Odd work hours and a transfer out of state won’t keep Laura Stoner from earning her master of business administration degree from DePaul University this June.

That’s because Stoner has joined a growing number of part-time business students who attend classes on the weekends in programs designed to accommodate both the educational needs and the tight schedules of today’s business professional.

"DePaul’s weekend M.B.A. program has worked out great for me," said Stoner, a former Lincoln Park resident who is now a business support manager for the Boise-Cascade Co.’s white paper facility in Portland, Ore. "Originally I was working odd hours, 2 to 11 p.m., so I couldn’t take evening classes. Then I was promoted to a position in Portland in September. I really wanted to continue with DePaul and if I had transferred to another school, I would have lost over half of my credit hours." Because she was enrolled in the weekend program, Stoner’s company agreed to fly her to Chicago to attend Saturday classes and complete her M.B.A.

A variety of workplace trends have led part-time business students like Stoner to seek the flexibility of weekend classes, said Suzette Long, DePaul’s weekend M.B.A. program administrator. "The typical 9 to 5 schedule no longer exists for many people," she said. "Our students are working unusual schedules, traveling frequently for business, working at home and living farther away."

Ronald Patten, dean of the College of Commerce, said corporate downsizing is another reason students enroll in weekend programs. "Some potential students told us they’d love to earn an M.B.A. in the evening program, but because of downsizing at their companies, they were working longer hours and couldn’t get to 6 p.m. classes."

Enrollment for DePaul’s weekend M.B.A. program has grown since it was launched two years ago, from 17 students in the program’s first class, which graduates on June 15, to 31 in the second class.

The program focuses on strategic management. Students take two three-hour courses every Saturday except for four weekends throughout the year. The schedule differs from executive M.B.A. programs offered by other universities which often require students to attend some classes during the work day on Friday.

To make the program as convenient as possible, weekend M.B.A. students are preregistered for all of their courses. Students with business undergraduate majors are required to take an average of 15 courses, completing the program in less than two years, while students with liberal arts backgrounds will need about 20 courses. "I could have gone to two other institutions for my M.B.A. but DePaul’s program best met my schedule and interests," said Barry Schneider, who will graduate in June. Schneider, president of Columbia-Olympia Fields Osteopathic Hospital and Medical Center in Olympia Fields, Ill., said he couldn’t attend evening M.B.A. classes because of long work hours, evening meetings and business functions.

In addition to flexibility, Schneider said he chose DePaul’s weekend M.B.A. program "because it offers a broad base of education in the business disciplines, but focuses on strategic business management. Also, DePaul’s M.B.A. has a good reputation and the faculty represents a balance of tenured academicians and practical people from the business world."