Wayne State MBA enrollment grows 85% over 2 years
As of Monday, there are 1,119 graduate students for fall. That's the largest class since fall 2008. If 20 more students enroll in the next month, it will be the largest since fall 2007. The increased numbers are a huge turnaround from just two years ago, when there were only 606 graduate students in fall 2014. That's an 84.6 percent increase over two years. The school's enrollment increase bucks the broader trends. Enrollment in U.S. MBA programs is down 11 percent since 2009, according to a survey by accrediting group AACSB International. Wayne State officials credit the waiver of the GMAT for at least part of that increase. The test is waived for applicants with "at least three years of relevant professional experience that shows increased responsibility over that period." "There are people who want to come back and get an MBA but have been working for a while and don't want to think about taking the GMAT," said Ilitch school dean Bob Forsythe. The school also is benefiting from other exposure, including the renaming of the school for Detroit businessman Mike Ilitch, who is giving millions of dollars toward the construction of a new building near the new Red Wings stadium. The boom in Detroit is also helping, school officials said, with more people wanting to be a part of what is going on in Midtown and the rebirth of Detroit. The rise in enrollment, especially among working professionals, has helped the school in terms of what students are learning, Forsythe said. He said it's not uncommon for class discussion on the topic of the day to feature questions and situations the students are facing in their working life.
