Notre Dame to End Its 1-Year MBA Program

• Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business will sunset its one-year MBA program at the end of this academic year.
• School officials want to refocus resources on the school's two-year MBA program.
• The Mendoza College of Business also recently revamped its executive MBA program to focus on global leadership and immersion trips.
• One-year MBA programs have been increasingly popular among prospective students, according to the Graduate Management Admission Council.

One of the top one-year master of business administration (MBA) programs in the country will be discontinued at the end of this academic year.

The University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business will sunset its one-year MBA program as the school refocuses on its two-year MBA, school officials announced in an Oct. 9 press release.

Accelerated MBA programs offer students a chance to get their degree at a faster pace than traditional MBA programs, which typically take two years. One-year MBA programs are popular with students: One-year programs overtook two-year MBAs in the Graduate Management Admission Council's 2023 Prospective Students Survey.

Despite that growing popularity, Notre Dame wants to send more resources toward its two-year MBA program. School officials underscored recent investments in that program in the release, like the career-oriented MBA Pathways program, which offers personalized coaching and experiential learning to students.

"While the One-Year MBA historically has attracted talented and dedicated students and remains financially viable, the decision to discontinue the program reflects the College's focus on the Two-Year MBA as our priority and was informed by the ongoing strategic review aimed at optimizing and elevating Mendoza's graduate program portfolio," Mendoza College of Business Dean Martijn Cremers said in the press release.

Notre Dame's move away from the one-year MBA won't affect current students, Cremers said in the release.

"The Mendoza faculty and staff remain fully committed to the personal and professional growth of our One-Year MBAs, now and after they graduate," Cremers said. "They are forever important members of the Notre Dame family."

This isn't the only major shakeup at Mendoza this year. The business school previously announced it would revamp its executive MBA (EMBA) program — shuttering its program in Chicago and refocusing the degree on global leadership and immersion trips.

Executive MBA programs typically confer the same degree as a traditional MBA program. However, they are focused on advanced professionals years into their careers and often have an experience requirement. EMBAs often feature a cohort-model. Notre Dame officials said in August that they want to bring those cohorts together at the university's campus in South Bend, Indiana.

"By bringing all Global EMBA students to campus for their residencies, we can provide a holistic Notre Dame experience and establish greater consistency between the cohorts," Cremers said at the time. "The shift to a global perspective aligns with the larger business demand for effective leaders with a strong understanding of the complexities of a global economy, particularly in working with varied work cultures."

While Notre Dame is refocusing its resources toward its two-year MBA program, other business schools have expanded their one-year MBA programs. New York University's Stern School of Business, for example, will offer a one-year MBA program in the United Arab Emirates starting in 2025.