SPOKANE — The College of Business at WSU announced the creation of a new executive MBA at WSU’s Riverpoint campus in Spokane. The new program will offer the WSU Master’s of Business Administration program to busy professionals through a combination of online course work and weekend classes taught by world-class WSU faculty.
“Spokane’s many colleges and universities are already a big draw for companies looking to attract and retain quality employees in the Inland Northwest,” said Rich Hadley, president and CEO of Greater Spokane Incorporated. “WSU’s Executive MBA program will help our mission at Greater Spokane Incorporated of keeping our talent in the region for careers that position them and their employer for success in a competitive world economy. The program gives managers looking to move up the corporate ladder one more reason to stay in Spokane.”
The 18-month program, which begins August 2008, combines a half-century of experience teaching MBA students with input from industry and area business leaders. The result will be rigorous interdisciplinary coursework designed to build upon students’ managerial knowledge and will reflect real-world challenges facing organizations today.
“The skills students gain with the Executive MBA will benefit their current organization while at the same time enhancing their leadership potential,” said Associate Dean for Graduate Programs David Sprott. “We are excited to be able to offer this program in Spokane’s emerging business market.”
The curriculum will include five integrated modules, specifically sequenced to build upon one another and designed to align closely with the professional experiences and challenges of the students. An International Business Module focuses on global business practices and concludes with an international trip, while the final module is a capstone project incorporating material from all previous courses. The culminating experience for the degree is participation in an executive-level business plan competition, based on the successful biannual WSU Business Plan Competition.
“With its entrepreneurial climate and growing business community, Spokane provides an ideal home for the WSU Executive MBA program,” said WSU President Elson S. Floyd. “Investing in the development of leadership talent in Spokane benefits the region and the state. With the creation of this program, the university strengthens its ties to the Spokane community, and we look forward to continuing our productive partnership.”
The WSU College of Business is accredited at the baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral levels by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The college spans the four campuses of WSU with the largest campus in Pullman and urban campuses located in Spokane, Vancouver, and the Tri-Cities area. The college conducts scholarly and applied research, and offers degree programs in a variety of business disciplines, and in hospitality business management, supplementing face-to-face offerings through innovative online learning and international programs. The college is a campus leader in global learning with a strategic focus on the development of globally competitive business leaders able to understand the world’s markets and successfully navigate cultural differences.
For more information, visit the college’s Web site at www.business.wsu.edu or visit the Executive MBA Web site at www.emba.wsu.edu.
