Proposal for a Master of Business Administration (MBA) Degree Program

EXPEDITED PROGRAM APPROVAL

SUBMITTED TO THE

MASSACHUSETTS BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Submission Date: August 17, 2006

FRAMINGHAM STATE COLLEGE

100 STATE STREET

FRAMINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS

A listing of the Graduate Business Faculty can be found in Exhibit 31. Their Curriculum Vitae are given in PART III.

At least 50% of the professors who will teach in the MBA program at Framingham State College are full-time faculty; 70% of those professors have a doctorate. 40% of adjuncts have a doctorate and 20% have a J.D. There is no question that the faculty teaching in the current graduate program in administration are eminently qualified to teach the courses in our proposed MBA degree program.

Most of the Faculty available to teach in the MBA Program have a long term association with the College. Half of the full-time faculty teaching in this program has been on the faculty for at least the last twenty years and the other half has joined in the last five years. All are on the tenure track or tenured. Framingham State College also enjoys a long time commitment from its part-time faculty. The commitment of the faculty provides the program with credibility, stability and passion. Relationships have been established between full-time and part-time faculty in an effort to discuss program topics and course content issues. This MBA proposal defines more formal links between full-time and part-time faculty to ensure the maintenance and innovative development of this program.

Exhibit 31 - Summary of Faculty Who Will Teach in Proposed Program, Full-time faculty.

Exhibit 31 - Summary of Faculty Who Will Teach in Proposed Program - Part Time faculty.

Current positions are filled by academically and professionally qualified faculty, including members of the full-time faculty from the Department of Economics and Business Administration. The College anticipates hiring additional faculty, as needed, subject to the growth of the MBA program (please refer to the Faculty and Staff section under Resources). New faculty hires will possess appropriate doctoral credentials qualifying them to teach at the graduate level.

The College anticipates a stable number of first-year applicants to the MBA program. This is best predicted by considering the College’s experience with its existing master’s program in administration with a concentration in business administration, in which 110 students are matriculated. Annually, between 30 and 35 students apply to the program Approximately 89% of applicants are currently accepted, and of these, 83% matriculate. Annually, 20-25 students graduate from the program.

The MBA program is expected to draw from the existing base and attract new applicants who seek a more marketable degree. We therefore anticipate that during its first year of operation, the MBA program will enroll approximately 35 students. In subsequent years, as recruitment and publicity efforts increase, new MBA enrollments are expected to increase in Years 3 and 4 to 45 and 50 new students per year.

Exhibit 32 presents a breakdown of the projected enrollment for the first four years of the MBA program.

Upon full implementation, the MBA program is expected to enroll at least 130 matriculated students over a four-year period.

It is anticipated that admissions will become more selective upon full implementation of the MBA program.

The overall applicant pool is expected to be drawn from the greater MetroWest region. The MBA program will serve mid-level managers and other professionals who aspire to greater leadership and management roles

Applicants must have earned a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university in any major.

Students are evaluated primarily on the basis of the distribution of courses that they have taken as an undergraduate, and, if applicable, courses taken in another graduate program.
An overall undergraduate quality grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in a program acceptable to the admissions committee, and including an acceptable average in any business and economic courses taken as an undergraduate, is expected.
Students who do not meet these requirements may be offered the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to do successful graduate work by:

Taking two approved graduate business or economics courses and earning a grade of B or better in each course; or

Taking the Graduate Management Admissions Test, the Graduate Record Exam or the Miller Analogies Test and achieving a score in the 60^th percentile or better.

Applicants may request transfer credit for up to two graduate courses for which they earned a grade of B- or higher at another regionally accredited college or university Each such request must be supported by a course description and/or syllabus, and must receive requires written approval by the Program Advisor

Prospective students apply for admission to Framingham State College graduate programs through the Division of Graduate and Continuing Education (DGCE). Once graduate applications in business are complete, they are reviewed by the Graduate Admissions Committee of the Economics and Business Department, which makes admission recommendations to the Dean. Applicants may be admitted for either the fall or spring semesters, and may take up to two courses prior to matriculation.

Once admitted, students are assigned to an advisor for assistance with course selection and overall degree completion. Upon full implementation of the program, it is expected that a dedicated MBA Program Coordinator will be appointed.

Students register for courses on a semester basis, through DGCE. Typically registration takes place approximately two months prior to the start of the semester, and continues through the beginning of classes. Students may review course offerings online and through a print bulletin which is mailed to the homes of prospective and matriculated students. Students may register in person; online; and by mail, fax, or toll-free telephone service.

A graduate student who enters the MBA degree program with all foundation courses completed will be able to complete MBA core and elective courses in two years, taking two courses per semester, including summer. Core and elective courses are offered during the fall, spring, and summer terms.

Allowing for levels of student retention assumed in the budget - see Exhibits 22 and 23 - and for the part-time nature of the program, it is estimated that 50% of students will complete their degrees within three years and that 85% will complete within four years.

Framingham State College is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), and as such, its MBA courses should be transferable to other graduate business programs. Each course is awarded four credits or semester hours,

No articulation agreements are associated with this program.

Industry advisory boards are already in place for MERC as well as for the Business and Information Technology and Computer Science undergraduate programs. A similar board, the MBA Advisory Council is being established for the MBA program, consisting of business executives occupying key managerial roles in business, industry, government, education, health, and non-profit organizations. The Council will play a role in program review and evaluation; formulating innovative curricula; serving as guest lecturers for MBA classes; and supporting faculty research and development. The Council will be jointly chaired by an industry executive and the MBA Program Coordinator, and will meet two times a year.