BROWNWOOD – February 10, 2017 – Howard Payne University’s dynamic, Christ-centered Master of Business Administration degree program celebrates five years of helping students achieve their business-related career goals. Since its inception in spring 2012, HPU’s MBA program has graduated 69 students with an additional seven students poised to graduate at the end of the spring 2017 semester.
Dr. Brad Lemler, dean of HPU’s School of Business, joined the university’s faculty shortly after the launch of the MBA program. He commended his predecessors at HPU on the creation of the degree. Since that time, he said, the program has been in a constant state of development.
“Five years ago, I don’t believe anyone could have predicted the program’s expansion,” he said. “The world around us is changing and HPU is moving forward to keep up with the change.”
Dr. Lemler praised Dr. Bill Ellis, HPU president, and other administrators for their foresight in responding appropriately to the world in flux.
“President Ellis has seized opportunities for growth and development,” he said. “HPU’s Board of Trustees has bought into his vision. Because of this, HPU’s MBA program is in a good place to face and deal with changes in the world.”
Marshal McIntosh, who earned an undergraduate degree from HPU in 2015, went on to complete the MBA program in 2016. He served as an intern with Brownwood’s Economic Development Corporation (now the Municipal Development District) while he was in school and was promoted to the full-time position of special projects and communications manager shortly after earning his MBA degree. He says the degree as well as the timing of his graduation played a large role in that.
“HPU’s Master of Business Administration program provided me with the core foundation, experience and confidence to implement my education from a classroom setting into a fast-paced working environment,” he said.
The MBA degree is available at each of HPU’s three locations: Brownwood, El Paso and New Braunfels. With intimate class sizes and personal attention at each location, HPU’s MBA program is tailored to ensure each student receives the tools to achieve his or her career goals.
Structured with working professionals in mind, courses are held at nights and on weekends in a hybrid format of online and in-person instruction. Students may complete the program in as little as one year.
“The hybrid format is the ideal way to deliver course instruction,” said Dr. Lemler. “It is the optimal blend of the convenience of online courses and the quality of learning and community building that comes with face-to-face instruction.”
The 30-hour, non-thesis degree program allows students to choose a concentration from among marketing, finance or international business. Non-business majors are welcome to apply and will receive leveling instruction before core coursework begins.
For more information about HPU’s Master of Business Administration degree program, visit www.hputx.edu/mba or call 325-649-8704.
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Cutline: Dr. Brad Lemler, dean of HPU’s School of Business, teaches in the university’s Master of Business Administration degree program.