Southern Illinois University – Carbondale
Founded in 1869, Southern Illinois University (SIU) is a public research college located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school is the flagship campus of the SIU system, and total enrollment hovers around 16,000 students. The school is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a "National University" that strongly emphasizes research and grants a number of doctoral degrees. SIU ranked number 214 in the 2017 U.S. News ratings and #171 by the National Science Foundation for total development and research expenditures. The school offers more than 30 doctoral, 70 master's and 200 undergraduate programs in addition to professional degrees in medicine and law.
Southern Illinois University – Carbondale Accreditation Details
SIU Carbondale is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association, and the online MBA is accredited through the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
Southern Illinois University – Carbondale Application Requirements
The application process consists of two parts. First, students must submit application materials, including a personal statement for the online program as well as their resume that details their work and military experience. Next, students must provide their employment history in a specific format and answer five supplemental questions about their achievements, abilities, awards and goals. Letters of recommendation from three individuals who can attest to the student's professional experiences and/or academic abilities and official transcripts from all institutions where the student has completed coursework are also required. If the student has five or more years of professional experience after he or she earned an undergraduate degree or if he or she has previously completed a master's program, SIU Carbondale waves the GMAT or GRE exam requirement for the online MBA program.
Tuition and Financial Aid
The cost for the online MBA from SIU Carbondale is just under $36,000 for the full 23-month program. This fee includes all course-specific supplemental reading materials and textbooks. The online Master of Business Administration course fees are assessed separately from the school's tuition and do not include in-state/out-of-state differentials or standard university fees. Since online MBA students are not required to pay on-campus student fees for the Recreation Center, Student Center or Student Medical Benefit, they are not eligible for counseling, dental or medical services. However, online students are eligible to apply for financial aid, and the school offers several payment options and alternate tuition rates for students in certain academic or geographic areas as well as veterans' and military benefits through the GI Bill.
Online Degree Available
The online MBA at SIU Carbondale provides distance learners with the opportunity to earn a master's degree with the flexibility of an online format. The program is accredited by AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, placing the school's College of Business in the top five percent of business schools worldwide. The online Master of Business Administration is taught by highly respected faculty with international and national reputations.
Online students will take 16 courses in less than two years, and each core course is designed to be taught over eight weeks. Students must take only one core course at a time in order to focus their energy on one subject. Spring and fall semesters involved two core courses, one delivered after the other with at least a one-week break between the two. The summer semester involves one core course.
Each core course includes eight modules. A module is live on Monday morning, and assignments are due Sunday evening. Depending on the instructor's objectives and the specific course, a student may complete online assessment exercises, participate in threaded discussion groups, collaborate on group-based team projects or watch a Flash-based video. Readings are assigned in a digital format, and all activities are designed so that students may work on his or her own schedule.
In addition to core courses, students must also take one managerial skill course, also presented in eight modules but delivered once every two weeks. These courses cover a number of fundamental skill topics impacting career advancement as well as leadership development.
Online students seeking an MBA from SIU Carbondale have the option to complete a general MBA degree without a concentration or a concentration in Agribusiness Economics. Earning an MBA from SIU College of Business with this concentration prepares students for the unique management challenges in agribusiness firms. The program is designed specifically for students who are seeking a career in modern agribusiness economics such as finance and banking, farm appraisal, business management, grain merchandising, farm management and market and policy analysis. The four specialized courses are taught by the same faculty that teach on-campus courses within the College of Agricultural Sciences. Fewer than 10 public colleges in the country offer an agribusiness concentration in conjunction with an MBA program.
The 42-credit online MBA is delivered entirely online using the most up-to-date technology. Coursework includes topics such as brand management and business communication for MBA professionals, which will prepare students for the demands of professional writing. Topics covered include digital communication strategies, client communication, collaborative composition, presentation development, precision writing, document design, critique and synthesis of professional and academic texts as well as the emphasis on bringing together different components of a brand strategy.
Students will also participate in seminars on career effectiveness and leadership development. These courses are designed to provide students with a forum to explore topics on self-development, the maximization of personal job performance and effective interactions with others. Distance learners will also build upon previous conceptual foundations as they work to develop their self-confidence and the necessary skills to lead. Students will identify their own leadership weaknesses and strengths before developing an action plan for achieving their unique leadership goals.
Other courses include business policies, where students will study the evaluation and development of policies and strategies as they relate to the firm's overall performance. Students will develop knowledge of the analytical tools, available business data and functional areas of administration as they solve simulation games and comprehensive business cases.
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During the marketing management course, online MBA students will develop a foundation of marketing as well as the role marketing plays within an organization. Students seeking an online MBA from Southern Illinois University Carbondale will discuss products, consumer behavior, branding, promotional communication, pricing, market research and distribution and discuss the role of non-traditional and traditional media in marketing.