MiddletownJournal.com

Miami University from the north and Xavier University from the south have both staked a claim in West Chester Twp. to vie for area business professionals.

The universities offer similar amenities, such as evening classes and two-year accelerated programs.

Miami's program will be tailored from the professional masters of business full-time program at Oxford and will be held at the Miami University Voice of America Learning Center off Cox Road. Classes will begin in August 2009. Work experience is a must for this program, and although there are three prerequisites, Brad Bays, director of MBA programs, said people can test out of them or show they have taken the classes in undergraduate course work. They also can start those classes in January when the facility opens.

"The idea is we truly are a two-year program," he said. "The world is moving a little quicker than it was 50 years ago when most MBA programs were designed."

Miami's program will not have a global component because Bays said that would put undue pressure on those who could not take leave of their jobs. He isn't a fan of "show and tell" one- to two-week trips, he said. Admission to the program is highly selective, he said, and the 30 students can specialize in finance and marketing or a general MBA. The cost is $750 per credit hour or about $27,000 for the two-year, 36 credit hour program. The program will start with two cohorts, but Bays said the goal is to grow to 100.

Raghu Tadepalli, dean of the Graduate School of Business for Xavier University, said classes started in its new West Chester Twp. campus this July, and will resume enrollment at its Deerfield Twp. campus in January. Both locations offer the same resources as the main campus, Tadepalli said. The main difference is that students at the main campus may waive up to nine pre-courses. That option is not available at the West Chester Twp. program, where students must complete 56 credit hours at $772 a credit hour, or $43,232. Tuition includes books.

Tadepalli said the off-site program began in Fairfield, but moved to be more accessible.

"When able to find a long-term lease in West Chester, we immediately grabbed it," he said. "Right from the get-go, it's been successful for us."

He said students north of I-275 were unwilling to travel to the main campus during rush hour, thus weren't enrolling. Classes at the new campus began July 8 with 40 students, and he said the drive is much more convenient for them. He said they are drawn to the program also because of its reputation.

"It helps that we've been ranked nationally by US News and World Report as 16th in the country," he said.

Another draw, he said, is the study abroad 10-day program in China, Japan, London, Jordan, Egypt or possibly Israel.

"It is a strongly suggested alternate for them, because in today's globalized world, it's important for them to see what's going on in other countries," he said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5067 or lhilty@coxohio.com.