Busy professionals seeking an MBA degree to advance their careers will have a flexible option this fall as West Virginia University’s College of Business and Economics announced Thursday that it will offer the executive MBA online.

“This is the first online executive MBA in the state by a college or university accredited by AACSB International,” said William Trumbull, interim dean of the College of Business and Economics. AACSB is the “gold standard” for accreditation.

While the majority of the program is offered online, four residencies are required during the two-year program. The residencies will last three or four days and will allow students to build a connection to the WVU network and their classmates. While three of the residencies are on WVU’s main campus in Morgantown, one residency, The Washington Campus, gives students an inside look at the intersection of business and government in Washington, DC.

“This highly interactive, online program will provide these MBA students opportunities to learn from experts,” said Trumbull. “Many of our faculty have earned doctorates from leading business schools and have extensive business experience. This expertise will enable students to bridge the gap between theory and practice.”

Each course in the 48 credit-hour program lasts from four to eight weeks and students take one course at a time. As an option, students have the opportunity to study abroad in Germany, Ireland, China, Poland, Prague or Italy.

The executive MBA program has been taught in distance-education centers throughout West Virginia for more than a decade.

AACSB International, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, is the longest-serving and largest global accrediting body for business schools, with more than 1,100 educational institutions and other organizations in 70 countries.

For more information, visit www.be.wvu.edu/online-mba or call 304-293-7811.

-WVU-

01/22/10

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CONTACT: Elizabeth Vitullo
Associate Director, Graduate Programs
(304) 293-7811 eavitullo@mail.wvu.edu