A new master’s degree at Howard Payne University will soon pave the way for future Brownwood and Central Texas leaders looking to improve their effectiveness at their current jobs or learn skills to find new careers. The university will offer a Master of Business Administration degree beginning January 2012.
A free informational session will be held Tuesday, Nov. 29, at 5:15 p.m., in HPU’s Mabee University Center. The event will last approximately one hour, and all are welcome to attend.
The unique MBA program will concentrate on equipping students for future leadership roles, while also aiding them in their current careers. While HPU’s MBA has a business core, it will also include other courses such as organizational communication and psychological applications, designed to add a deeper understanding of practical skills to business and management applications.
The university designed the degree plan around busy, working schedules. The MBA can be achieved in as few as 12 months, with all courses offered at night and on weekends.
“Unlike many MBA programs, HPU’s will focus more on application than theory,” said Dr. Mark Patton, professor of business administration, adding that the degree will be useful for business and non-business undergraduates alike.
He and his wife, Dr. Lois Patton, who serves as the MBA program director, will teach courses and have been instrumental players in bringing the degree to HPU.
“We want to give the students information that is relevant to them right now, not just in the future,” said Lois Patton. “We’ve designed the courses to include information they can use at work the very next day.”
The Pattons have many years of experience in business, both in the field and in the classroom, and have developed and taught MBA programs around the world. The couple joined HPU in 2009 after teaching in Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, as well as numerous universities throughout the United States.
Prerequisite self-study course work is available for non-business undergraduates entering the program.
“Students without a business undergraduate degree who wish to move toward a business career are also welcome,” said Lois Patton. “With two self-study courses directed by Dr. Les Plagens, dean of the School of Business, these students will be able to fit right into the program.”
“We’ve designed the MBA to be a broad-based management-oriented program that may offer value to anyone holding a bachelor’s degree,” Plagens said. “I’m excited about the possibilities for what it may do for future students and their career development, our local business community and the HPU School of Business.”
Faculty members have been assembled from across the university to teach in the program.
“The university appreciates the diligent work performed by Dean Plagens and the business school’s faculty in planning the new program and in achieving approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools,” said Dr. Mark Tew, HPU’s provost and chief academic officer.
For more information about the program, visit www.hputx.edu/mba or call (325) 649-8704.
