New MBA Program Enrolls Students at Rural West Virginia College

• Glenville State University will launch its MBA program this fall.
• The program requires an undergraduate GPA of 2.75 or higher or a transfer graduate credit of at least six credit hours and a 3.0 GPA.
• The program includes a data-focused course in its core curriculum alongside traditional MBA courses based around ethics and leadership.

A new master of business administration (MBA) program is now enrolling students at Glenville State University in West Virginia, school officials announced June 20.

The MBA program will kick off this fall and requires an undergraduate GPA of 2.75 or higher or a transfer graduate credit of at least six credit hours and a 3.0 GPA, according to a press release from the school. Students need "a verified degree earned from an accredited institution" and an official transcript to enter the program.

The 36-credit-hour program includes 21 core MBA credit hours and 15 elective credit hours. Students who enter the program without a business degree will need to complete two courses — applied managerial accounting and applied managerial theories — as part of their 15 elective credit hours.

"Glenville State University is proud to be adding a Master of Business Administration degree to its list of graduate programs," Glenville State President Mark A. Manchin said in the release. "We know this is a program that is in-demand and it helps students deepen their understanding of an everchanging business landscape and gives them a leg up on their competition."

Data-driven analysis is a focus of one of the program's core classes, reflecting a larger trend in MBAs toward data and information as data literacy becomes an increasingly important business skill. Tulane University earlier this year announced a revamp of its MBA program to focus heavily on data-driven decision-making.

Potential master's students largely cited tech and business ethics as being important topics for their degree programs in a recent study by the United Kingdom-based consulting firm CarringtonCrisp.

Mari Clements, Glenville State's interim provost, said in the release that the MBA program will be a "game changer" for both the university and West Virginia as a whole.

"The MBA program is a wonderful opportunity for our region, the state, and beyond," Clements said.

Dwight Heaster, chair of the university's Department of Business, said in a previous release that a full-time student in the program could finish their MBA program in 18 months. Future concentrations might include high-demand topics like cybersecurity and healthcare administration.

"It is our hope that students will find this program to be engaging and that it will help to propel them to the next level in their careers," Heaster said in May. "Through the MBA program they'll learn about problem solving, communication, legal, global, and economic regulatory environments that impact businesses, and more."