UOPX School of Business schedules a makeover
Current and future University of Phoenix students pursuing a business degree will now have increasing options available to focus on the programs and concentrations of their choice.
The School of Business, the largest of University of Phoenix’s colleges, is undergoing some major changes this quarter, including adding new courses, revising the curriculum and providing students nationwide additional pathways to complete their bachelor’s and master’s degree programs.
“We’ve gotten better over the years at assessing the needs of the community,” says Bill Berry, Director of the School of Business. “We’re very thankful for the marketing group we have now, which has provided much richer information about our students and potential students.”
Thirty-four campuses nationwide are adding at least one business program and in many cases adding several new programs that they did not previously offer, says Wendy Stovell, Director of Marketing for Apollo Group, the parent company of the University. Other campuses are rolling out new versions of existing programs.
“It’s just giving more access to a broader set of business programs to the American working learner,” she says.
While campuses have always had the ability to add programs as they saw fit, they didn’t necessarily see the value of certain programs, Berry adds.
Overall, changes are happening at the university level, too. The School of Business is adding a new service sector umbrella, and students will be allowed to focus on concentrations within the service sector program, such as retail and hospitality management.
The University also has established a partnership with The Manufacturing Institute, the non-partisan affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers. In mid-2009, the Institute launched the Manufacturing Skills Certification System (SCS), a national industry-recognized and credential-based process that aims to help the educational system prepare highly skilled workers for the industry. In late 2009, the Institute finalized its alliance with University of Phoenix to include the SCS competencies in the University’s curriculum. This alliance will not only provide students with a viable pathway to enter the now highly technical and diverse manufacturing field, but aims to help the industry entice more skilled workers, which are desperately needed.
Because of this partnership, students attending University of Phoenix will now be able to receive a Bachelor of Science with a Concentration in Manufacturing. Courses will include “Managing Quality in the Supply Chain” and “Logistics Management,” among others, says Inga Romanoff, Director of Product Marketing for Apollo.
“At University of Phoenix we believe number one in helping students gain skills that are needed by employers, and we work with employers to identify what are the skill gaps,” she says.
Brian Lindquist, Dean of the School of Business and Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs, says University of Phoenix’s partnership with The Manufacturing Institute is “another good example of programmatic expansion to meet an industry or an entire sector need in the United States.
“[This alliance] has enabled us to telescope our curricular design efforts around the more specific needs of an industry and to access the competencies that [the Institute] has identified as being important for success for people getting a post-secondary degree,” he says.
Various campuses throughout the country will highlight these curriculum changes and additions at School of Business open houses in late February through early March of 2011.
