My MBA Career: Latest Update on Notre Dames One-Year MBA Program Cancellation

Last Updated on October 10, 2023 by Robert C. Hoopes

Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business has recently announced that it will be discontinuing its one-year MBA program, despite its financial viability. This decision comes as the college aims to allocate more resources towards its two-year MBA program, which will now be the school’s main focus.

This move by Notre Dame comes just a year after Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management made a similar decision to shut down its premier one-year MBA program. Cornell’s decision was driven by the desire to concentrate on another one-year MBA program, the Tech MBA, based on its Roosevelt Island campus in New York City.

Both Notre Dame and Cornell’s one-year MBA programs were recognized as some of the top programs in the field by Poets&Quants. Other renowned business schools with popular one-year MBA programs include Northwestern Kellogg School of Management, Duke Fuqua School of Business, Emory Goizueta Business School, and NYU Stern.

Interestingly, recent surveys conducted by the Graduate Management Admission Council revealed that prospective MBA students are showing a preference for one-year programs over traditional two-year programs. This shifting trend has prompted institutions to evaluate their offerings and make adjustments accordingly.

Notre Dame Mendoza’s one-year MBA program boasted considerable success rates, with 96% of the Class of 2022 accepting job offers within three months of graduation. Additionally, The Economist and The Financial Times highly ranked the program for its alumni effectiveness and network.

It is worth noting that this is not the first program to be discontinued by Notre Dame Mendoza. The school previously ended its MBA-Master of Science in Business Analytics program in 2022 due to a lack of student interest.

The decision to terminate the one-year MBA program will allow Notre Dame Mendoza to enhance its focus on providing experiential learning, leadership development, career discernment, and personal growth opportunities within the two-year program. The school reassures current students that the discontinuation of the program will not impact their academic experience.

Notre Dame Mendoza remains committed to supporting the personal and professional growth of its one-year MBA students and emphasizes that they will always be valued members of the Notre Dame family.