Enrollment in area schools MBA programs fell in the 12 months ended Sept. 30.
The Business Journal’s annual survey of MBA schools found that the number of enrollees fell 6.5% to 8,623. That’s a bigger decrease than the estimated 2% decline the previous year.
One major change in this year’s survey is its criteria. It now features only schools that either border Orange County or have a physical presence here, as opposed to previous lists, which included all Southern California schools, whether they had OC students enrolled or not.
The unranked directory lists 19 MBA programs, which vary in terms of delivery. They include online, on campus and a combination of both, and full-time and part-time programs.
Out of the 19, eight increased enrollment, 10 reported declines, and one is a Business Journal estimate. We took two schools off the list: the University of Phoenix in Costa Mesa, which stopped accepting applications this year for the local campus, and DeVry University, which closed its local campus in Anaheim in February.
The total number of full-time faculty at the schools is 1,184. They reported 458 part-time faculty, though seven programs didn’t furnish numbers.
OC programs closely reflect a downward trend at other major institutions across the country, including elite programs, such as Harvard University’s and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.
Applications for MBA programs at U.S. schools dropped 7% year-over-year, while business programs at universities in Asia, Europe and Canada reported strong growth, according to a survey of 363 schools released last week by Reston, Va.-based nonprofit Graduate Management Admission Council.
President and Chief Executive Sangeet Chowfla said in a press release that several factors explain the lag in demand at U.S. business schools, from “a disruptive American political environment, and the emergence over the past decade of tremendous educational and professional opportunities abroad.”
People are also less likely to seek MBAs than they are in down economies, when job opportunities can be nonexistent for them.
Plus and Minus
• The biggest local increase in MBA enrollment came at Anaheim University, though it has one of the smallest programs on the list. The school, which marked its 20th anniversary in February, increased enrollees by 44% to 26.
• The private nonprofit Argosy University in Orange reported a sharp decline of 68% in MBA applicants to 15, the biggest decrease on the Business Journal’s survey.
• Irvine-based Brandman University reported 406 students, down 19% year-over-year. However, it’s likely to report higher enrollment figures next fall after Walt Disney Co. announced last month that it will offer to subsidize college tuition to its more than 80,000 full- and part-time employees to attend Brandman for degree programs, including its MBA program. The total cost of tuition, which starts at about $20,000, would be covered for students.
Chancellor Gary Brahm wrote in a press release announcing the Disney partnership that the school was founded to meet the needs of adult students and that the partnership “signals not only a change in approach to employee benefits and tuition assistance programs, but a welcome shift to tapping institutions skilled in providing the resources adult students need to succeed.”
• Online school California Southern University in Costa Mesa reported a 12% increase to 103 MBA enrollees. The school’s business programs were accredited this year by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs, which requires a rigorous review process to ensure programs meet standards on teaching and tangible learning outcomes.
Dean Gregory Herbert said it’s an important first step for the university and that while it took “a period of years” to achieve the milestone, it will significantly benefit students as they complete programs.
