Master of Business Administration

Application Process (Thomas Farrell): The application process was easy enough to navigate through the extremely helpful guidance of the MBA office. The professors and GA's have always been open and available in any assistance I've needed throughout each course I have taken.

Work/Life Balance (Rachel Clouser): The online classes opened opportunities to complete the degree that I would not have otherwise due to the lack of flexibility. This schedule made it easy to for me to coordinate between school, career and life commitments. WCU’s online MBA allowed the flexibility to take classes, view lectures and turn in assignments at my convenience.

Flexibility (Kara Robbins): The program is nice because each class is only 7 weeks long, so it goes by very quickly and doesn't feel as daunting.  The professors in the MBA were easily accessible if needed and responded to emails quickly.  

Online Learning (Rachel Clouser): One of the most positive aspects of this online learning experience has been the time that I have saved from not having to travel from one place to the university. This has been for one of the reasons I have selected the WCU MBA over other MBA Programs in Pennsylvania. Learning online has created a new dynamic of communication between myself and the professors, and studying from my house has given me the ability to dictate the speed of my learning, as I can spend as much time on certain topics as I need to understand them completely. Further, online learning allows me to better manage my own time more efficiently.

Preparation for Today’s Workforce (Rachel Clouser):  The WCU MBA prepared me and my peers for today’s workplace, where teams are split into multiple offices, and clients can be located around the world. Organizing time and resources in the program becomes the key to success and with this brings a career advantage. When working with other students remotely, I needed to share documents, set priorities, solve problems, deliver presentations, coordinate research, and write theses without physically meeting with my team, which is required in much of today’s job markets.

Work/Life Balance (Thomas Farrell): As a full time working professional, I have been able to manage both work and school due to the flexible schedule of the West Chester MBA program. The asynchronous learning style makes earning your MBA obtainable while still working full time and not giving up your personal commitments or social life.

Work/Life Balance (Kara Robbins): My experience was kind of unique since I had a baby during the program, but it was still doable. The workload is manageable, but students will need to carve out time and understand that some weekends may include finishing group projects, papers, or quizzes. What made getting a master's financially possible for me was consistently having a graduate assistantship position. I wish I would have known those were available sooner because I would have gotten my MBA years ago! Each semester I worked 10 hours as a graduate assistant, in addition to working my full-time job, and caring for my 3 young children. Some semesters it worked best to log those hours over the weekend, and other times I "scheduled" an hour before or after work and an hour during my lunch break to get the hours in. It was a lot at times, but completely worth it!

Networking (Rachel Clouser): There is an abundance of opportunities for students to build personal connections with current students. WCU’s MBA is online, however, it requires me to interact with my peers regularly, including collaborating on assignments and encourages the exchange of ideas and information. Each student brings a unique perspective and background to the work, allowing everyone to learn from one another. The chance to network with my peers from all industries, backgrounds and geographic locations is invaluable and can help me build my career potential.

Real World Application (Rachel Clouser): It has been most beneficial for me and my peers that readings and assignments are based on real-life business scenarios, such as the Silicon Valley Bank's Parent Company filing for bankruptcy, and allow us to tailor projects to our specific industry problems we face today that need solving. This means that course content avoided giving students the same “bland” experiences each week and provided assignments/readings based on real opportunities to develop insight to grow as a learner in our fields.