The MBA in transition: factors driving curricular change

Graduate business programs entered the early 1990s having enjoyed more than two decades of ever-increasing popularity, yet critics charged that this very success was creating a sense of complacency among educators and that the MBA curriculum was not keeping pace with changes in industry. Such criticisms are hardly new, and the need for curricular change is not in question rather an understanding of the major forces that are driving MBA curricular change in practice is needed.This study investigates the issue through data gathered from graduate business school directors and deans via "pen and paper" questionnaire at the 2004 MBA Leadership Conference. A net response rate of 62% of 121 attendees was obtained.MBA deans and directors consistently reported that the combination of program innovation and improvement and an effort to maintain competitive market share were the two most important factors at their institutions. Surprisingly, the importance of competitive rankings was minimal. Looking at factors in aggregate, the study showed that internal factors were more important than external factors in driving curricular change. Innovation is widely regarded as critical to the success of business education, and institutions strive to maintain their share of the competitive MBA market.The survey also explored whether factors driving MBA curricular change differed greatly by participant characteristics, and found significant differences between ranked and non-ranked MBA programs. Ranked schools rated competitive rankings, globalization, and market share as most important, while non-ranked schools looked instead to accreditation and available resources.The deans and directors surveyed confirmed that the ten factors identified in the literature are important drivers of change, but are curricular changes in fact happening? The overwhelming answer is yes: 99% of respondents’ MBA curricula underwent some type of change between 1998-2004, with two-thirds of those changes being classified as major or complete redesign. Clearly the need for change is understood, and the challenge now is for educators to lead the way in creating a more relevant business curricula for tomorrow’s captains of industry.Ph.D., Education -- Drexel University, 200