INTEGR ATED AC ADEMICS
E THIC AL LEADERSHIP
THE ELON MBA
GLOBAL PERSPEC TIVE
MBA
COMMUNIT Y
www.elon.edu/mba
“Elon has lived up to the reason I sought out a small private university. It is important to me that schools treat students like people, not numbers. I wanted to enroll in a program whose primary objective was education, not publishing the number of graduates. I also expected to be taught by professors who had real world business experience and were not just career academics. This has been the case. I like to be challenged in what I may face daily, not just what a textbook author feels is important.” — Heather Ann Scheel, real property valuation specialist I, North Carolina Department of Revenue
“A few years into my career I began to truly appreciate the need for socially responsible business education. The Elon MBA has already helped me earn a promotion and now I’m working with community leaders and administrators at my college to develop industry training programs that will put more people to work.” — Jonathan Thill, program director for School of Community Education, Workforce Development and Entrepreneurship, Davidson County Community College
“In so many of my classes we’ve discussed companies moving operations overseas, and the increasing consumer markets created by the emerging middle class in Asia. Traveling with the MBA program to Vietnam, Hong Kong and China gave me the opportunity to see these things firsthand and has enhanced my view of the world we live and work in.” — Mariebeth Marsh,supply chain planner, BASF Corporation
“A short while into my Elon MBA, I found out my company was cutting back and I was to be laid off. I quickly contacted everyone in the program working in my field, mechanical engineering. I was able to make a several valuable contacts and then land a job in this challenging economy. I’ve been in this position for about a year, and I love it.” — Nirav Parikh, senior engineer, Volvo 3P
The Elon MBA A nationally ranked program tailored to your goals
Develop your leadership and business skills in a part-time program renowned for its full-time benefits. You’ll work with distinguished scholars who have extensive industry experience and network with other motivated professionals. By the time you graduate, not only will you be poised to transform your own career, you’ll have the knowledge and skills to transform the business arena. The Elon MBA will empower you to build a brighter future. Are you up to the challenge?
#1 in the South
#6 in the nation
BusinessWeek magazine named Elon the #1 program in the South and #6 in the nation in the magazine’s list of part-time MBA programs. The university is among the top six programs in the nation on three benchmarks – academic quality, student satisfaction and average class size. The Martha and Spencer Love School of Business is accredited by AACSB International — The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Less than 5 percent of the world’s business leaders have earned AACSB accreditation. The Princeton Review named the Elon MBA the #5 best administered program in the nation in the 2010 edition of the “Best 301 Business Schools” annual guide.
The Foundation for Success
Integrated Academics The Elon MBA presents an integrated course of study. Courses build upon one another to create a seamless learning experience that emphasizes real-world application. Case analysis, group projects and consulting opportunities are utilized as valuable curriculum components.
Ethical Leadership Redefine your vision of leadership. Discover your personal leadership style and take on roles that prepare you to participate at a higher level professionally and in your community. Analyze, discuss and devise solutions to the real issues you must manage while balancing the needs of shareholders, customers, employees, and your own values and goals. This is leadership learning at the most challenging and realistic level.
Global Perspective Elon MBA students don’t just talk about the international marketplace. They engage with it. Travel opportunities take students to Asia, South America and Europe to analyze how U.S. companies compete in global markets. Students visit international investment banks and manufacturing sites, and also travel to local markets and small workshops for an immersive experience in a variety of business models.
Community When you enroll in the Elon MBA you join a community of students, faculty and staff who move with you throughout the program as colleagues and friends. An active student-alumni association ushers new students into the program and organizes community service projects, social outings and other activities that serve students and alumni. To further engage with the community, MBA students and alumni are developing a consulting group to work with local not-for-profit organizations.
