Like the firms that employ its students, part-time business school programs must respond quickly to changes in the marketplace in order to succeed. Nowhere is this more apparent than at the highly ranked DePaul University Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. The Chicago school will introduce three new graduate programs this fall that address the shifting responsibilities of managers in the health care, human resources and financial analysis fields. Two of the new degrees reflect a national trend of graduate schools creating programs that merge courses from several disciplines.

“Working professionals who seek graduate degrees are looking for practical and marketable degrees that will help them achieve their career goals,” said Kellstadt Dean Arthur Kraft, who oversees the largest part-time MBA program in the United States accredited by the The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business-International. “At Kellstadt, we maintain close ties to the business community to make sure our graduate programs reflect the most-up-to-date skills and strategic thinking required of today’s managers. Sometimes that involves a creative, interdisciplinary approach.”

The new Health Care Management MBA concentration takes such an approach, combining 20 courses from DePaul’s graduate business, law, nursing and public service programs to provide a curriculum that is uniquely suited to preparing health care professionals for the field’s growing number of administrative positions.

“Health care is a business that continues to expand and diversify, increasing management opportunities at hospitals, health maintenance organizations, home health care providers and nursing homes,” said Dan Koys, associate Kellstadt dean, who oversees the new program.

“The Occupational Outlook Handbook issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that employment of health care managers will grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2008. Our program prepares students for these new opportunities.” Doctors, nurses and others who seek administration posts are among the professionals who may be interested in the new MBA concentration, he said.

A second new program, the 12-course Master of Science Degree in Human Resources, combines core business, strategic human resource management, staffing, compensation and employment development courses with law, public service and psychology study. The program not only awards master’s degrees but also helps students prepare for human resource managers’ certification exams.

“Today’s human resource managers are seeking interdisciplinary programs that allow them to see the big picture so that the can create people-management systems that are consistent with a company’s strategy and external demands in a changing economy,” said Assistant Management Professor Stuart Sidle, who teaches in the program. “The interdisciplinary nature of this new program provides flexibility for career changers to move into the human resources fields from other functional areas in both the public and private sectors.”

While interdisciplinary study is increasingly prized in the human resource and health care management fields, certification as a Chartered Financial Analyst is a growing requirement among financial analysts. Reflecting this change, DePaul’s third new graduate business program, an MBA concentration in Financial Analysis, is designed for students who want study for an MBA degree and sit for the CFA exam.

“Those who want to move up in the ranks of Wall Street and investment banking circles today are often required to pass the CFA exam,” said Ali Fatemi, chair of the Finance Department. “This new degree responds to the demand for a program that allows students to earn an MBA while concentrating on material covered by the CFA exam.” The 20-course program includes core MBA classes with specialized courses in investment management, financial analysis and risk management.