Northwestern College to launch online MBA program

Northwestern College will launch a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree this fall. Featuring a rigorous and adaptive 100% online curriculum totaling 33 credits, the faith-informed program is also customizable with electives such as project management, entrepreneurship and innovation, and digital marketing.

The MBA program is designed to offer a flexible pace, enabling students to complete the degree in as little as one year by taking two courses every eight weeks.

Geared toward young professionals who have two to 10 years of work experience, the program will feature a broad-based business education designed to prepare graduates with a range of managerial and financial competencies required by today’s employers. The curriculum covers core content areas such as accounting, finance, economics and marketing while developing students’ core professional soft skills such as critical thinking, teamwork and leadership. The program will rely heavily on case studies to make strong connections between theory and practice, as well as knowledge and experience.

 “We are humbled to have the opportunity to invest in students, enhancing their ingenuity and initiative as versatile and visionary stewards ready to serve the common good in a fast-paced world,” says Dr. Jill Swisher, dean of Northwestern’s Graduate & Professional Studies division. “We aim to develop Christ-centered, collaborative leadership competencies to prepare professionals for making data-informed, ethical decisions within their various callings and communities.”

The degree was developed by Northwestern’s diverse business faculty, who hold doctoral degrees from institutions that include the University of Michigan, Rutgers and Gonzaga, have earned prestigious professional credentials, and who have extensive teaching and research experience. They were advised by a board of local business professionals who help the college’s business programs stay ahead of market needs and trends.

Interim Director Dr. Fan Fei, associate professor of business and economics, says the program is designed to accommodate international students. “The program is 100% online, so it can be completed anywhere in the world,” he says. “If an international applicant wants to do this program in the U.S., we have designed the program so it can fulfill the residency requirements for their F1 visa.”

Northwestern’s undergraduate business programs meet international standards for business practice through the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE). The MBA is also aligned to IACBE standards and will apply for accreditation in 2025-26 per accreditor requirements.

For more information about the program, visit nwciowa.edu/MBA. Applications for the fall cohort are now open.

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Online + graduate learning at Northwestern

Northwestern’s Graduate & Professional Studies division offers flexible, affordable programs designed to help adult learners meet their professional goals. Many programs have 100% online coursework, including master's degrees in education (eight tracks); school and clinical mental health counseling; business administration; graduate-level education endorsements and certificates; undergraduate degree-completion programs in early childhood education and nursing; and certificates in medical and legal interpreting. The division also offers an on-campus master's degree in physician assistant studies, which is accredited by the ARC-PA.