My MBA Career: BGSU considers discontinuing Executive MBA program

Last Updated on April 13, 2024 by Robert C. Hoopes

Bowling Green State University’s Executive MBA Program to Cease Admitting New Students

Bowling Green State University has announced that its Executive Master of Business Administration program, which has been a staple at the university for nearly 50 years, will no longer admit new students after April. This decision is pending approval from the BGSU Board of Trustees in May and comes as a result of declining enrollment in the program.

The Executive MBA program was designed for working adults who attended classes one weekend a month for four months each semester for a total of two years. However, with the introduction of the university’s Online MBA program in spring 2020, enrollment in the Executive MBA program saw a significant decline. The Online MBA program has since seen a surge in enrollment, with over 300 students currently enrolled, despite a slight decline post-COVID-19 pandemic.

The credentials of the online MBA students are on par with those who were previously enrolled in the Executive MBA program. At the start of the fall 2023 semester, only five students were signed up for the face-to-face Executive MBA program, leading to the suspension of classes. The remaining dozen students in the program will graduate this year.

David Chatfield, the director of graduate and executive programs in BGSU’s Schmidthorst College of Business, assured that the university will continue to offer classes for the students currently in the Executive MBA program until their graduation. This move reflects the university’s commitment to adapting its offerings to meet the changing needs and preferences of its student body.