Wright, Lori

English

University of New Hampshire

University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository
Media Relations Administrative Offices
9-14-2005
Full Time Women MBA Students Outnumber
Men For First Time At UNH
Lori Wright
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/news
This News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Administrative Offices at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has
been accepted for inclusion in Media Relations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more
information, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.
Recommended Citation
Wright, Lori, "Full Time Women MBA Students Outnumber Men For First Time At UNH" (2005). UNH Today. 1513.
https://scholars.unh.edu/news/1513
9/29/17, 11(41 AMFull-Time Women MBA Students Outnumber Men For First Time At UNH
Page 1 of 2http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2005/september/lw_050914mba.html
Related Links
Whittemore School of
Business and
Economics
UNH Honors Program
Full-Time Women MBA Students Outnumber Men For First
Time At UNH
Whittemore School Bucking National MBA Enrollment Trends
Contact: Lori Wright
603-862-0574
UNH Media Relations
Sept. 14, 2005
News Editors: Steve Bolander, dean of the Whittemore School, is available to discuss the
Whittemore School’s MBA program at 603-862-1983. Lisa MacFarlane, director of the
UNH Honors Program, is available to discuss the honors program at 603-862-4728. 
DURHAM, N.H. – For the first in the history of the University of New Hampshire, women
enrolled in the full-time MBA program at the Whittemore School of Business and Economics
outnumber men, a change so significant that it is a reverse of the national trend in MBA
enrollments.
This fall, 61 percent of the full-time MBA students are women. In 2004, only 29percent of full-
time MBA students were women, which is consistent with national trends that show women
represent 30 to 35 percent of MBA students in all programs (part-time, full-time and executive).
In past years, UNH has been consistent with national trends in all MBA programs.
In addition, this year 46 percent of the students in all MBA programs at UNH are women,
breaking from national trends. In 2004, women represented just 29 percent of all MBA students
at UNH. The change is a direct result of women outnumbering men by 2-to-1 in the full-time
program.
“Last spring, the Whittemore School restructured its full-time MBA program from what had
been a two-year program to a rigorous, one-year program. When we started recruiting students,
we sought out graduating seniors or recent graduates with outstanding academic records – high-
potential students who we thought would be successful in this new, accelerated program. The
majority of these students were honors students, and it turns out, honors programs traditionally
attract more women than men,” said Barry Shore, professor of decision sciences and academic
director of the MBA program.
According to Lisa MacFarlane, director of the UNH Honors Program, students admitted to the
University Honors Program typically rank in the top 10 percent of their high school class with
combined SAT scores of 1300 or higher, and will have excelled in all areas of their secondary
school’s most challenging academic curriculum.
More than 1,100 students currently participate in the UNH Honors Program, which has a 2-to-1
ratio of female (66.5 percent) to male (33.5 percent) students. 
9/29/17, 11(41 AMFull-Time Women MBA Students Outnumber Men For First Time At UNH
Page 2 of 2http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2005/september/lw_050914mba.html
“The University Honors Program challenges students to set high goals for themselves and many
do exactly that. Our students win prestigious international awards like Fulbright scholarships.
They enter challenging positions upon graduation, such as working as a National Institute of
Mental Health researcher, an Air Force intelligence officer, or an English teacher in Japan. And
many of our students pursue graduate degrees in high-powered programs like this one,”
MacFarlane said. 
“Because this accelerated MBA requires just one more year of full-time coursework, it was very
appealing to many of our students who followed their intellectual passions as undergraduates and
now want to wrap an MBA around that degree. That combination appeals to the business
community,” she said.
The new one-year full-time MBA program, which is open to all students with a bachelor’s
degree, began in August 2005 and concludes in June 2006. “This is much more intensive than a
two-year MBA program. Students will have little time for anything else, but they will earn their
degree in a short time, saving more than a year when compared to most other programs,” Shore
said.
The intensive one-year MBA program is an innovative MBA program that minimizes career
interruptions and reduces tuition expenses, while retaining a strong educational value. It consists
of 10 core courses, including economics, accounting, finance, marketing, information systems,
quantitative decision making, operations and supply chain management, organizational behavior,
organizational design and leadership, and business strategy. Students also choose a business
concentration from the following areas: financial management, entrepreneurial venture creation,
marketing and supply chain management, and general management.
For several of this year’s class of full-time MBA students, their graduate business degree isn’t
the final one they will earn. Four students plan to go to law school and three to medical school
following graduation in June 2006. Most have undergraduate degrees in the liberal arts.
“We are meeting the needs of students who have achieved exceptional academic success
following the traditional undergraduate path for four years, and who now would like to spend
one more year in school adding an MBA to their resumes, and thus, opening up more career
choices,” Shore said.
The one-year MBA program is the latest advance in the Whittemore School’s efforts to provide
the most relevant and innovative academic programs to business school students. The school’s
ongoing efforts have been recognized nationally in the last year: the Whittemore School was
named one of the top 100 graduate business schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report,
ranked by Entrepreneur magazine in the first tier of the top 50 regionally recognized academic
programs in the country, and UNH was named one of the Top 25 Most Entrepreneurial Colleges
by Forbes.com, ranking 10th in the nation. The ranking was based largely on the Whittemore
School’s programs.


