Notre Dame to Offer New Business Master's Degree

Beginning June 2013, students earning bachelor’s degrees in science, English, philosophy and other non-business disciplines will have a new option for gaining a graduate business degree from the University of Notre Dame.

The Mendoza College of Business will launch its Master of Science in Business (MSB), an intense, yearlong program intended for individuals with little or no work experience. The aim of the program is to bridge a student’s undergraduate work with its application in a business context by providing fundamental business knowledge and skills.

“Business has vastly extended its power and reach in the last decade, and one result of this has been an increased need for people who can think broadly, but also strategically,” said Roger Huang, interim dean of the Mendoza College and Kenneth R. Meyer Professor of Global Investment Management. “The Master of Science in Business will leverage non-business knowledge with an education in areas vital to being able to lead projects and think critically in business. The program’s mission is very much in keeping with the larger mission of the University and college: to use business as a force for good in impacting the human community for the better.”

The Master of Science in Business takes place over three semesters — summer, fall and spring — and provides students with a thorough grounding in business fundamentals, such as accounting, finance, business ethics, marketing and management principles. In addition, the 44 hours of coursework includes two integrative courses that enable students to combine the knowledge and skills they gained through their undergraduate major with business fundamentals in a way that creates a unique personal brand.

Open to Notre Dame and non-ND graduates, enrollment is set at a maximum of 110 students. Each applicant will be assessed based on undergraduate academic transcripts, a GMAT or GRE score, letters of recommendation, an essay and other criteria. Applications are now being accepted by the Notre Dame MSB Admissions office at the program website.

The Notre Dame Career Center will provide career placement services.

The MSB, aimed at students with a non-business undergraduate degree, complements the five current graduate programs offered by the Mendoza College, added Huang. These include:

•The One-Year Notre Dame MBA, an accelerated format for emerging professionals with an average of five years of work experience who plan to continue on their functional career path and who hold a business undergraduate degree or have taken the program’s prerequisite business courses.

•The Two-Year Notre Dame MBA, a traditional format for emerging professionals with an average of five years of work experience who may be career changers and desire an internship between the first and second years.

•The Notre Dame Executive MBA, an executive-level study of business for working professionals with an average of 15 years of work experience; a 21-month program is offered on the South Bend campus and a 17-month program is offered in downtown Chicago.

•The Master of Science in Accountancy, a yearlong format for accountancy undergraduate students to acquire a master’s-level business education, which meets CPA educational requirements.

•The Master of Nonprofit Administration, a flexible summer format for working nonprofit professionals who want to develop their business and leadership skills.

In addition, the Mendoza College offers non-degree and custom programs in both its Executive Education and Nonprofit Professional Development departments. The College’s undergraduate business program has an enrollment of 1,958 students and is ranked No. 1 by Bloomberg Businessweek for the third consecutive year.

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