The University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is one step closer to earning accreditation to offer a Masters of Business Administration degree after receiving the green light from the UW systemlast week.. "This is a big step for us. It allows us to bring a level of education to the Central Wisconsin community that we didn't have before. It's something our market research shows employers want, prospective students want, and recent graduates looking to come back and upgrade their skills [want]," said Kevin Neuman, head of the school of business and economics at the school. The school has been pursuing an MBA program for several years, and now waits for approval from the Higher Learning Commission. Neuman expects that approval sometime before the end of the year, with the goal of admitting the first MBA students to campus in the spring of 2019.
He adds that getting clearance from the state was one of the biggest hurdles the school would have to clear in the process. "All of the circular work, faculty lineups, everything that we had to do to get UW system approval, while it's not guaranteed with the HLC, this was the bigger hurdle."
The school plans to offer bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business as a combined five-year program, completing the MBA with full-time enrollment continuously over 12 months. A part-time MBA option will also be available over a 24-month period. Additionally, Neuman says students enrolled at UW-Marathon County and Marshfield/Wood County would be able to complete their MBA without having to transfer. "They don't need to apply anywhere else. When you are taking classes at UWMC or UWM-WC you are part of UWSP. You are no longer a two-year institution, you are branch campuses and we are all one."
He adds that UWSP faculty will begin teaching classes in economics and accounting in the next academic year, just like the classes offered on the Stevens Point campus. The school received accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) for their undergraduate business and economics program in 2017. Neman says while they are still in the planning stages if students are interested in becoming a part of the first UWSP MBA class, they can call the school for more information or to get on the waitlist.
