As unemployment numbers climb in an increasingly competitive job market, the employed and unemployed are looking to increase their skill set and make themselves more attractive to employers.
Boston University School of Management is launching a new Professional Evening MBA facility in Chelmsford for prospective students to get a leg-up over the competition, with classes scheduled to start this summer.
PEMBA Director Amanda Miller said people who have been laid off often look to update their knowledge, change industries or just stay productive while they search for a new job. Employed workers seek a competitive edge in case they lose their jobs or new skills that will help their companies succeed in challenging times, she said.
‘Investing in an MBA is certainly a great way to make yourself more competitive in the job market,’ she said. ‘Being able to keep your job while pursuing an MBA in the evening is becoming an even more attractive option for many people given the current state of the economy.’
BU has the No. 1 evening MBA program in Boston, according to Business Week’s most recent national survey, Miller said.
‘It’s now within the reach for professionals who live or work in the communities of northern Massachusetts and the surrounding New England area,’ SMG Graduate Admissions Associate Director Dana Dubovik said. ‘Our goal is to continue to grow awareness of this new location and to provide the best MBA education in the area.’
The North Campus, located at 100 Apollo Drive, has been in the works for three and a half years, Miller said. PEMBA used a temporary location in Chelmsford since the beginning of this semester, but the location was at capacity, she said. Given the increasing demand, the program looked at options south and north of Boston, Miller said.
The satellite campus was first launched at Tyngsboro where BU owned an executive education campus, Miller said. However, the site was sold a few months after the program started, and PEMBA started searching for a new location.
‘It took awhile, but we finally found the perfect location in Chelmsford,’ she said.
Although the new location will be more convenient for northern Massachusetts residents, some students of the Boston PEMBA program said the new campus may not be of the same quality or have the same reputation.
‘I would have chosen BC or Babson over Chelmsford,’ Boston PEMBA graduate Joshua Iverson said. ‘Any off-campus facility might as well be the University of Phoenix.’
However, the North Campus will follow the same PEMBA curriculum as the location in Boston, Miller said.
‘The same faculty that teaches in the MBA program in Boston teaches at North Campus,’ she said.
The facility has four classrooms, a conference room, break room, four offices and several meeting spaces for students. The Metropolitan College and the School of Social Work will also share the space, holding classes on Fridays and Saturdays, Miller said.
The upcoming open house on April 29 will feature panelists discussing the value of an MBA degree in today’s job market, she said.
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