Interview with Michigan Ross' Dr. Wally Hopp, Associate Dean for Part-Time MBA, and Anne Schoen, Associate Admissions Director for Part-Time MBA Programs [Show Summary]

Michigan Ross has a brand new MBA program – an online option to add to its menu of part-time programs as well as its flagship, highly ranked full-time program. We’re going to learn about this great new option among online MBAs in an interview with Michigan Ross’ Dr. Wally Hopp, Associate Dean for Part-Time MBA, and Anne Schoen, Associate Admissions Director, Part-Time MBA Programs.

All About the Michigan Ross Online, Part-Time MBA [Show Notes]

Our guests today are Dr. Wally Hopp, Associate Dean for Part-Time MBA, and Anne Schoen, Associate Admissions Director, Part-time MBA Programs at Michigan Ross. I’m going to omit my usual bios because they have long ones and because there’s a lot to talk about with the brand new online MBA program that Ross is offering.

Can you provide an overview of Ross’ new online MBA? [1:57]

The core curriculum is the same as our existing programs, with electives overlapping with other programs and other characteristics of our programs – the action-based learning component and MAP programs, for example, just like any other program. The requirements and rigor are the same, as well as the focus on group work. The real difference is the medium used to conduct the courses. The program is at a distance, of course, but we also provide career support, networking, and events that can be tapped into remotely, so we hope that the answer is it isn’t all that different from any other program.

What made Ross decide to add an online option to its menu of MBA programs? [3:32]

We are delivering to the niche of the market that wants more flexibility to pursue their MBA while working. They care a lot about being able to continue their careers, so value staying where they are and going at the pace they can go at. It became clear we could meet those needs more effectively by leveraging technology than we could by insisting on the traditional residential education. We got here in more than one step. Our weekend program is already 1/3 digital, so this was the next step in evolution, offering a bigger portion online and smaller residential format for people who need more flexibility.

The website touts the program’s flexibility. Is there a recommended time to complete the program? Or course load per semester? What is the shortest amount of time? Longest amount of time that you anticipate? [5:05]

The shortest time is probably two years, and that would be with a pretty hefty workload – four courses per semester. We expect there will be some students who opt for that, but the more typical pace is about 3.5 years, and there will be some who will go longer. 3.5 years is two courses per semester. Our courses are offered in half semesters, so it essentially involves taking one course at a time continually through the whole 3.5 years, which is about a 10-15 hour/week workload. That is manageable in our evening students and think it will be with online students as well.

Can you describe the residential component of the program? [6:31]

We want to make sure we provide the experiences that students can’t get through the online channel during the residential session.