Executive education is crucial to staying on the front end of the business
world today. Scenarios have unfolded over the past decade that have changed the
rules and the laws.
For some, traditional advanced-degree educational programs are often not the answer,
says Larry Bell, managing director of the
executive education programs at Coles
College of Kennesaw State University. Busy
business professionals need courses that are
more flexible to register for and attend, and
nondegree programs are the answer.
Smart Business spoke with Bell about
what these nondegree programs can offer
and how professionals can take advantage
of them to stay on the cutting edge of the
business world.
How important is it for business executives
today to further their education?
The business world is changing quickly,
and to remain competitive executives must
find efficient ways to keep ahead of the
curve. As an example, our EMBA curriculum in 2000 had less than 10 classroom
hours dedicated to the subject of ‘ethics in
business.’ Similarly, since the law hadn’t
been enacted, there was no understanding
of things like the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and
other devices used by regulators and law-makers to address some of the scandals
that erupted in the early part of this
decade. Seven years later each unit in the
MBA program addresses the ethical implications of the subject.
Executives need to stay on the front end
of these topics, and often a traditional
advanced degree educational program is
not immediate enough to be the best
answer. Certificate-type and noncredit
executive education programs are increasingly complementing degree programs to
fill the gap between real-world learning in
the workplace and the academic classroom environment.
What’s the difference between degree and
nondegree-type programs?
When you’re discussing degree programs,
you’re talking about a series of related courses that result in the student achieving
an academic degree. Generally, MBA programs and the business schools/colleges
that house them are accredited by international accreditation organizations, such as
the AACSB. There are generally four forms
of delivery: full time, part time, Web-based
and executive MBA, which is the fastest-growing format for delivery in the U.S. At
times, these formats are combined to better
serve the students.
Students apply for admission to the graduate business schools and meet entrance
requirements, which may include a review
of undergraduate transcripts, a GMAT test
and a faculty interview prior to being
accepted in that business school. In all
these traditional programs, there’s a faculty assigned and a curriculum. Also, students have a syllabus and study in classrooms or using distance-learning techniques like the Web. Grading schemes may
differ from program to program, but in general students receive A- through F-type
grades, with graduate work requiring an A
or B for the student to remain in good
standing. Standard tuition or premium
tuitions may apply.
Nondegree and certificate-type programs are more flexible for many executives in
that they can be offered in a more expedited fashion and don’t generally have admission requirements as stringent as a degree
program’s. In fact, the delivering organization may not be directly associated with an
accredited college.
Certificate programs also have a more
focused curriculum, perhaps addressing several related topics over several days. They’re
generally priced at market rates, and range in
price from several hundred dollars to thousands of dollars. These programs are often
taught at ‘destination’ universities, conference centers or resorts that can dramatically
increase the cost of attending.
What sort of nondegree programs exist?
There’s one I recently developed and
implemented with Dr. Mike Salvador and
Dean Tim Mescon for a Fortune 10-type
global firm for their inside professional
sales center in the Atlanta area. The firm
had two challenges it wanted to address
and asked if higher education might be
able to help. The first challenge related to
wanting to ‘up-scope’ the capabilities of its
professional inside sales teams, enabling
them to better converse with C-level executives to whom they were marketing complex solutions over the phone. Additionally, the firm wanted to simultaneously
address the age-old challenge of associate
loyalty and ‘churn’ in the marketplace.
Our solution was what we call a ‘Masters
Certificate,’ which utilizes traditional graduate level-type courseware (like financial
and managerial accounting, marketing
management, supply chain and human
capital investment) in conjunction with
some customization. Additionally, for associates who enjoy the experience and want
to continue their adult learning experience
in a degree-seeking mode, we built a bridge
for those achieving the certificate to apply
for formal admission to the business
school and complete their MBA in our
Career Growth (part-time) program.
LARRY BELL is managing director of the executive education
programs at Coles College of Kennesaw State University. Reach
him at (770) 420-4622.