UTEP Celebrates 50th Anniversary of MBA Program
EL PASO, Texas (May 22, 2024) – The University of Texas at El Paso’s Woody L. Hunt College of Business Administration is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its Master of Business Administration program, which has graduated more 2,845 students since its inception in the 1973-74 academic year.
MBA alumni, current MBA students, faculty and community members will convene May 22 at the Starlight Event Center to commemorate the milestone.
One of the celebration speakers is Eduardo Rosas-Blum, M.D., a 2021 graduate of the Executive MBA Program. Dr. Rosas-Blum is a pediatric gastroenterologist who chose to enroll in the program to understand the business side of medicine. The program inspired him to open his own practice, Pediatric GI of El Paso.
“The MBA was life-changing for me and I’ve been able to implement what I learned into my own company,” he said. “I know there are a lot of MBA options out there, but a UTEP MBA is going to give you the tools to be a better professional. Why not invest in a program that has the tools, the history and the best professionals?”
The program, the only one in the region accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), offers three academic plans: the Professional MBA, the Executive MBA and the new Online MBA, which launched in Fall 2023.
The success of the MBA program at UTEP can be credited to its value for students and adaptability throughout the decades, said John Hadjimarcou, Ph.D., dean of the Hunt College of Business.
“Fifty years later and we’re still going strong,” Hadjimarcou said.” That speaks to the resiliency of the program. We are successful because of the tremendous value that we offer. Students can get a high-quality business education at a very reasonable price. We’ve also been able to adapt to the market and change our programs accordingly, but we’ve never compromised the quality.”
This anniversary comes at a time when global MBA programs are experiencing a decline in enrollment, according to the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC). The UTEP MBA program continues to see steady enrollment and a wait list for its new Online MBA, said Sacnité Ramos, director of the Graduate Business Center.
The nationally acclaimed program has consistently been recognized by industry publications for its high quality and accessibility to minority students, to include being ranked among the “Best of the Best” MBA Schools by Professional Woman’s, Hispanic Network and Black EOE Journal magazines since 2012. The UTEP MBA was also ranked #1 in the nation by Hispanic Business magazine for five consecutive years.
AT A GLANCE:
- The UTEP MBA program launched in the 1973-74 academic year.
- Since its inception, 2,845 MBA degrees have been awarded.
- The Online MBA is the newest addition to the program, which launched in Fall 2023.
- The UTEP MBA is the only program in the region accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
About The University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is America’s leading Hispanic-serving university. Located at the westernmost tip of Texas, where three states and two countries converge along the Rio Grande, 84% of our 24,000 students are Hispanic, and more than half are the first in their families to go to college. UTEP offers 170 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs at the only open-access, top-tier research university in America.
Last Updated on May 22, 2024 at 9:00 AM | Originally published May 22, 2024
By MC Staff UTEP Marketing and Communications
