MURFREESBORO — Starting
in the fall, Middle Tennessee State University will offer a new master’s degree
in management geared toward professionals in the workforce looking to advance
in their careers.
The Tennessee Board of Regents recently gave final approval
for the Master of Science in Management program through the Jennings A. Jones
College of Business. To complete the program, a student must finish 33 credit
hours as well as complete a research project in partnership with an
organization or nonprofit.
University Provost Brad Bartel described the new program as “a
management degree for the real world.”
“We designed this degree to help employees develop skills they need to
accelerate their careers,” Bartel said. “This will help position them for
greater responsibilities and promotions.”
Bartel said students “will be exposed to real-life experiences, not
just theory, and courses are offered at night, on weekends and online.”
The program offers three concentrations: not-for-profit
management, supply chain management and organizational leadership. Applications
are being accepted immediately and can be found at http://www.mtsu.edu/graduate/programs/mgmt.php.
Professor Jill Austin, chair of the MTSU Department of
Management and Marketing, noted that the concentrations were developed after
the university researched the area’s workforce needs.
For example, a recent study by MTSU counted more than 2,000
nonprofits in the Midstate. The new program aims to help nonprofit managers,
some of whom don’t have a strong business-oriented background, learn to think
more strategically while managing the growth of their organizations.
“We talked to a number of students, we did surveys, and we
talked to a number of business people about the needs they have and the skills
they need from graduates,” Austin said.
Students will be able to take six hours of courses in
specific areas related to their career interests, said Daniel Morrell, director
of the new degree program and an assistant professor.
For example, a healthcare professional may wish to take a
course in healthcare management, or a law enforcement professional may wish to
take courses in criminal justice.
The research project ties all of the program’s components
together and allows the professionals to apply their new skills directly back
to their current organizations by tackling an organizational issue while
receiving the support and advice of faculty, Morrell said.
A limited number of assistantships will be awarded on a
competitive basis each semester, with most covering the cost of tuition and
most fees as well as providing a monthly stipend. The assistantships can be
renewed up to two years.
For more information, contact Morrell at 615-494-7758,
Dan.Morrell@mtsu.edu or Austin at 615-898-2736 or Jill.Austin@mtsu.edu. Or
visit http://www.mtsu.edu/graduate/programs/mgmt.php.
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