| | UAH business school, graduate business degree get new names(9/18/2007)In moves to comply with accreditation recommendations while also reducing confusion, the University of Alabama System board of trustees has approved two name changes in the business school at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). The trustees approved changing the name of UAHıs general master's degree in business from the Master of Science in Management (MSM) to the Master of Business Administration (MBA), a change that was recommended in 2003 by an accreditation review team from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, International (AACSB). The newly minted MBA degrees will be awarded starting in December 2007 to students who finish what was the MSM program this fall. "We are trying to be responsive to our students," said Dr. C. David Billings, dean of the business school since it was created in 1981. "They have repeatedly asked us to change the name of the degree. They think they have a competitive advantage in subject matter because of the focus on technology, but they are also at a competitive disadvantage because employers are looking for that MBA label." "Of all of the schools authorized by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education to award a masterıs degree in business administration and management, UAH was the only university that called its degree an MSM instead of an MBA," he said. "While that might seem like a small thing, it had consequences. "For instance, we haven't been considered for the BusinessWeek and ComputerWorld rankings of technology-oriented MBA programs. Why? Because we havenıt offered an MBA." "When prospective students and others do a Google search for MBA programs the UAH business school doesnıt come up. Why? Because the search engine looks for MBA instead of MSM." "This is one of those cases where there is something in a name." The UAH MBA program will continue to focus on issues relating to the management of technology. The UAH business school also offers masterıs degree programs in accounting and management information systems. The UAS board also changed the name of the college, which had been the College of Administrative Science. The "new" College of Business Administration moves UAH into compliance with recommendations made during the schoolıs most recent AACSB accreditation review. The peer team recommended in 2003 that UAH change the name of its College of Administrative Science before the next accreditation cycle, which begins in October 2008. "Of the more than 400 AACSB-accredited business schools in the U.S., no other business school was named administrative science," said Billings. "There are high school guidance counselors and students in North Alabama who do not realize there is a business school at UAH because we didnıt have business in our name." The 2003 AACSB review team gave the college three suggestions for a new name. College of Business Administration was chosen for two reasons, Billings said. "First, it connects the school to its heritage of working with NASA, the U.S. Army and other government agencies, which use business tools to administer their programs. Business administration ties into the schoolıs historic emphasis on contract and project administration, which are critical skill sets for businesses in this region. "Second, the new name helps us differentiate ourselves from other business schools in the state. Alabama A&M and Auburn have schools of business. UAB has a college of business, while UA-Tuscaloosa has a college of commerce and business administration." For more information: Phil Gentry, (256)824-6420 |
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