Enrollment in the ASU MBA evening program increased 19 percent from the previous year due to the combination of a slumping economy and the need for higher education, officials said.
Last year, the College of Business reported there were 470 students enrolled in the ASU MBA evening program at both the main campus and the downtown center. This year the total has gone up to 520 students.
Nancy Stephens, director of the ASU MBA evening program, said that compared to other schools, the program has had a significant jump in enrollment.
"People really want to improve themselves and going to school at night is a great way to further their education without giving up their day job," Stephens said.
College of Business Dean Larry Penley said the reason for the sudden increase in enrollment was due to the college's 12th place ranking in the U.S. News and World Report's 2002 edition of best graduate schools.
"There are several reasons why we have a higher enrollment rate," Penley said. "One of the reasons was that many of our graduating students were very satisfied with the program and many of them passed that along to their friends."
The College of Business reported that growth in the Phoenix area has also contributed to the enrollment increase. Typically, individuals who are attending the ASU MBA evening program are approximately 30 years of age and are in a position to ascend into a management position.
Faced with the economic slowdown and the high rate of layoffs, many people are beginning to pursue an MBA degree in hopes that it will provide them with an advantage over their co-workers, Penley said.
More specifically, statistics show that a large portion of this year's enrollment consisted of engineering graduates. Penley said the reason for the high increase in engineer graduate enrollments is related to the increase of layoffs in high technology corporations.
Judy Heilala, director of ASU MBA admissions and recruitment, said the statistics for this year's enrollment has not yet been finalized and that they will recalculate their figures in late September.
Penley also stated that tuition for the ASU MBA program has increased substantially in order to deal with the technological changes.
"Business education has become a great deal more expensive for two reasons," Penley said. "Business has undergone a digital transformation and faculty salaries are increasing at a rapid pace. Even in the face of the increase, though, demand is still growing."
Tuition for the first year is currently $10,486 for residents and $15,778 for non-residents.
Reach Tony Ku at thatsku@hotmail.com.
