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April 10, 2000
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Montclair State's Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) Program has always offered high-quality education at an affordable price. But according to Eileen Kaplan, director of the program, now that the School of Business has been granted accreditation by the AACSB‹The International Association for Management Education, the School can boast about its high quality programs with the AACSB's stamp of approval.
The M.B.A. Program gives students the decision-making and problem-solving skills they need to succeed in today's global economy. "Our faculty and student body are international," said Kaplan. "A quarter of our 300 M.B.A. candidates come from 40 countries around the world, so today's global economy isn't just something students are reading about." Most of the M.B.A. candidates have three to five years' professional business experience when they enter the program, so there's plenty of diversity, not only in ethnicity but also in terms of what the students want to do with their lives and the companies for which they work. Kaplan recently talked about the Program and how AACSB accreditation will affect its future.
INSIGHT: How did Montclair State become only the third public university in the state to attain accreditation?
Kaplan: There was a realization throughout the School that this was a goal we could obtain. The dean [Alan Oppenheim] did a wonderful job leading us, the assistant dean [Karen Dennis] managed the project very well and the faculty's commitment to the students really came through.
Our new standards are mission-driven. The old standards were based on significant publication records, which was really more a doctoral issue. The M.B.A. is an applied program, not a theoretical or a doctoral program.
INSIGHT: What does AACSB accreditation mean specifically to the M.B.A. Program?
Kaplan: It's extremely important because our biggest competitors are Rutgers and Seton Hall. And they're both accredited. We don't want to be just the low-cost alternative. We want to be the high-quality, low-cost alternative.
INSIGHT: What makes Montclair State's program superior?
Kaplan: The curriculum is much stronger, especially in the area of technology. We've added two new courses in technology and a concentration in information systems, and next year, hopefully, a course in e-commerce and one in management of technology.
Reducing the number of required credits from 63 to 54 has made us more competitive. I built upon the work of my predecessor, Dr. Joseph Grecco, and we continue to improve the quality yet maintain it at a reasonable cost level.
We also have a dedicated faculty that does a wonderful job with the students, and I created an M.B.A. student advisory board that keeps me aware of students' concerns. The board comments on new course proposals, talks to prospective and new students at open houses and networked with the AACSB team, which called them "a very spirited bunch."
INSIGHT: Did the self-evaluation uncover areas of the program that need improvement?
Kaplan: We can do more in the way of career planning. It hasn't been a front-burner issue because most of the M.B.A. candidates are fully employed professionals or international students who are here on some kind of a visa.
I've already received a lot of feedback from students as to how this program can be improved. That has resulted in Saturday classes and more class sections to facilitatcÝäegistration and increase summer school enrollment. Those things may not be exciting, but they make the students' lives easier.
INSIGHT: What is your biggest challenge?
Kaplan: Web enhancement‹use of the Internet in classes so all courses have a modicum of distance learning. I'd like to accomplish that through an internal network that would include folders for each course that contain articles, homework, library resources, problems and solutions. Some faculty members already have Web sites, but a majority of us don't. First we need to dramatically upgrade technology through mediated classrooms and ports so students can use laptops for certain courses.
INSIGHT: What's next for the M.B.A. Program?
Kaplan: We've just rolled out several new management courses and there's tremendous interest in the information systems concentration. In terms of accounting, we're going to offer a number of new courses in fall 2000 and students will be able to take the CPA exam when they graduate with an M.B.A.