Online MBA: The Next Step for Freed-Hardeman University’s School of Business
Posted on October 17, 2007 in Program Development
FHU’s New Distance Learning Program
This fall, Freed-Hardeman University’s graduate business program will be branching out: into distance learning, that is. No more worrying about the long trip to campus for a full night of evening classes. Freed-Hardeman University (FHU) is asking you to think online. In fact, they are placing learning right at your fingertips.
This August, the School of Business launched its new online master’s degree program in business administration. By taking the MBA program online, FHU intends to reach “a wider market of alumni, friends of the University and prospective students who simply cannot make the trip to Henderson (Tennessee) on a weekly basis,” says Jim Brown, director of admissions and career development for the School of Business.
“We’ve had requests for this online program from people throughout West Tennessee and even nationally,” Brown said. Like many other directors involved in distance learning programs, Brown has found that the reasons for enrolling in a program online are numerous. High on the list is travel time. “For some, it’s a matter of distance,” remarks Brown, “they would have to uproot their families and move here from several hundred miles away.” The new online program in business administration intends to meet this growing demand for accessible outlets of higher education. However, Brown admits location is only part of the solution. Scheduling conflicts are a major issue for prospective students. “It’s the time constraints,” Brown says, “these students have busy schedules with family, church, and careers and driving to Henderson one or more nights a week just isn’t practical for them.”
For interested parties, the online MBA will eliminate these obstacles. The traditional on-campus MBA will remain available. In fact, online students are required to attend a session on campus at least once during the program. The program’s required colloquium will be offered in conjunction with one of the requisite MBA courses, Strategic Decision Making. Styled much like a retreat, the three- to four-day weekend event will emphasize Christian character and the ethical side of doing business.
The first colloquium will be offered in summer 2008. “I think it’ll also be a good time for all to connect, traditional to the online student, and both to the faculty,” said Dr. Ray Eldridge, dean of the School of Business. Dr. Tom De Berry, graduate director for the School of Business, said the online MBA will be the same MBA that students have earned at FHU since fall 2005. “Same teachers, same material. It’s just a different medium,” he said.
FHU partnered with Learning House, Inc. ( www.learninghouse.com ) to build the online master’s degree program. Learning House, a total eLearning solutions company, offers a plethora of online services to its clients, including faculty and staff training, customized eContent, 24/7/365 technical support, online marketing initiatives, and more. FHU’s online business courses will be offered as Web classrooms with a variety of tools, such as tutorials, live chats, discussion boards, e-mail links and 24/7 tech support. All online students have access to a Web portal that links them to a variety of services, including a campus office and department directory, as well as course registration, textbook purchase and financial aid resources.
De Berry is pleased with the extension of a values-centered MBA into a larger market. FHU’s online MBA program opens up resources to a wider audience, which is beneficial to new MBA students and employers alike. “Good ethics is good business,” said De Berry. “That’s an idea that has grown in popularity even among non-religious people in recent years, but that’s what Christian business principles have stated all along.”
The MBA, a 36-hour degree, may be completed in about one year if taking a full load of both online and traditional classes. The degree may be completed in two years if taking all traditional or all online courses. The MBA program offers concentrations in accounting and leadership. The accounting track requires prerequisite undergraduate courses in accounting.
For more information or to apply for the MBA program, go to www.fhu.edu/TheMBA , or contact Brown or De Berry at 731-989-6091, jbrown@fhu.edu or tdeberry@fhu.edu.
