Northeastern University College of Business Administration Announces Transformation of Full-Time MBA Program; New Approach Focuses on Businesses as School's Customers; Retooled MBA Addressing Needs of Business

Business Wire, Feb 6, 2006

BOSTON -- Northeastern University College of Business Administration (CBA) today announced a transformation of its full-time MBA, starting in the Fall of 2006. The changes to be made to the School's MBA program include a revamped curriculum with a greater emphasis on interpersonal skills training integrated into all MBA classes. Other adjustments to the full-time MBA include a mandatory focus on one of three career tracks and greater interaction and cooperation with businesses that recruit CBA graduates. The new MBA builds upon CBA's reputation as a school that delivers a "real-world" business education by responding to specific feedback it has received from corporations.

According to surveys conducted a few years ago by The Association of Graduate Recruiters (in the UK), employers continue to seek - and continue to find scarce - the personal skills that will make MBA graduates valuable employees. These surveys go on to point out that what employers seek most from new graduates are enthusiasm, self-motivation, interpersonal skills, team-working, and good oral communication - and that these skills are more important than specialist knowledge.

"Very few universities take the time to identify corporate partners and work with them to understand exactly what skills-sets they want in the MBAs they hire," said Thomas Moore, dean of Northeastern University College of Business Administration. "Based on corporate feedback, students will supplement a rigorous MBA curriculum with management intensives and skills modules to develop abilities in communications, interpersonal effectiveness, project management, and ethics."

Responding to the changing dynamics of the competitive MBA landscape, senior officials at CBA spent the last year meeting with over two dozen Global 500 companies, to learn what skills-sets were most important to them. Many of these companies have agreed in the near future to partner with CBA by providing six-month, full-time corporate residencies, and providing management positions in Finance, Marketing or Operations/Supply Chain Management. During their six-month corporate residencies, students take full-time, paid, MBA-level positions with top-notch companies. They become actively involved in important projects from start to finish and interact directly with top executives. After completing their corporate residencies, teams of students will undertake projects for corporate partners in a capstone business planning exercise.

"To better meet the needs of specific industries, CBA's new full-time MBA will require students to pursue one of three career tracks: Finance, Marketing or Operations/Supply Chain Management," said Bruce Clark, faculty director of the MBA program. "Students will take in-depth electives plus develop practical experience through corporate residencies that expose them to their disciplines in the context of a business' overall operations."

Many of CBA's business partners will also serve on advisory boards to specific career tracks. Some partners will help CBA to assess prospective students, screening applications for career experiences and desired skills-sets.

"By working closely with us, our corporate partners are helping to reduce risk for both themselves and our students. Hiring mistakes are very costly. If our partners can help us screen applicants and give them real job opportunities for six months on a trial basis, it's a win-win situation for our graduates and our corporate partners," added Dean Moore. "With 70% of MBA students making career changes upon graduation, our corporate partnerships also help a greater percentage of our students get the job they want after graduation."

About Northeastern University College of Business Administration

Northeastern University College of Business Administration, established in 1922, provides its students - undergraduate, graduate and executive - with the education, tools and experience necessary to launch and accelerate successful business careers. Among many external measures of success, U.S. News & World Report ranked the College's bachelors program in international business 13th in the US and Forbes ranked Northeastern the 4th most entrepreneurial campus in the US. The College credits its success to a close partnership with industry; rigorous academics combined with the opportunity to apply learning in the workplace for students; and faculty research focused on business application. For more information about Northeastern University's College of Business Administration, visit http://cba.neu.edu.