College of Business
Assessment Plan
Master’s of Business Administration
2006-2011
Program Goals:
AACSB International, our accrediting body for business programs, maintains that learning at the Master’s level in general
business programs (i.e., MBA) should be integrative and interdisciplinary. According to the standards that are set forth by
AACSB, the MBA program should lead to knowledge and skills specific to the mission and cultural circumstances at the
individual school. However, the standards state that the desired capacities should include the capacity to lead in
organizational situations, the ability to apply knowledge in new and unfamiliar circumstances through conceptual
understanding of relevant disciplines, and the capacity to adapt and innovate to solve problems, to cope with unforeseen
events, and to manage in unpredictable environments. For the MBA program at Western Carolina University, our specific
goals are based on preparing our students for success at the range of managerial levels in which our alumni are employed,
ranging from the functional and line level, to executive leadership. Further, our goals are tailored to enabling our graduates
to contribute value as managers in both large organizations that are the typical target of MBA graduates, and in the
relatively small organizations that are the dominant source of employment in the economy of our region. The goals for the
program are:
 To provide a solid foundation of knowledge at the functional level with the disciplinary breadth necessary for leading
business organizations.
 To ensure that students can synthesize knowledge from the functional level to plan and guide overall business
success.
 To ensure that students have the ability to effectively communicate, both in oral and written form, as appropriate for
managing/leading business organizations.
Student Learning Outcomes:
 Students will be able to analyze the contributions from each business function necessary to assembling an overall
image of the potential for a business concept.
 Students will be able to synthesize the information from each of the functional analyses to provide an overall image
of a business organization that has the potential to succeed, or to describe how and why the organization is not likely
to succeed in the case of such a determination.
 Students will be able to effectively communicate the information anticipated by the first two outcomes as a business
plan, both in an oral presentation and in written form.
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Office of Assessment
College of Business
Assessment Plan
Master’s of Business Administration
2006-2011
These outcomes are assessed by means of a comprehensive business plan completed as a course requirement in the
capstone Strategic Management course, which is the final course among those required as part of the core. Initial
assessment has been completed, and remedial steps are being taken, including:
 Incorporation of an emphasis on writing, specifically on “writing to learn” and style in written communication into
courses. Specifically, such an emphasis has been included in an initial course (MBA 515) and the final core course
(MGT 607) of the program. During the year, the director of the program will seek to integrate more writing into other
courses. In addition to improving the written communication displayed by graduates, such activities should also
serve to improve the integration of knowledge across the program.
 Re-examination of the structure and content of the core. In particular, assessment indicates that students need more
exposure to operations management and business law. During this academic year, faculty will evaluate alternatives
for presenting these topics without enlarging the number of credits allotted to the core.
 Finally, in addition to input from faculty associated with the MBA program and the Dean and his Leadership Team,
there is a need to involve business leaders in an advisory role. In order to ensure that the program is preparing
students for their new roles in organizations, the MBA Program Director will develop a framework for an advisory
board and assemble such a board this academic year.
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Office of Assessment