OK State University to offer Professional Track MBA in Tulsa

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), May 1, 2006 by David Page

Oklahoma State University plans to offer a new Professional Track Master of Business Administration degree on the Tulsa campus.

The program includes 36 credit hours, instead of the normal 48 hours, said Gary Trennepohl, president of OSU-Tulsa.

We are introducing the new MBA program in Tulsa because we have a large market of professionals, Trennepohl said.

The program will start this fall. Classes will be offered through OSU's Spears School of Business. July 1 is the deadline to enroll for the fall semester.

As OSU-Tulsa continues to grow, we are creating selective programs that help meet the needs of the Tulsa community, Trennepohl said. OSU has already established a flagship MBA program, and we are tailoring it to the needs of a working professional.

The program was designed for people with professional experience. Requirements include an undergraduate degree in business or related fields and at least three years of substantial management experience.

People come to MBA programs with different experiences and different course work they have accomplished, Trennepohl said.

In the past, MBA students took the same classes regardless of their experience.

Many of the early courses were redundant for some students, he said.

The Professional Track MBA program was designed to accommodate a working professional's schedule. Students can seek the degree on a part-time or a full-time basis.

Students can complete the program in one year by taking 12 hours of classes for three consecutive semesters, Trennepohl said.

OSU designed the program to meet accreditation requirements, he said.

The new Professional Track MBA program will offer the same accredited instruction and courses as OSU's traditional MBA, said Robert Dooley, associate dean for graduate programs and director of the MBA program.

The Professional Track MBA program differs from OSU's traditional MBA program only for the reason that students with significant management experience can use that knowledge to accelerate the completion of their degree, Dooley said. It's designed specifically for business professionals who already possess 'real-world' experience and want to gain an edge in the business world with an MBA.