In the current economy, flexibility is crucial for business professionals looking to further their careers. The Valley region’s educational institutions that offer masters of business administration degrees understand that need and have honed their programs with different spins to attract the right students. Woodbury University in Burbank boasts an intimate campus with just over 1,000 students. When the school’s President David Steele-Figueredo accepted the position at the end of 2015, he had big plans. In an interview with the Business Journal last May, Steele-Figueredo, an experienced educator with a prior post as dean of San Jose State University’s Lucas College & Graduate School of Business, said private universities like Woodbury offered a flexibility that was hard to find at large public schools. Since then, the school’s MBA program has been changed to bring more flexibility to its students. “We have expanded the degree completion options,” he said. “Students can now complete the MBA in as little as one year or spread out the courses by taking two courses per semester.” Steele-Figueredo added that the school now waives GMAT or GRE test scores as a requirement for admission to the MBA program. The decision has increased enrollment in the school’s program to 30 students starting in fall 2017, compared to 21 last year. Also, the school has fulfilled his goal of upgrading the school’s IT infrastructure by spending $2 million on hardware and software systems in the last 20 months. According to Steele-Figueredo, what makes his school different is its fundamental goal of making sure graduates are well-rounded ethnical business leaders. “We emphasize four core concepts in our curriculum: engaged sustainability, authentic leadership, self-empowerment and civic engagement,” he said. The school plans to add more alternatives to the MBA in the next coming years, as specialized master’s degrees are gaining popularity. Steele-Figueredo said the school is looking to add degrees in areas such as film and applied computer science. Public education Last November California State University – Northridge’s David Nazarian College of Business and Economics completed a $25 million fundraiser. Since then the school has expanded programs such as the startup incubator, and it’s looking for experienced talent to lead its entrepreneurship program. Deborah Cours, interim dean of business school, said the public university plans to roll out its own CSUN innovation incubator, following the four-year cleantech partnership with Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, a private business incubator located in downtown L.A. “With the generous endowment, we are seeking an endowed professorship, the Paul Jennings professorship in entrepreneurship, to add to the developing ecosystem we have built,” said Cours. “Along with the incubator, student entrepreneurship club and consulting programs, the senior professor will give us depth and breadth to our entrepreneurship offerings.” CSUN’s MBA program is a part-time program designed for students already in the workforce. Deborah Heisley, director of the MBA program said, the fundraising campaign has opened doors for additional master’s program offerings. The school may start a masters in real estate program, or masters in taxation as early as next year. “Our program focuses on active learning,” said Heisley. “Our students are either doing client work, case work or doing simulations that focus on real-world business problems.” Heisley said CSUN’s program is for students who are looking for flexibility and faculty members with a balance of academia and practical knowledge. EMBA Another option for experienced, managerial-level professionals is an executive MBA program. Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management is the only school in the Valley region that offers an EMBA program. It requires students have at least seven years of work experience. David Desiderio, executive director of the Executive MBA Council, said the EMBA program is a great fit for students looking for rich discussions around business case studies. “What is different about the classrooms in an EMBA program is the class view,” he said. “The peers who are going through the program have a unique view when it comes to business solutions because of their extensive experience.” Most EMBA programs are catered towards two main groups of people, according to Desiderio. The program is ideal for middle management professionals who want a boost into an executive role. The other group are entrepreneurs who have already started a business. “In some cases, they are recognizing that having a language of business will help that company,” said Desiderio, “whether that’s knowing how to talk to venture capitalists or learning a broader view of the enterprise.” Because the EMBA program focuses on working professionals, it takes an average of 20 months to complete. However, the program is cohort based, meaning it usually starts and ends with the same group of people. Pepperdine’s EMBA program offers two-day sessions every three weeks with options to learn at four different locations.
