Mendoza College of Business to end its one-year MBA program

Author: Carol Elliott

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The University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business recently announced that it will discontinue the Notre Dame One-Year MBA at the end of the 2023-24 academic year to better focus on and invest in the Notre Dame Two-Year MBA program.

Dean Martijn Cremers
Dean Martijn Cremers

“While the One-Year MBA historically has attracted talented and dedicated students and remains financially viable, the decision to discontinue the program reflects the college’s focus on the Two-Year MBA as our priority and was informed by the ongoing strategic review aimed at optimizing and elevating Mendoza’s graduate program portfolio,” said Martijn Cremers, the Martin J. Gillen Dean of the Mendoza College of Business.

The change will allow the college to elevate the Two-Year MBA as its core strategic priority, providing greater flexibility in directing the appropriate resources to advancements in experiential learning, leadership development, career discernment and personal growth over the program’s two-year arc.

Cremers emphasized that discontinuing the One-Year MBA will have no impact on the academic experience of current students and that the decision was focused on serving the future needs of all of its students.

“The Mendoza faculty and staff remain fully committed to the personal and professional growth of our One-Year MBAs, now and after they graduate,” Cremers said. “They are forever important members of the Notre Dame family.”

Mendoza currently offers 10 master’s programs plus several dual-degree programs, two doctorate programs and its undergraduate program.

The college has introduced a number of curricular innovations to its STEM-designated MBA program in support of its emphasis on providing in-person, highly experiential academic programming, including:

  • MBA Pathways, a revamped curricular structure to support career pathways.
  • Mod-Away programs, seven-week in-person study programs in Silicon Valley, California, and Santiago, Chile.
  • Meyer Business on the Frontlines Program, a long-running initiative in which student teams work with international and domestic partners to harness the dynamism of business to advance solutions to problems such as deep poverty and violence.
  • Leadership Launch, a signature leadership development program centered on Notre Dame’s unique “Tender, Strong and True” framework.
  • Grow Irish Week, a set of skill building courses, leadership development and experiential learning opportunities through global consulting engagements.

In keeping with Mendoza’s strategic vision, future program developments likewise will focus on opportunities that prioritize a strong sense of community through shared experiences, high-touch employer relationships and a global perspective cultivated through in-person engagements.