Henrico Magazine

SUMMER 2006 ISSUE 7 NO.7

IN THE HEART OF CENTRAL VIRGINIA


	Flexible class scheduling and online courses at Longwood University’s Richmond Center appeal to working students.

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Maximizing Potential

Not so long ago, a college degree was more than enough to guarantee a young go-getter’s future in the business world. However, as more and more of today’s youth graduate from four-year universities, standing out from the crowd and securing an increasingly competitive position is becoming an impressive feat. In today’s business economy, many college graduates feel they need additional credentials, often in the form of the initials M.B.A. behind their names, to differentiate them. While you would find few who could argue the virtues of additional education, where do students find the time to pursue these programs?

A growing demand for more specialized business skills in the marketplace has caused the spread of flexible Masters in Business Administration degree programs. Longwood University, for example, recently began offering an M.B.A. with a concentration in Retail Management. Allowing students to build the proficiencies necessary for professional success in areas such as banking, merchandising or real estate, Longwood offers evening, weekend, and on-line classes at Longwood University’s Richmond Center and the university’s main campus. This kind of flexibility accommodates the schedules of students who wish to continue working in order to bear the financial burden of schooling more easily.

In today’s business economy, many college graduates feel they need additional credentials, often in the form of the initials M.B.A. behind their names, to differentiate them ... where do students find the time to pursue these programs?

Longwood is not the only school that offers the opportunity to continue earning while finding ways to maximize long-term earning potential. Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business, for example, has a two-year Professional M.B.A. stretched over eight three-month terms. Classes meet only once a month, alternating class sites between their Richmond Center location in Henrico County and their Roanoke Center location. An exam is given at the end of each term, and students can choose to take their exams in either venue. And for those who might argue that part-time students ultimately have a less intense educational experience, full-time Pamplin faculty teach the classes. The University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business began offering a similar program, which takes place over a 22-month period. The programs site explains, “The curriculum’s balance of face-to-face sessions,
distance learning, virtual team meetings and projects, and virtual exams and presentations allows you to balance your career, your family, and your education.”

These are just a few of the schools in Virginia that have begun such programs —more are sure to follow. Although maximizing your education while holding down a full-time job is no easy task, area educators are doing their best to ensure that ambitious students have the option.

Henrico County Economic Development Authority