The Bauer College of Business is the No. 1 part-time masters in business administration program in Houston, according to a recent ranking by magazine BusinessWeek.
The magazine released its first ranking of the top 30 part-time MBA programs last week, where Bauer’s evening program ranked No. 4 in the Southwest region and 27th in the nation. Bauer was one of four programs recognized in the state, which included the University of Texas at Austin, UT at San Antonio and Southern Methodist University.
Previously, Bauer was nationally recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine and the Princeton Review as the second-highest undergraduate entrepreneurship program in November.
The Businessweek rankings were determined by collecting information on 340 programs nationwide. Data used to determine the ranks fell into the categories of student satisfaction, academic quality and post-MBA outcomes of graduates.
"This ranking signifies a great success by all of our students, faculty and staff as well as the University of Houston communities," Dean Arthur Warga said in a release. "We are thrilled to be included in such a prestigious list of schools and even more excited that this is the first ever BusinessWeek ranking for our evening MBA program."
The MBA graduate curriculum includes various aspects of business administration, such as accounting, finance, operations management, statistics and marketing.
The evening program differs from the standard full-time MBA program by offering later classes – from 6 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Special events such as panel discussions, career forums and other networking events take place after 4 p.m. as well.
Latha Ramchand, associate dean for graduate and professional programs, said the program is especially popular with working students.
"The program is a strong sell among working students given the flexibility it affords," she said. "Most of our students take two classes a semester and take on average three years to complete the program. The popularity of the program is growing and in fact this year our enrollments have increased about 17 percent."
The 17 percent increase is based on the total MBA enrollment – including full-time, part-time and executive MBA students, Ramchand.
Last year, Bauer had 364 students pursuing master’s degrees, and enrollment has risen to approximately 450 students.
Bauer has grown in enrollment from 610 students in Fall 2006 to 711 students this fall.
Ramchand said the evening MBA also appeals to potential guest speakers, who might want to visit with students but can’t take time off from work.
Since its inception in 1939, close to 9,000 students have graduated from the program, and it is one of the oldest MBA programs in the country.
The program combines the academic expertise of its faculty with a keen understanding of the needs of its students, Ramchand said.
"This combination of academics with a real-world flavor makes our MBA program truly effective in delivering skills that students are looking for," she said.
Graduate student Ty Tillery began the program in Fall 2006. Specializing in sales management marketing, Tillery said he has been impressed by the convenience of the program and the quality of teaching.
"I love the flexibility. We don’t have to stop our careers to go to school," he said. "The professors provide fantastic opportunities for real world learning. Discussions are always relevant to the real world."
Ramchand said in the future the college will continue to improve the evening MBA program’s ability to serve its students.
"We certainly have a lot of room for improvement," she said. "We need more physical room and more faculty so we can give our students smaller class sizes that will enhance their learning experience. We also need to do a better job in increasing awareness of the program."
A full list of the top 30 part-time MBA programs in the nation can be found at http://bwnt.businessweek.com/interactive_reports/bschool_ptmba_2007/
