GREENVILLE, Pa.—Thiel College is expanding the ways students can prepare for graduate business education, offering a new 12-credit Pre-MBA Certificate for students or graduates without a business background while providing undergraduate business students an accelerated pathway to earn both a bachelor’s degree and Master of Business Administration in four years.
The two pathways are designed for students at different points in their education. The Pre-MBA Certificate provides graduates in fields such as education, healthcare and the arts with foundational business coursework before entering graduate study, while Thiel’s 3+1 Business Management/MBA program allows students who begin their undergraduate education in business to move directly from an accelerated bachelor’s degree into the College's 11-month MBA program.
“Not everyone who wants to earn an MBA starts with a business degree, and they shouldn’t have to,” Director of the MBA Program Melissa Oakes ’03 said. “We have students coming from healthcare, education, the sciences and many other fields who discover that business knowledge can help them take the next step in their careers. The Pre-MBA Certificate gives them that foundation and, just as importantly, the confidence to walk into an MBA classroom knowing they are prepared.”
Thiel’s Pre-MBA Certificate is designed for students whose undergraduate degrees are outside business or accounting. The 12-credit program provides preparation in principles of accounting, managerial accounting, economics and either data analytics or statistics.
The certificate can provide a bridge to graduate business education for professionals whose careers are increasingly taking them into management and leadership roles despite having little formal business education.
For students who know earlier in their college careers that they want to pursue business and an MBA, Thiel’s accelerated 3+1 pathway offers a different route.
Students in the program complete the undergraduate Business Administration–Management curriculum in three years before moving directly into Thiel’s 11-month MBA program. The undergraduate portion includes six fall and spring semesters and three summer terms, allowing students to complete 124 undergraduate credits before beginning graduate study.
The result is an opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree and MBA in four years rather than completing a traditional four-year undergraduate degree and then beginning graduate school.
“For a student who already knows where they want to go, we want to help them find an efficient way to get there,” Oakes said. “The 3+1 program gives a motivated student the opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree and an MBA in four years. That means they can enter the workforce with two degrees and meaningful business experience.”
The Pre-MBA Certificate and 3+1 pathway are part of a broader range of undergraduate and graduate options offered through Thiel’s Arthur McGonigal Department of Business Administration and Accounting.
“Students don’t all arrive at an MBA from the same place,” Oakes said. “Some know from their first year of college that business is where they want to be. Others discover later in their careers that they need a stronger foundation in accounting, economics or data to move into leadership. Our job is to create pathways for both of those students and help them get where they want to go.”
About Thiel College
Thiel College is an independent college founded in the Lutheran tradition. Located in Greenville, Pa., the College offers 60 majors and minors, 24 varsity sports, and an 11:1 student-faculty ratio. The College is also home to a new Master of Science in speech-language pathology and 2Master of Business Administration. Both master’s degree programs offer innovative and accelerated five-year paths which allow students to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years. The speech-language pathology program also has an accelerated 15-month graduate-level program. The M.B.A. program also has a 12-month post-graduate program.A dedicated faculty paired with dynamic research and internship opportunities produce numerous graduate school and job placements. Coeducational from its beginnings, the College remains committed to combining tradition with innovation as it celebrates 150 years.