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University of Phoenix competency-based Master of Business Administration degree reports successful shorter completion time for students

By Sharla Hooper

MBA is high value degree to consider during National Career Development Month  

University of Phoenix reports that its accredited competency-based Master of Business Administration (MBA-CB) degree program, intended to fast-track students who demonstrate on-the-job skills, has 83% of students completing the degree program within 12 months

November is National Career Development Month, highlighting for individuals how best to evolve and develop their career path; the MBA is a career development path with established value. Based on an MBA program loan debt-income ratio, a recent Wall Street Journal analysis found that 98% of nearly 600 MBA programs, including the University of Phoenix MBA program, leave students with manageable debt loads given their new career and income enhancement opportunities.

The University of Phoenix MBA-CB is intended for professionals who want to expedite their degree program by leveraging their on-the-job experience. Competency-based education (CBE) directly ties the earning of credits to measurable skills. Students can demonstrate skills they already have, earn credit for it, and then move on to spend more time learning a new skill or knowledge focus. Since the MBA-CB program was launched in June 2020, 83% of its enrolled students are completing within a 12-month time frame, and about 15% of students are completing within 13-18 months.

“Our focus for the MBA-CB program is on the adult working student who has already accumulated on-the-job training and knowledge,” states Kevin Wilhelmsen, Ph.D., dean of the College of Business and Information Technology at University of Phoenix. “We want to make it simpler for students to work while pursuing their degree, and this program allows them to leverage the skills they’ve already acquired and shorten their timeframe spent advancing their degree progress.”

Additionally, the competency-based Master of Business Administration is currently fully mapped to skills and features digital badging, which allows learners to share their new skill on digital platforms and with their employers.

The University of Phoenix also offers a traditional MBA program, which takes approximately 16 months to complete. For both types of programs, courses are offered on a six week schedule rather than a traditional semester basis. The accredited MBA programs are fully online, taught by faculty with an average of 28 years of industry experience, and cost $698 per credit; the competency-based MBA costs $300 per credit and can be completed online in as few as  12 months.

About University of Phoenix

University of Phoenix is continually innovating to help working adults enhance their careers in a rapidly changing world. Flexible schedules, relevant courses, interactive learning, and Career Services for Life® help students more effectively pursue career and personal aspirations while balancing their busy lives. For more information, visit phoenix.edu