Anna Maria College in Paxton has introduced three new concentrations into its MBA degree program in an effort to prepare students with both business and technology skills as they enter the workforce.
The college’s new concentrations of artificial intelligence, business analytics, and cybersecurity are available through Anna Maria’s accelerated one-year MBA track, which includes 12 courses and 36 credit hours, according to a Tuesday press release.
“We are equipping our graduates with future-ready skills as we prepare them to lead with both technical competence and ethical responsibility,” Chioma Ugochukwu, Anna Maria senior vice president for academic affairs, said in the release.
The new concentrations were created in collaboration with Rize Education, a New York-based company partnering with small colleges and universities to increase enrollment and develop new degree tracks.
Applications are now open for the new concentrations, with classes available through in-person, hybrid, and remote tracks.
“We feel our students will have a real edge, bringing stronger backgrounds in AI, business analytics, or cybersecurity than someone with a traditional business degree,” Elzbieta Manos, chair of the Anna Maria School of Business, said in the release.
With 880 full-time students as of fall 2024, Anna Maria College is the 13th-largest higher education institution in Central Massachusetts when ranked by data collected by WBJ’s Research Department.
The development of Anna Maria’s new concentrations comes after Worcester Polytechnic Institute launched its own bachelor of science in cybersecurity degree track in December.
Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare, manufacturing, and higher education industries.
