Business schools serving Orange County are seeing mixed signs this year.
The Business Journal’s annual list of MBA programs shows an overall decline of 0.5% in MBA enrollment from year-ago levels, though many schools saw large movements in both directions.
A closer look reveals that top-rated MBA programs have mostly maintained and gained students, while others have struggled to keep up. Both Chapman and UC Irvine, for example, saw their ranks of MBA students increase by more than 10%.
Early data from a number of elite business schools show the trend is no different at the national level; extended admission deadlines, entrance exams being waived and an economic recession have led increases in application and admission numbers for the country’s top MBA programs, according to a recent report in the Wall Street Journal.
Meanwhile, it’s still too early to know how smaller schools have held up.
Digital Trend
In recent years, traditional MBA programs have been in decline as students forgo expensive programs for more flexible learning options such as hybrid instruction and pay-as-you-go programs.
This year Biola University of La Mirada nearly doubled its MBA enrollees to 83 and California State University-Long Beach reported 408 students, up 35%.
Both universities offered in-person, online and blended formats of programs prior to the pandemic. Most classes are virtual for the time being.
Smaller local schools have been given the go ahead to reopen. Concordia University Irvine, which saw a 14% decline in its MBA enrollment, started to welcome students back to campus this semester.
Completely online schools such as California Southern University, which saw enrollment decline 41% compared to last year, and Anaheim University, down 38% year-over-year, fared worse.
Focus on Data
Business schools have increased their offerings in recent years in data science and analytics.
• University, which saw enrollment rise 65% to 129, now offers students three of the four courses required for the Certified Commercial Investment Member in its year-long program, which started in 2017.
• Chapman University’s Argyros School of Business and Economics, which increased its enrollment 10% to 235 students, unveiled its 10-month Master’s of Science in Real Estate this fall. The finance-oriented program, whose board is led by Alex Hayden, executive vice president for the Newport Beach office of CBRE, aims to train students to go into real estate investment funds or serve as financial analysts for developers.
• Brandman University, which maintained 455 students in its MBA program, launched a number of Geographic Information Systems certificates this fall (see story, page 22).
