Affordable Business Track

Partnership with Virginia Western Community College Creates the State’s Most Affordable Business Degree Track

A partnership with Virginia Western Community College (VWCC) has created the state’s most convenient and affordable business degree track. But pulling it off wasn’t easy.

Longtime MBU business professor Joe Sprangel worked hand-in-hand with VWCC business management professor Jeff Strom to devise innovations that would streamline processes and dramatically cut costs compared to other transfer and four-year programs. The resulting pipeline enables students to earn 84 credit hours from VWCC (instead of just 61), then finish with 36 at MBU. Synched curriculum also ensures 100 percent of credits transfer — Strom says students typically lose about 10. Flexibility, convenience, and added cost savings can be unlocked through special hybrid and online course options.

VWCC Business, Technology, and Trades Dean Yvonne Campbell calls the partnership an “incredible win for our students.” The measures collectively reduce tuition to $30,842 for the entire degree before grants and scholarships. That’s significant, as U.S. News & World Report estimates average costs for similar in-state degrees at $56,700.

Pipeline students can also earn MBAs faster and for less money. Curriculum tweaks help them earn up to six credits toward a master’s while working on a BA or BS. The path lets them graduate a semester early and save $3,900 in tuition — putting total costs for the pipeline MBA at $19,500 vs. national averages of about $33,500.

Sprangel calls the partnership “indicative of MBU’s commitment to finding innovative solutions to workforce development and serving the educational needs of nontraditional college students.”

Plans for bringing similar options to more community colleges are underway.