CSUN’s Ventura Campus to Offer MBA Program : Education: Officials say several obstacles were overcome to provide the degree starting in January.

The Ventura campus of Cal State Northridge announced Thursday that it will offer a master’s degree in business for the first time in its 21-year history, a move business leaders said will improve the quality and marketability of managers and executives in Ventura County.

“I’m just thrilled,” said Joyce Kennedy, director of the Ventura campus. “It’s been a long time coming.”

The tiny satellite campus of CSUN has not offered the degree in the past in part because it was too costly to import business professors to Ventura to teach the classes, Kennedy said.

But the main campus recently decided to offer a shortened version of its master of business administration degree, reducing teaching costs, she said. The so-called “evening MBA” degree will require 45 units of course work instead of the usual 60, Kennedy said.

Other past obstacles have also been worked out. New faculty members in CSUN’s business department are more willing to commute from the San Fernando Valley, Kennedy said. And students at the Ventura campus now have computer access to research materials needed for upper-division classes.

Classes for the MBA course will begin in January, although students will be able to enroll for some prerequisite courses as early as the fall session, Kennedy said.

An orientation to discuss prerequisites, costs and other issues related to the program will be held at the Ventura campus May 2.

Courses for the master’s degree will be taught in the late afternoon or evening because demand is expected to come from people who are already working but want the advanced degree to broaden career opportunities, Kennedy said.

Undergraduate business students will probably also see it as an attractive option to pursue a graduate program, Kennedy said.

For Ventura resident Jackie Bowland, timing of the announcement couldn’t have been better. Bowland, a self-employed environmental consultant, said she stopped by CSUN’s Ventura campus Wednesday to inquire about MBA programs after determining that Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks was too expensive.

“They put my name on a list right away and said classes would be offered in January,” Bowland said. “I was thrilled.”

Bowland said she wants the advanced business degree to help run her business and spiff up her resume if she decides to seek employment with another company.

Adam Page, 27, said he will enroll in the program to make himself more desirable to employers.

A Ventura resident, Page said he has been unable to land a job since he graduated from Southern Illinois University three years ago with a bachelor’s degree in aviation management.

To make ends meet, he has been working as a jet mechanic at the Point Mugu naval base. He said he rejected enrolling at Cal Lutheran or CSUN because of the commute.

But this week, the Ventura campus notified him by mail that the MBA program would be available locally.

“When I got the letter, I was real happy,” he said. “I jumped out of my chair. I’ve been struggling, but this may change things for me.”

The announcement did not surprise officials at Cal Lutheran, said Carol Keochekian, director of university relations.

Cal Lutheran officials had heard that CSUN was changing its MBA program and that it might become available in Ventura County, she said. It’s too early to determine what the impact on Cal Lutheran might be, she said.

For 1994-95, Cal Lutheran had 400 students in its MBA program, Keochekian said.

“There are a number of MBA programs in Ventura County and this is just one more,” she said. “And there are a lot of people out there who want MBAs.”

Besides CSUN and Cal Lutheran, the University of La Verne also offers an MBA program in Ventura County.

Cal Lutheran President Luther Luedtke was not available for comment.

Convenient access to an MBA program will benefit the entire business community in Ventura County, said Ed Lyon, owner of Gaviota Maintenance Services, an oil-field construction company in Ventura.

“Management is changing so much right now,” Lyon said. “This course will bring our executives up to current management theory. If you don’t keep up with these things, you don’t even have a chance at getting an upper-level job.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

FYI

A May 2 orientation will be held to discuss CSUN Ventura’s new MBA degree program. To be admitted, prospective students must be graduates of an accredited university and complete the Graduate Management Admission Test. The orientation will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the campus, 2151 Alessandro Drive. Reservations are suggested; call 654-4575.