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Pathways program streamlines MBA admissions
The solution? She decided to return to the University of Delaware and earn a master’s degree in business administration (MBA). The problem? UD’s new semester was about to start, and Lukoff, CHEP ’01, hadn’t even begun the time-consuming MBA admissions process. “I’m not a patient person once I make up my mind to do something, and I wanted to get started on my MBA as soon as I could and see how I liked it,” Lukoff said. “Luckily, I was told about the Pathways program, which let me take some courses right away. It was great--I was cutting up vegetables one day and was an MBA student the next.” The Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics designed Pathways precisely for prospective students like Lukoff, according to Jack Baroudi, associate dean of the college and professor of accounting and management information systems. The program’s streamlined process allows working professionals to enroll in a few MBA courses before being required to take the standardized Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) for regular admission as either a part-time or a full-time student. “We had heard from a lot of people that taking the GMAT when you’re 30 years old and have been out of school for a while can be very intimidating,” Baroudi said. “Many working people, even those with very good skills and good academic backgrounds who would certainly do well on the test, were being put off by that requirement. “Pathways is a way to just test the water and see if a University of Delaware MBA is right for you before you have to take the GMAT. What we’ve found is that once people get here and get into the classes, they generally want to stay and graduate.” About 85 percent of students who have entered the MBA program through Pathways have gone on to apply for regular admission and have been accepted, Baroudi said. Students who enroll through the Pathways program can take up to three graduate courses, for a total of nine credits, in an academic year before deciding whether to continue. If they do choose to enroll for the full program, they then take the GMAT and request admission. “Pathways is a wonderful way for students to quick-start their MBA,” Gloria Diodato, assistant dean for graduate and executive programs in the Lerner College, said. “They may be nervous about returning to school, but once they start taking classes, they see that the other MBA students are a lot like them. Most have been out of school for at least a few years, and they have demanding jobs and busy lives. When students see that their situation isn’t unusual, the intimidation factor goes away.” MBA students who begin their graduate work through Pathways take the same graduate courses at the same time as students who have enrolled the traditional way. The college offers them help in preparing for the GMAT and also has made its other student services especially user-friendly, Baroudi said. “We’ve overhauled everything to make it as convenient and flexible for students as possible,” he said. “The goal of Pathways and our other services is to make the UD MBA program more accessible for the kind of high-quality students we know will succeed here.” The convenience factor was important for Barry Yerger, EG ’87, who wanted to pursue an MBA to broaden his academic credentials in the financial services industry, where he has worked most of his career. Yerger said he was uncertain about the commitment of time needed for graduate studies, in addition to his full-time job and responsibilities to his family, which includes two young sons. “The Pathways program was great for me, because it let me get started right away to see how I’d like the MBA courses and how they’d fit my schedule,” Yerger said. “And, then, when I found out I could take almost all my classes at Arsht Hall [on UD’s Wilmington Campus], that’s what really sold me on the program.” Yerger works in Wilmington and lives just outside the city, so taking evening classes there has been a significant time-saver, he said. Like Lukoff, Yerger found that his success in the first three courses he completed gave him the confidence to enroll for the full MBA program. Both expect to graduate in January. A student enrolling in an MBA program the traditional way might start the process many months in advance, Diodato said, choosing a program, preparing for and scheduling the GMAT, taking the test and then submitting those scores to UD or another school, along with undergraduate transcripts, application forms and letters of reference. Most of those items other than the GMAT also are required for Pathways admission, but Diodato said the college works with students to help them meet the requirements quickly. “People are busier than ever,” she said. “Many of them don’t want to go through a six- to 12-month application process. With Pathways, they can decide in May or June, or even later, that they want to enroll in September, and we can accommodate them if they’re qualified.” Baroudi said Pathways has become the most common route part-time MBA students take to enter the program. Their reasoning is, “Why not try it first?” he said, and the college agrees. “With Pathways, we can get you started in something you’ve wanted to do for a while but have been putting off,” Baroudi said. “You can preview us, and we can preview you. It’s a good opportunity for everyone.” More information about the program is available on the web site [www.lerner.udel.edu/MBA/mbapathways.html]. Article by Ann Manser To learn how to subscribe to UDaily, click here. |
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