USC Aiken's Mission
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The University of South Carolina Aiken Substantive Change Prospectus New Academic Program – Master of Business Administration Program is planned to initiate January 2015 Contact: Dr. Jeff Priest Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Phone: 803-641-3755 E-mail: [email protected] Authorized degrees and majors at the University: Master of Education Educational Technology Master of Science Applied Clinical Psychology Bachelor of Arts Biology Communications English Fine Arts History Music Education Political Science Psychology Sociology Bachelor of Arts in Education Early Childhood Education Elementary Education Middle Level Education Secondary Education Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies Interdisciplinary Studies Bachelor of Arts in Special Education Special Education Bachelor of Science Biology Chemistry Exercise and Sports Science Math and Computer Science Industrial Mathematics Psychology Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Business Administration Bachelor of Science in Education USC Aiken Substantive Change Prospectus: MBA Program Secondary Education Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies Interdisciplinary Studies Bachelor of Science in Nursing Nursing Programs related to the new program: none Institutional Strengths in Support of the Proposed Program: AASCB accredited program in the School of Business Strong Liberal Arts institutional focus Strong ties to the local business community including a downtown business incubator Strong ties to the local Chamber of Commerce Nationally recognized Veteran and Military Student Success Center Small Business Development Center located on campus Established experiential learning opportunities with local and global employers Summer Study Abroad program in Europe IÉSEG School of Management in Lille, France Student Exchange Program MOU with the University of Central Lancashire in England List of all approved off-campus sites: The University of South Carolina Aiken is approved to offer its Bachelor of Arts in Education degree program on the University of South Carolina Salkehatchie campus and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration on the University of South Carolina Sumter campus. Both the Sumter and Salkehatchie campuses are two-year regional branch campuses of the University of South Carolina Columbia. University of South Carolina Salkehatchie 465 James Brandt Blvd Allendale, SC 29810 University of South Carolina Sumter 200 Miller Rd Sumter, SC 29150 . 2 USC Aiken Substantive Change Prospectus: MBA Program 1. ABSTRACT The proposed change is to add a Master of Business Administration degree (CIP code of 52.0201) to institution’s roster of program offerings. This master’s level, graduate business degree will be specifically designed for individuals who have earned an undergraduate degree in the liberal arts or STEM (i.e., science, technology, engineering, mathematics) disciplines. Students with an undergraduate business degree will not be admitted into the program. The projected date of implementation is January 2015. In the initial 2014-15 academic year, the expected enrollment in the program is 20 students with growth to a projected on-going enrollment of 40 students by 2018-19. The program will occur on the University of South Carolina Aiken main campus using a traditional face-to-face instructional delivery during the evenings. 2. BACKGROUND INFORMATION The institution wishes to add a Master of Business Administration degree to its roster of program offerings. In keeping with the University of South Carolina Aiken’s liberal arts mission, this master’s level, graduate business degree will be specifically designed for individuals who have earned an undergraduate degree in the liberal arts’ or STEM (i.e., science, technology, engineering, mathematics) disciplines. Students with an undergraduate business degree will not be admitted into the program. There will be an option for students with undergraduate degrees from the STEM majors which will build on their relatively stronger quantitative backgrounds and that focuses on business theories and practices that are more relevant for technical organizations, such as supply chain management and project management. All of the coursework will be in business, and will be designed to be accessible to students without any previous formal business education. The MBA program would play a key role in advancing the first goal of a recently revised strategic plan. Among other worthy goals, “USCA - Forward Together” (see Appendix A for a copy of the report) envisions a new emphasis on degree programs which serve the needs of industries in our market region. As a regional, comprehensive university, part of the mission (see Appendix B) of the University of South Carolina Aiken is “to provide quality undergraduate education as well as an array of graduate programs that meet the specific needs of citizens in its region.” The proposed program has been reviewed and approved by all of the internal and external oversight committees and boards. The University of South Carolina System, within which the University of South Carolina Aiken is a senior institution, has two oversight boards that must provide approval of academic programs: the USC Board of Trustees and the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education. Legal authority of the Board of Trustees of the University of South Carolina was established by virtue of Sections 59-117-10 et seq, Code of Laws of South Carolina (1976), as amended (Appendix C). As indicated in the USC Board of Trustees Bylaws (Appendix D), the USC System consists of a main campus in Columbia, three senior campuses (USC Aiken, USC Beaufort, and USC Upstate) and four regional campuses (USC Lancaster, USC Salkehatchie, USC Sumter and USC Union). The South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 59, Chapter 103, Section 59-103-35 (Appendix E) stipulates that all South Carolina college and university programs require oversight approval from the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education. 3 USC Aiken Substantive Change Prospectus: MBA Program Currently, the University of South Carolina Aiken offers graduate degree programs in Education and Psychology but there are no programs offered that are related to the proposed MBA program. The proposed program will reside within the School of Business Administration (SOBA) at the University of South Carolina Aiken. SOBA faculty will teach in both its undergraduate business program and the MBA program, and the SOBA Dean’s Office will administer the program. 3. ASSESSMENT OF NEED AND PROGRAM PLANNING/APPROVAL In preparation for a recently revised strategic plan, a vision process was conducted in the Fall of 2012 that included both an internal and external scan. The environmental scan revealed that there is considerable interest in the region for programs which enhance leadership skills, and the MBA would certainly help in that respect. At the same time, the process revealed a great interest in STEM-related educational opportunities, and the STEM option within the MBA represents a portion of the university’s response to this voiced need. Traditional MBA programs are widely available across South Carolina, the United States and the world in face-to-face, online and hybrid delivery formats, and are typically designed to be completed in one to two years. A traditional MBA program targets both those students with undergraduate business degrees as well as those with non-business undergraduate degrees. However, before starting a traditional MBA program, non-business degree graduates are typically required to take “leveling” or “foundation” business courses to bring them up to the same knowledge level as their classmates who hold undergraduate business degrees. Foundational instruction is directly incorporated into the MBA program curriculum. There are numerous traditional MBA programs offered by public, private and for-profit institutions in South Carolina and delivered in a variety of formats, including face-to-face, online and hybrid delivery. Within the State of South Carolina there are eight public institutions that offer a traditional MBA program: Clemson University, Coastal Carolina University, College of Charleston, Francis Marion University, South Carolina State University, The Citadel, University of South Carolina Columbia, and Winthrop University. There are also nine private and for-profit institutions, none of which are AACSB accredited, in South Carolina: Anderson University, Bob Jones University, Charleston Southern University, Claflin University, North Greenville University, South University, Southern Wesleyan University, Strayer University, and University of Phoenix. However, there are no non-traditional MBA programs currently offered in South Carolina which are specifically designed for non-business majors only and there is no face-to-face MBA program available in the Aiken area. The only MBA programs currently available in the Aiken area are traditional MBA programs which are delivered via distance education. These MBA programs are typically 100% online and are offered by institutions that are not accredited by AACSB, e.g., University of Phoenix, Strayer University, or Southern Wesleyan University. The only MBA program that is not 100% online and readily available in the Aiken area is the Professional MBA (PMBA) offered by University of South Carolina Columbia, an AACSB-accredited institution. The PMBA is delivered in Aiken using Cisco/Polycom telepresencing equipment for interactive video instruction in a viewing site on the University of South Carolina