Leaders at Oklahoma City University have signed a reciprocal partnership agreement with a Georgia school to provide a new undergraduate business degree to students here and a new graduate business degree to students there.
Through the agreement, Oklahoma City University (OCU) will introduce a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Supply Chain Management, while Clayton State University (CSU) will offer its students a new Master of Business Administration degree in Energy Management.
Students at OCU will take the university’s core business classes, as well as a series of six classes in supply chain management offered online by Clayton State. CSU students will study four different energy-related graduate classes offered online by OCU.
OCU Business Dean Sri Beldona said the agreement is an example of a growing movement among higher education institutions that provides schools the opportunity to expand offerings to students without incurring the expenses typically associated with launching a new program.
“This is the classic win-win situation,” Beldona said. “We are thrilled to work with our colleagues at Clayton State so that each institution can offer programming covering a more diverse set of academic disciplines, while at the same time addressing workforce and skills-gap needs in each of our communities.”
The Supply Chain Management degree represents the third new undergraduate business program OCU has rolled out this year. The university also introduced an undergraduate degree in Data Analytics and another in Finance, Banking and Real Estate. The new offerings are aimed at better preparing graduates for career opportunities in an evolving professional landscape.
In the Supply Chain Management program, OCU students will study in-person on the OCU campus for the majority of their classes. Their degree will be granted by OCU. Their classes related specifically to supply chain management will be delivered online by faculty at Clayton State, which is located in Morrow, Georgia, just to the south of Atlanta.
CSU’s supply chain program was recognized recently as a national top 10 program by the organization SupplyChainGuide.org, while OCU’s graduate energy program was the first in the nation to receive accreditation from the American Association of Petroleum Landmen.
Clayton State Business Dean Jacob Chacko said his university is “thrilled to partner with OCU to extend the reach of our supply chain program.
“We are also excited about this innovative partnership between two business schools to share resources to provide state of the art programming to students at both institutions.” More information about business programs at OCU is available here. Information about Clayton State’s College of Business can be found here.
