MBA Alternatives

Concordia is also focusing on helping their business alumni stay connected with a new network that invites alumni, parents, family, and friends to mingle on the business social networking site, LinkedIn. “During this economic decline, we thought our alums might need more opportunities for networking,” Corrie says.

Something for Everyone

The University of Minnesota’s College of Continuing Education offers seminars, certificates, tailored courses for organizations, and the comprehensive Successful Manager’s Leadership Program. The college has intentionally designed programs that give people skills they can apply to their jobs right away, says Tom Norman, director of continuing professional education for the college.

Certificate programs on topics ranging from business writing to project management are a popular choice. “Project management is a key skill set that more and more employers are seeing as necessary on the job,” Norman says, adding that it’s is their fastest growing certificate program. Professional English communication for non-native speakers is another highly sought after certificate.

The college also receives more than 200 requests for employee training each year. “Businesses want to tap into the type of development assets they can’t acquire on their own,” Norman says.

Developed in partnership with the consulting firm Personnel Decisions International, the Successful Manager’s Leadership Program helps managers develop the key skills and behaviors needed to be effective leaders. “No longer can people be just good managers,” Norman says. “Technical aspects of managing are merging and people need to be able to do things like strategize a business problem or map a project. These are the trends of the future.”