Where We Are 
Professional MBA Launched!
The college successfully launched its new Professional Master of Business Administration program last fall, enrolling 27 students in the entering class.
“We would like to admit more students in future cohorts,” says Steve Skripak, associate dean for graduate programs and MBA director. His office has stepped up its marketing efforts to increase the second-year enrollment to 35-40 students.
The two-year PMBA has the same 48-credit-hour requirements as the college’s full-time, two-year MBA and confers the same degree. But it is designed for the particular needs of full-time, mid-level professionals who want a quality graduate business program with a convenient schedule, Skripak says, so that they can earn the degree without interrupting their careers.
“The PMBA reflects the college’s strengths in research and business leadership.” The program focuses on ethical and entrepreneurial leadership and the strategic management of information technology in a global environment. The courses, he says, are taught by full-time Pamplin faculty members and, in a few cases, appropriate adjunct faculty. “The college and its faculty are committed to providing students excellent value for their time and investment.”
The PMBA will replace the college’s longstanding part-time MBA program, where classes have been broadcast to various sites around the state via the university’s interactive video conferencing network. This part-time MBA program, Skripak says, will end at the conclusion of this academic year.
The PMBA is aimed at serving full-time professionals across Virginia, excluding metro Washington, D.C., where the university’s Northern Virginia Center in Falls Church will continue to cater to the area’s students through two onsite MBA programs: the Executive MBA, intended for more senior professionals, and a part-time MBA with a longer completion time than the PMBA (up to five years, depending on the course load selected by each student).
Scheduled over eight terms of three months each, PMBA classes meet face-to-face one weekend a month on Fridays and Saturdays. The meetings alternate between Virginia Tech facilities in Roanoke and Richmond. Some course content, Skripak says, is delivered via distance-learning technologies.
Students are enrolled only in cohorts, he says, to allow richer learning and networking experiences through interaction with their fellow professionals. Applicants must meet the same admission requirements that apply to full-time MBA students: competitive GMAT scores, satisfactory undergraduate GPA, letters of recommendation, an interview, and commensurate work experience. PMBA applicants are required to have at least two years of work experience, and most have 6-7 years, he says.
PMBA terms begin in September. Applications are due by April, but late applications, Skripak says, will be considered on a space-available basis. Tuition for the 2007 PMBA class is set at $28,600, pending approval from the Board of Visitors.
The college hosted PMBA information sessions at Virginia Tech facilities around the state earlier this year. For application and admission enquiries, please visit the MBA Programs site or e-mail.