The Academics of Innovation
Analyze economic policy. Discuss the elements of launching a successful international business. Identify the keys to effective managerial communication. The Elon MBA presents a dynamic curriculum that evolves with the industry and connects market theory to present-day applications and events. Classroom experiences recreate the context of business and ensure students can adeptly adjust to industry changes. Your studies will prepare you to: n Explore the overall strategy of a firm through team-based, active learning exercises in management practice workshops. FPO
n Apply microeconomic theory to management decisions as you delve into the study of modern business economics. n Study behaviors and communication techniques required for successful leadership. n Refine your entrepreneurial focus with courses concentrated on the steps, processes and skills necessary to launch a business.
W. Eric Henshaw, chairman of the board and CEO of Kingsdown, Inc.
The Elon MBA core curriculum includes: Economic Policy and the Global
MBA students generated and presented alternative marketing strategies to
Environment, Accounting for Managerial Decisions, Facilitating Change: The
top management at Kingsdown, an international bedding company based in
Consulting Process, Marketing Management and Topics in Advanced Economic
the Triad. The company approached the Martha and Spencer Love School of
Analysis.
Business with the opportunity and MBA students benefitted from working on a significant project, in real time, for a real firm.
Strength in specialization Electives allow students to focus their studies on a particular subject area and provide excellent opportunities to learn more about specific interests. n Organizational Analytics/Project Management n New Product Development n Emerging Markets—Pacific Rim n Human Capital Management n Entrepreneurship
The Strength to Lead
Ethical leadership is a hallmark of the Elon MBA and is present in coursework, interactions with industry leaders and co-curricular activities that challenge students to work beyond what is required. Students begin their journey with MBA 501, Goal Setting & Career Development, an introductory workshop that requires students to identify their talents and areas they would like to develop. Students devise goals they hope to achieve throughout the course of the program and then revisit those goals as they near graduation. Self-assessments help students determine their leadership styles and how their personality impacts their interactions in the professional world. This knowledge is reinforced as students learn about themselves through group projects with peers throughout the program, consulting opportunities and student-centered organizations. Additional leadership opportunities include: Collaboration with Elon’s Executive Education Program on projects that develop solutions and strategies to meet the challenges of area firms
“Much of leadership in organizations today is team-based, so we use a teambased learning approach in the classroom as a vehicle to simulate and talk about leadership. These teams make complex decisions throughout the term
Networking opportunities with the Business Ethics Speaker, hosted annually
that require the application of fundamental course concepts. The result is a
by The Martha and Spencer Love School of Business. David Childers, president
leadership laboratory where students experiment with different leadership
and CEO of Portland, Oregon-based EthicsPoint was the most recent speaker.
and decision-making styles, learn from their teammates and work with the instructor to understand how to make more effective decisions as leaders in
Learning leadership philosophies from seasoned executives participating in
complex organizations.”
the Legends of Business program. Past speakers include CEOs of Fortune 500 companies such as: Robert Ingram, vice chairman of Pharmaceuticals for GlaxoSmithKline J. Richard Munro, former chairman and CEO of Time Inc. As Treasurer of the MBA Student-
Jerry D. Neal, co-founder and executive vce president of Marketing and Strategic Development for RF Micro Devices
Alumni Leadership Board, Jonathan Thill is at work on a project that will allow future MBA students to more easily pay online for the association’s activities and outings.
Kerrii Anderson, former president and CEO of Wendy’s International
Matt Valle, professor of management
Casey Dirienzo, associate dean of the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, is developing a business analytics course with SAS that will incorporate concepts of time series,
CASEY DIRIENZO, Associate Dean and MBA professor
forecasting and product management into a classroom experience that benefits students’ daily work lives.
Learn more about the MBA program’s collaboration with SAS and other innovative developments at www.elon.edu/mba
Outstanding Faculty
MBA professors are leaders in both the academic and professional worlds. They have earned postgraduate degrees from some of the finest business schools in the country and have varied executive experience with large and small, well-established and entrepreneurial firms, and manufacturing, service, scientific and financial organizations. Many of the program’s 25 instructors have worked or taught in international markets, and all teach with the goal of prepping you for success. MBA classes are small and faculty members are accessible. This atmosphere of personal attention, combined with dedication to teaching and reasonable cost, sets the Elon MBA program apart from others.