Full Time Women MBA Students Outnumber Men For First Time At UNH

UNH Scholars' Repository

University of New HampshireUniversity of New Hampshire Scholars' RepositoryMedia Relations Administrative Offices9-14-2005Full Time Women MBA Students OutnumberMen For First Time At UNHLori WrightFollow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/newsThis News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Administrative Offices at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It hasbeen accepted for inclusion in Media Relations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For moreinformation, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.Recommended CitationWright, Lori, "Full Time Women MBA Students Outnumber Men For First Time At UNH" (2005). UNH Today. 1513.https://scholars.unh.edu/news/15139/29/17, 11(41 AMFull-Time Women MBA Students Outnumber Men For First Time At UNHPage 1 of 2http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2005/september/lw_050914mba.htmlRelated LinksWhittemore School ofBusiness andEconomicsUNH Honors ProgramFull-Time Women MBA Students Outnumber Men For FirstTime At UNHWhittemore School Bucking National MBA Enrollment TrendsContact: Lori Wright603-862-0574UNH Media RelationsSept. 14, 2005News Editors: Steve Bolander, dean of the Whittemore School, is available to discuss theWhittemore School’s MBA program at 603-862-1983. Lisa MacFarlane, director of theUNH Honors Program, is available to discuss the honors program at 603-862-4728. DURHAM, N.H. – For the first in the history of the University of New Hampshire, womenenrolled in the full-time MBA program at the Whittemore School of Business and Economicsoutnumber men, a change so significant that it is a reverse of the national trend in MBAenrollments.This fall, 61 percent of the full-time MBA students are women. In 2004, only 29percent of full-time MBA students were women, which is consistent with national trends that show womenrepresent 30 to 35 percent of MBA students in all programs (part-time, full-time and executive).In past years, UNH has been consistent with national trends in all MBA programs.In addition, this year 46 percent of the students in all MBA programs at UNH are women,breaking from national trends. In 2004, women represented just 29 percent of all MBA studentsat UNH. The change is a direct result of women outnumbering men by 2-to-1 in the full-timeprogram.“Last spring, the Whittemore School restructured its full-time MBA program from what hadbeen a two-year program to a rigorous, one-year program. When we started recruiting students,we sought out graduating seniors or recent graduates with outstanding academic records – high-potential students who we thought would be successful in this new, accelerated program. Themajority of these students were honors students, and it turns out, honors programs traditionallyattract more women than men,” said Barry Shore, professor of decision sciences and academicdirector of the MBA program.According to Lisa MacFarlane, director of the UNH Honors Program, students admitted to theUniversity Honors Program typically rank in the top 10 percent of their high school class withcombined SAT scores of 1300 or higher, and will have excelled in all areas of their secondaryschool’s most challenging academic curriculum.More than 1,100 students currently participate in the UNH Honors Program, which has a 2-to-1ratio of female (66.5 percent) to male (33.5 percent) students. 9/29/17, 11(41 AMFull-Time Women MBA Students Outnumber Men For First Time At UNHPage 2 of 2http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2005/september/lw_050914mba.html“The University Honors Program challenges students to set high goals for themselves and manydo exactly that. Our students win prestigious international awards like Fulbright scholarships.They enter challenging positions upon graduation, such as working as a National Institute ofMental Health researcher, an Air Force intelligence officer, or an English teacher in Japan. Andmany of our students pursue graduate degrees in high-powered programs like this one,”MacFarlane said. “Because this accelerated MBA requires just one more year of full-time coursework, it was veryappealing to many of our students who followed their intellectual passions as undergraduates andnow want to wrap an MBA around that degree. That combination appeals to the businesscommunity,” she said.The new one-year full-time MBA program, which is open to all students with a bachelor’sdegree, began in August 2005 and concludes in June 2006. “This is much more intensive than atwo-year MBA program. Students will have little time for anything else, but they will earn theirdegree in a short time, saving more than a year when compared to most other programs,” Shoresaid.The intensive one-year MBA program is an innovative MBA program that minimizes careerinterruptions and reduces tuition expenses, while retaining a strong educational value. It consistsof 10 core courses, including economics, accounting, finance, marketing, information systems,quantitative decision making, operations and supply chain management, organizational behavior,organizational design and leadership, and business strategy. Students also choose a businessconcentration from the following areas: financial management, entrepreneurial venture creation,marketing and supply chain management, and general management.For several of this year’s class of full-time MBA students, their graduate business degree isn’tthe final one they will earn. Four students plan to go to law school and three to medical schoolfollowing graduation in June 2006. Most have undergraduate degrees in the liberal arts.“We are meeting the needs of students who have achieved exceptional academic successfollowing the traditional undergraduate path for four years, and who now would like to spendone more year in school adding an MBA to their resumes, and thus, opening up more careerchoices,” Shore said.The one-year MBA program is the latest advance in the Whittemore School’s efforts to providethe most relevant and innovative academic programs to business school students. The school’songoing efforts have been recognized nationally in the last year: the Whittemore School wasnamed one of the top 100 graduate business schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report,ranked by Entrepreneur magazine in the first tier of the top 50 regionally recognized academicprograms in the country, and UNH was named one of the Top 25 Most Entrepreneurial Collegesby Forbes.com, ranking 10th in the nation. The ranking was based largely on the WhittemoreSchool’s programs.

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Full Time Women MBA Students Outnumber Men For First Time At UNH

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