.colorado.edu.

UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER
The University of Colorado Denver's Master of Science (MS) in Global Energy Management (GEM) starts with 40 hours of classroom study, then continues with online coursework. The 18-month program emphasizes teamwork and decision-making. There's a Managing for Sustainability specialization for current UC Denver students who want to also earn a certificate. The post-graduate certificates are for people with MBA or MS degrees in business from another institution who want to gain expertise in entrepreneurship, decision sciences, international business or one of about a dozen other areas.
Other post-graduate specializations include sports and entertainment management, which has an optional internship. For people who want to earn an MBA quickly, there's the 11-month option, a full-day program that includes a trip abroad.
Linda Brooker, assistant dean for the Business School, says classes in the MS in GEM and the MBA in Health Administration have been full each semester. The graduate program with the biggest gains is the evening Professional MBA program. "The comments we hear from students is that they want to protect their jobs by advancing their education," she says.
For more information, visit http://business.cudenver.edu/.

UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN COLORADO
The University of Northern Colorado's Monfort College of Business plans to launch an MBA program in the next couple of years. "While there are a lot of MBA programs out there, they are not all of a high quality," says Michael Leonard, director, external relations. "There are niches in the MBA market that aren't being served to a great degree, and we will be developing a program to take advantage of those open spots."
Meanwhile, Monfort College of Business is developing a Master of Accountancy (MAcc). The program is undergoing the approval process, and UNC hopes to offer it to students this fall. Leonard says the school will likely have 15 students enrolled at the start, and about 30 by the third year of the program.
The Monfort Institute, part of the Monfort College of Business at UNC, will soon start offering open enrollment, non-credit workshops to managers, directors and other executive-level individuals. "The most requested courses have to do with leadership roles and responsibilities, employee engagement and creating culture change in an organization," Leonard says.
For more information, visit mcb.unco.edu or
www.MonfortInstitute.org.

UNIVERSITY OF DENVER
The Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver will launch its fast-track MBA in August. The program is designed for students who recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in business and want to move directly into a one-year master's degree program. "Many talented prospective students/employees are seeking an MBA earlier in their career," says Daniels Dean Christine Riordan. "The trend in the 1990s and early 2000s was for MBAs to have five to seven years work experience. The market is showing that this model is not the only model that works for successful graduate business programs."
DU expects 25 new students to begin the one-year program in the fall. The school also offers a two-year MBA, Professional MBA, International MBA, Executive MBA and upcoming DU World Executive Program. There also are graduate business certificates in areas such as accounting, finance, management and leadership. The certificates take six months to a year to complete.
For more information, visit www.daniels.du.edu.

UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT COLORADO SPRINGS
The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs offers on-campus and distance MBA programs that take about two to three years to complete. The areas of specialization include accounting, finance, general business, health care administration, international business, management, marketing, operations management, project management and others.
Windy Haddad, director of the Campus MBA program, says the average age of students has dropped from around 32 years old to around 29. "As younger workers are struggling to land good jobs with only a bachelor's degree, many are coming back to school," she says. "They hope to graduate into a stronger economy armed with additional skills that will give them an edge in the job market."
The UCCS Graduate School of Business Administration also participates in the Executive MBA program offered by the Boulder and Denver campuses of the University of Colorado. The courses are offered on the Denver campus.
For more information, visit www.business.uccs.edu/mba/.

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