Academics
East Carolina is a medium-sized public school, but it seems like a smaller, more expensive one. Its MBA program provides students with lots of “individual attention” and allows them to tailor the program to their needs. “ECU has an intimate feel,” one student says. “Professors know students’ names,” and the campus has a “friendly atmosphere.” Students can take classes on campus, online, or both. It’s common for distance education programs to feel alienating, but students say “very little of the East Carolina spirit is lost over the Internet.” “There is still a lot of communication that goes on” in the online program, and the interactive media “makes up for the lack of face time” and means students still “get a chance to know people pretty well.” Students may attend full or part time, and can change the number of classes they take and the method through which they take them every semester. One student explains, the school “is set up to meet students’ needs, not the students having to work around the school.”
East Carolina requires a number of foundation classes, such as Financial and Managerial Accounting and Financial Management, but students who studied business as an undergraduate can have these requirements waived if they took similar courses and received a B or higher. All students must take eight common body of knowledge courses that provide a solid foundation in business and three elective courses that allow them to focus on areas of their choice. Students may choose to take four electives toward a certificate in an area they want to specialize in. Current offerings include Business Analytics, Health Care Management, Finance and Management Information Systems, Marketing, and Project Management.
Professors at East Carolina get high marks. The “strong” and “challenging” faculty members are “genuinely concerned with their students’ success in the program,” and really “push them to get better.” They are accessible outside of class, and students can “build real relationships with them.” One student explains that a “professor put me in touch with professional networking organizations. Another put me in touch with a professor outside my program, who had insight into an aspect of business I am interested in.” Professors definitely “expect hard work and high professionalism from each student,” and those interested in East Carolina should be prepared to devote themselves to their studies. One online student who also works full time says, “My life revolves around class assignments, cases, group work, and other obligations. This program is not for the faint of heart!” East Carolina’s combination of a demanding, but flexible academic program, dedicated professors, and enthusiastic students make for a great experience and is why so many people think the school offers a great “bang for the buck.”
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