Lehigh University launches online MBA program in supply chain management

Lehigh University’s College of Business and Economics plans to launch a new accredited online MBA degree program concentrated on supply chain management and project management.

This online program was developed with the demanding schedules of working professionals in mind, says Thomas Hyclak, interim dean of Lehigh’s College of Business and Economics. The online MBA program will mirror the university’s Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business accredited on-campus program, he notes, adding that the faculty who will provide instruction for the new online program will be the same as those who teach on campus.

Designed to be completed in two years, students of the online program will complete the same curriculum as their on-campus counterparts. In addition, the academic and admissions requirements for the online MBA program are identical to the requirements of the on-campus program.

The program will also feature a residency component which brings students together on Lehigh’s campus three times during the course of the program. Students enrolled in the program will use a web site designed exclusively for them.

There will be plenty of opportunities for students to interact with each other and with their professors through the residencies and web-enabled conferencing, notes Mary Theresa Taglang, director of recruitment and admissions for Lehigh’s College of Business and Economics MBA program. However, to ensure students are provided with the guidance needed, the online MBA will also feature an online graduate assistant.

“We will provide an online graduate assistant who will serve as a resource to the online students looking for non-academic guidance,” adds Taglang.

Applicants must have completed a four-year undergraduate degree in any of a wide variety of areas to be eligible to apply including the humanities, the social sciences, the physical sciences and engineering, as well as business. Professional work experience is also considered as part of the admissions decision. Applications for the first online MBA class are due by August 15, 2005; however, applications for the program will be accepted on a year-round basis.

For more information, visit www.lehigh.edu/onlinemba