One of the country’s preeminent MBA programs this week announced a curriculum redesign that will allow students in its Weekend MBA programs in Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston to tailor their degrees in flexible new ways.
The University of Texas McCombs School of Business Working Professional Weekend MBA Programs will launch the redesign for the cohort entering in the fall of 2023, adding five electives to the students’ second year. New courses will address emerging trends around technology, marketing, finance, business and society, and corporate social responsibility.
The more tailored Texas McCombs MBA experience is geared toward a rapidly evolving workplace, said Joe Stephens, senior assistant dean and director of Working Professional & Executive MBA Programs. “From a student perspective, these electives will provide an opportunity to dive deeper in a particular area that they have an interest in, or in an area in which their company might like to see them attain more expertise,” he said.
Elective courses will cover topics such as artificial intelligence, private equity, branding, and new venture creation. Some of the electives will be scheduled in an intensive format over a long weekend, while others will be offered during the regular semester.
The courses are selected based on input from students and employers, Stephens said. For example, a new elective focused on artificial intelligence is especially timely. “Understanding how AI and machine learning work—how you use these tools to help you do business better and more efficiently, but also in the most ethical ways—is really important to anyone in leadership today, and that’s what we’ll be addressing,” he said.
Other program updates include more credit hours dedicated to leadership and global acumen, and an additional intensive in Austin, bringing DFW and Houston students together for academic classes, team building, career management sessions, and experiential learning workshops.
“These updates and options are in addition to a top-ranked core curriculum that yields graduates with the agility and leadership skills our MBA employers have come to expect,” Stephens said.
The Weekend MBA programs in DFW and Houston allow those with full-time jobs to attain their degree through classes every other weekend at The Centrum in Dallas and the Cizik School of Nursing in Houston.
“What’s so great about these programs is that students retain so much of the course content, because they’re able to take what they learn on the weekend and immediately apply it at work on Monday,” Stephens said.
Texas McCombs’ Working Professional programs consistently rank No. 1 in Texas and in the Top 10 nationally in U.S. News & World Report.