Sacramento State suspends postgraduate program for business leaders due to low enrollment

Sacramento State has suspended a master’s degree program due to low enrollment in recent years.

The College of Business has suspended its Master of Business Administration for Executive program starting this fall, according to a message on the school’s website. The program reportedly did not enroll enough students to break even for several years.

In an emailed statement, the business school’s dean, Jean-Francois Coget, said the program is a “self-sustaining program,” meaning California State University, Sacramento requires the program to generate enough revenue to at least break even on program costs.

Coget said in his email that to break even, about 30 students per cohort would be needed. A photo on the College of Business website showed the most recent EMBA cohort graduating, with 13 students receiving the degree.

Students accepted into the EMBA program this fall were offered admission to CSUS’ traditional MBA or online iMBA programs. If they prefer not to attend the school, the university is offering a refund of their application fee, Coget said.

While the EMBA program has struggled for several years, Coget said the MBA and iMBA programs have shown “growing demand,” as have the Master of Science programs in Business Analytics, Finance and Accountancy.

What is the EMBA program?

The EMBA program is designed for “highly committed, working executives and managers” seeking a leadership or C-suite position in a company, according to the business school’s website.

The program is more rigorous than a general MBA through CSUS, with 41 required credits spread over 15 months, while the general program requires 33 credits over an average of 30 months, according to the program’s webpage.

Eight classes formed the core of the program, covering topics such as finance, marketing, and accounting. The program required students to choose four other electives from a broader list of management topics. The program concluded with a three-month individual project.

Coget said in his statement that the business school’s leadership and faculty will consider in the fall how to maximize enrollment and prioritize “innovation and community service” in the school’s five other master’s programs and 10 bachelor’s programs.

“This is the moment when we make a decision about the future of the EMBA program,” he said.