Business in the Global Marketplace
MBA graduates emerge from the program as informed alumni prepared to tackle the challenges and opportunities presented by an everexpanding global marketplace. As preparation, the MBA curriculum incorporates study of international firms, global economic policy and international trade and money markets. Students can build on their studies with optional learning trips to Asia, South America and Europe, where they visit both international corporations and small workshops. Students traveled to China, Hong Kong and Vietnam with students from the Elon University Law School to meet with top business and law leaders. MBA students created a new product for a hypothetical company, exploring the idea of making or selling the product in either China or Vietnam, and were challenged to contemplate the broad range of challenges presented by this international arena. Law students served as legal advisers to the commercial entities created by the business students.
A Network of Colleagues and Business Associates
Find yourself in a community of learners excited to transform their careers. The Elon MBA emphasizes the importance of teamwork and attracts students with dedicated work ethics who collaborate for the achievement of greater goals. Beginning in 2010, MBA students and alumni will have the opportunity to partner with undergraduate students and faculty in The Elon MBA Community Partners Program, which will provide high quality consulting services to not-for-profit organizations in the Triangle, Triad and Alamance regions. Join the active Elon MBA Student-Alumni Association and have fun networking with professionals from across central North Carolina. Recent activities include: n Elon Phoenix football tailgates n Annual “Cocktails & A Musical Event� n Annual summer picnic n Greensboro Grasshoppers and Durham Bulls minor league baseball games n Annual golf tournament with proceeds benefitting charity
Yo u r f o o t i s a l r e a d y i n t h e d o o r
Your Elon MBA is a guarantee of lifelong support from Elon Career Services. Alumni have access to the same services as enrolled students, with Career Services serving as a powerful resource in salary negotiations, career changes and relocation. The program begins and ends with individual career assessments and coaching from MBA professors. Career advancement and job search workshops are offered throughout the program for students seeking new professional opportunities.
A relationship built over study sessions moved into the real world turn when Nirav Parikh, a mechanical engineer, was laid off. At the time, Marc Miller ‘o8 was soon to graduate and, as a result of his MBA, was being promoted at Volvo Trucks North America, Inc. The company needed someone to replace his position and Marc encouraged Nirav to apply. Marc scheduled an interview with the hiring manager and Nirav was hired. The former classmates are now co-workers and are a testament to the value of professional connections forged through academic experience.
Yo u r E l o n M B A
Many MBA students juggle demanding jobs and family obligations that prevent them from returning to school full-time. Recognizing that fact, the Elon MBA program can be customized to fit your specific needs. Start the program in the fall or spring and set your own pace — take one class at a time and earn your degree in 33 months, or take two at a time and finish in just 21 months. You can even create a hybrid track and chart your own course. Cohorts range in size from 25-30 students. The average age of Elon MBA students is 31. MBA students are employed across the Triad and the Triangle at companies such as Bank of America, Cisco Systems, Duke Energy, IBM, LapCorp, RF Micro Devices, UNC Healthcare and Volvo Trucks North America, Inc.
Ap p l y To d ay
The Elon MBA program enrolls cohorts each September and March. Applications are evaluated on a rolling basis throughout the year. Please submit all required application materials as early as possible, but no later than August 15 for the fall semester and February 15 for the spring semester. Visit www.elon.edu/mba for a complete list of requirements and additional admissions information.
www.elon.edu/mba
ELON
Office of Graduate Admissions 2750 Campus Box Elon, NC 27244-2010 800-334-8448 ext. 3 elonmba@elon.edu www.elon.edu/mba
www.elon.edu/mba About Elon Elon was named the nation’s top “School to Watch” by U.S.News & World Report in the magazine’s 2010 “America’s Best Colleges” guide. The guide also ranked Elon #2 among 117 Southern master’s-level universities. Elon offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and awards master’s degrees in business administration, education and interactive media. A doctor of physical therapy degree is also offered. The Elon University School of Law offers the J.D. degree.
transforming Students - transforming Business
Martha and spencer love
School of business
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