Academics
For a “top-notch education at an affordable price,” Missouri residents recommend the business school at Southeast Missouri State University. An inexpensive public school, “the university provides an excellent bang for your buck,” yet doesn’t skimp on a quality education. Catering to current and soon-to-be professionals in the Cape Giradeau area, all classes are held in the evenings. However, SEMO’s MBA programs can be completed either part time or full time (the former is the more popular option), and the school operates an entirely online program for students whose schedules do not accommodate classroom work. The program begins with the common core, which covers key business areas ranging from accounting and finance to quantitative and qualitative research methods. After completing the core, students can focus their studies in a single business area, such as finance, industrial management, health administration, or sports management. In addition to coursework, full-time students often augment their coursework with for-credit internships, with teaching assistant positions through the ample “graduate assistantship opportunities” (which also include tuition assistance), or through one of the school’s numerous short-term overseas programs. As one appreciative student exclaims, “Their international programs were the best experience of my life!”
Appealing to mature students, “the class environment is unique, in that is very professional, as if you were going to work.” Likewise, “the teachers expect all students to come prepared and [they] develop helpful but strenuous assignments.” A current student adds, “They give us the responsibility to learn and take on the role as a facilitator of learning rather than keeping it very structured, letting the students do a lot on their own.” The teaching staff gets strong reviews from current students, who say their instructors add “very helpful and relevant insight into what we are studying.” A current student enthuses, “the professors at Southeast are wonderful. Not only are they experienced in their field, but their teaching styles are excellent.”
Despite the emphasis on professionalism, the environment at SEMO is incredibly down-toearth and friendly. Here, “class sizes are small, so professors get to know you pretty well” and in-class discussions are encouraged. For those who need extra guidance, “the teachers do a great job of making themselves available to the students outside of the classroom for one-on-one help.” The small size also facilitates networking between students; “having a smaller campus helps you connect with a wide variety of people in a variety of fields,” which makes “classroom discussions very interesting and relevant to the real world.”
Save School
