The College of Charleston School of Business announced today approval of its Master of Business Administration (MBA) program. The College’s proposal for the program was formally approved by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education.

“The creation of an MBA program was a top priority for the College of Charleston. I am extremely thankful to Dean Alan Shao, our faculty and staff, and the Commission on Higher Education for making it happen,” says George Benson, president of the College of Charleston.  “This program will elevate our university’s profile and help us strengthen our ties to Charleston’s business community.”

The one-year MBA program will start this July with a “boot camp” for non-business undergraduate students. The first class enrolled in the full-time, day program will graduate
in August 2011. The program will accommodate up to 35 students in its first year.

The MBA will incorporate global business perspectives into every aspect of the program, and will be taught by faculty who have lived and worked in China, Switzerland, England, Germany and other countries. Students in the program are required to travel abroad and study a global enterprise for three weeks in June 2011.

“Our MBA will be reflective of the nature of global business,” says Alan T. Shao, dean of the School of Business. “Everything we do in our program will have an international business component to it.”

Students from leading universities such as the European University in Munich, Germany, and Xiamen University in China are expected to apply for admission to the program. These international students will bring diverse thinking and creativity to the cohort.

The MBA is designed around cohort collaboration used in leading organizations around the world.

“The group of students will start, take courses and graduate together,” says Rhonda Mack, associate dean of graduate and professional programs for the School of Business.  “This arrangement will foster competitive and team-building skills to advance their professional development.”

The program starts July 6, 2010. Most courses are six-week modules with the program culminating in an integrated final or “capstone” course. Students will have the option to focus their studies in finance or marketing.

Students will be considered for admission based on a combination of criteria including a minimum GMAT score of 510, a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 and each candidate’s holistic application. Some scholarships and part-time graduate assistantships will be awarded.

SACS approval is pending.

For more information and to apply online, go to www.mba.cofc.edu.