Michigan State University’s Weekend MBA program expands to Troy

Gerry McNamara, professor of management in the Eli Broad College of Business, Eli Broad Graduate School of Management. Photo by G.L. Kohuth

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EAST LANSING, Mich. -- When Gerry McNamara, professor of management at Michigan State University, talks about strategic decision-making and organizational risks, Weekend MBA students -- in East Lansing and Troy -- listen.

Just as the students in the MSU weekend program take to heart the real-world experiences of their instructors and peers, program administrators listen to the suggestions of their students as they make choices about the curriculum and growth of the program.

This fall, in response to student and alumni suggestions, the Weekend MBA program will expand beyond East Lansing, where it has been since 1995, to Troy, at the MSU Management Education Center.

“Our experienced Weekend MBA faculty who understand the challenges of the current business climate continually update the curriculum,” said Lucy Maillette, executive director of the executive and weekend MBA programs. “The addition of the new location in Troy will make the Weekend MBA classes more accessible to the southeast Michigan community.”

Weekend MBA participants, ranging in age from mid-20s to late 50s, represent a wide variety of industries and professions, including engineering, finance, health care, information technology and marketing. Students share the same goals – enhancing or learning managerial skills that will better their position within their companies, or prepare them for future professional endeavors.

Both professors and students say one of the best aspects of the MSU Weekend MBA program is its team-oriented and collaborative nature. At both the MSU campus and Troy locations, participants discuss, dissect and apply concepts to current business issues in their organizations and in the business community.

“The current financial crisis involves a number of complex and arcane issues very few people truly understand,” said John McMeekin, a sales specialist with Network Services, a small business and technology online service. “The professors took the opportunity to drill down on individual topics and tie them to the curriculum, and because they did such, my appreciation of the crisis and the financial and political impact has increased dramatically.”

The 19-month academic program begins in August 2009 and runs through March 2011. MSU professors will travel to the Troy location, with most classes set for every other Saturday. There will be monthly Friday evening sessions for professional development and networking opportunities.

Courses emphasize leadership development through strategic case analysis, integration of business disciplines and a global business perspective. There also is an optional international business residency.

Classes are taught at the James B. Henry Center for Executive Development on the campus of MSU and the MSU Management Education Center in Troy. The MSU Weekend MBA program is fully accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

For additional information, or registration materials, visit http://www.bus.msu.edu/wmba/.

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Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for more than 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 17 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.