William C. Phillips III

The dean of the College of Business said he plans to revamp the MBA program and broaden the knowledge of students by integrating the courses.

Thomas Keon, dean of the College of Business, said he hopes to accomplish two specific goals by modifying the program with integration.

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We will make sure the topic coverage is current and have part of the program taught in an integrated fashion, Keon said. It will combine the students’ knowledge of finance with accounting and human resource with marketing information systems, he said. Primarily, students will be state of the art and equipped with what is needed in the field of business.

Keon said the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business, the organization in charge of the credidation for business colleges, have changed their standards. In order for SIUC to be in compliance with them, he said the college needs to restore the MBA program.

He said the change will make students better business thinkers who are aware of the current trends in business.

Integrating the courses is important because it teaches students to think through whole problems, Keon said. Before, they made decisions about production without thinking about how it will affect marketing and finance.

Siva Balasubramanian, director of the MBA program, said students will now receive a degree that makes students more marketable from the point of getting a job.

The demand from employers for MBA graduates is for their new employees to be more in compliance with the new world of business, he said.

Balasubramanian said the College of Business is not changing the program just for the sake of changing.

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We are going to access areas where we need change and make those changes accordingly, Balasubramanian said. A key item facing the Master’s Program Committee is the revision of the MBA curriculum to better reflect the changing realm of business.

Balasubramanian said the old business model focused on a domestic market, but the new model focuses on an international market. Many foreign companies have set up operations in the United States, and American companies must expand their focus toward an international market.

Every corporation likes to focus on the entire world as their market, he said. It is becoming increasingly important for corporations to focus on a globalized market for survival.