 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||
UAH business school, graduate business degree get new names
The "new" College of Business Administration moves UAH into compliance with recommendations made during the school's most recent accreditation review by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, International.
The AACSB 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 Dr. C. David Billings, dean of the UAH business school since its creation in 1981. "There are high school guidance counselors and students in North Alabama who do not realize there is a business school at UAH because we didn't 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 school's 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."
The UAS trustees also approved changing the name of UAH's general master's degree in business from the Master of Science in Management (MSM) to the Master of Business Administration (MBA), another change that was recommended by the AACSB review team in 2003.
"We are also trying to be responsive to our students," Billings said. "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 master's 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 haven't offered an MBA.
"When prospective students and others do a Google search for MBA programs the UAH business school doesn't 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 master's degree programs in accounting and management information systems.
The University of Alabama in Huntsville 301 Sparkman Drive Huntsville, AL 35899 1.800.UAH.CALL