Cedarville MBA Will Offer Three New High-Demand Concentrations
Cedarville has announced the creation of three new specializations in its MBA program - cybersecurity, business analytics, and innovation and entrepreneurship.
Three new concentrations will be added to Cedarville University’s online Master of Business Administration (MBA) program, starting with the fall 2018 semester. The new concentrations include business analytics, cybersecurity, and innovation and entrepreneurship* (*pending approval of the Higher Learning Commission).
These new MBA programs will be offered completely online in seven-week sessions, and are designed for Christian professionals seeking to advance their career and integrate their faith and values into their work.
Students can complete their online MBA with one of these concentrations in either one or two years with a total of 36 credit hours. Cedarville’s MBA already offers concentrations in healthcare administration and operations management.
Business Analytics Track
Business analytics enables companies to look at the patterns of potential customers online, and specifically on business and organization web sites, to understand what draws them, where they go once on a website, where they linger the longest and what entices them to fill out online forms requesting more information. The quantity of data is staggering. The ability to analyze and determine the most useful information is a critical skill set for businesses, nonprofits, schools and ministries.
In the MBA business analytics concentration, students will take three concentration-specific courses to learn data warehousing, econometrics and data mining. They will use real statistical tools to analyze and interpret data and forecast financial outcomes.
“Data analytics is in high demand by organizations,” said Dr. John Delano, newly named associate dean of business administration for graduate studies. “This program will teach students how to understand, interpret and apply data for data-driven decisions. They will also learn how to treat data carefully, ethically and with a right biblical motivation.”
Cybersecurity Track
Today’s business happens online. According to the Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce, total e-commerce sales for 2017 was estimated at $453.5 billion, a 16 percent increase over 2016, with an upward trend line that has no end in sight. The ability of business to safeguard customers’ personal financial information is more critical than ever. This was highlighted during congressional hearings into Cambridge Analytica collecting personal data from the accounts of 87 million Facebook users.
Cedarville’s MBA cybersecurity track will engage students in case studies and projects where they learn to identify risk in business and client data and create security solutions proactively, not reactively.
Students enrolling in the Cedarville MBA cybersecurity track will have a strong position in a job market with projected long-term growth potential. According to a 2018 report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) and the Business-Higher Education forum (BHEF), cybersecurity is one of the top job growth fields. The United States Department of Labor expects growth in this job category of more than 20 percent within the next eight years.
Innovation and Entrepreneurship Track
The innovation and entrepreneurship MBA concentration will equip and inspire students to analyze the current business landscape, identify opportunities for new products and services, then launch and grow new business ventures. It will also develop students into employees who can lead innovation and creativity in their current corporate, academic, public service or ministry leadership settings.
The concentration is taught in partnership with the nationally ranked leader in innovation education, the International Center for Creativity (ICC).
“Business is a dynamic field,” said Jim Stevenson, president of the ICC. “We do marketing consultation with external clients, including startup companies. They desire professionals who are stronger in this area. That’s the goal of this concentration: to equip students with a leadership mindset that can explore the intersection of design, innovation, creativity, entrepreneurship and sustainable business modeling and find ways to take advantage of the complex opportunities in today’s demanding marketplace.”
To learn more about the new tracks, and the existing tracks in healthcare administration and operations management, visit cedarville.edu/MBA.
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,963 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and leading student satisfaction ratings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.