Academics
Efficiency is the name of the game at the Franke College of Business at Northern Arizona University. This school鈥檚 AACSB accredited accelerated MBA program is just 鈥渢en months from start to finish,鈥 cramming a full MBA curriculum into less than a year of coursework. Not surprisingly, the result is an 鈥渋ntense course load,鈥 tons of homework, and a 鈥渇astpaced, invigorating environment.鈥 A current student admits, 鈥淚鈥檓 lucky if I get more than a couple of hours on the weekends to go grocery shopping. This place will get you in and out in a hurry, but you certainly won鈥檛 have time for anything else while you鈥檙e doing it.鈥 At the same time, the breakneck format affords students a number of important benefits. In particular, it鈥檚 a great deal: Here, students only leave the workforce for a year and tuition is 鈥渟ignificantly lower鈥 than at a traditional two-year program. In addition, for students who plan to take the CPA exam, NAU offers the opportunity to complete their accounting courses and earn an MBA in just two years. A popular choice, 鈥渙ver half the program is enrolled in the MBA-ACC offering, while the other half navigates the traditional MBA.鈥 On that note, accounting classes get top marks, while students say 鈥渢he management and finance courses add value and the principles learned will be handy going forward.鈥
Despite the program鈥檚 rigor, the Franke College of Business is a surprisingly cooperative and down-to-earth place. Throughout the business school, 鈥渢he environment is one of learning and collaboration where the majority of teachers are interested in helping students achieve success.鈥 With few exceptions, 鈥渢he teachers are extremely approachable,鈥 and, due to the limited graduate enrollment, 鈥渢he small class sizes means we receive more individual attention from professors.鈥 Teamwork is encouraged across the curriculum, which builds soft skills while also helping to ease the stress of coursework. A student agrees, 鈥淭he academic experience at NAU is demanding and high-pressured, although the group nature of a lot of our work allows students to use their best skills when contributing within this environment.鈥 Like the faculty, 鈥渢he school鈥檚 administration goes that extra mile鈥 to assist students, and it truly works 鈥渢o make the MBA program as stress-free as possible.鈥 The school generally runs smoothly and the curriculum is well-designed; however, some students tell us, 鈥淭here does not appear to be a lot of communication between the professors鈥 when it comes to planning and evaluating courses.
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