UMPI Master of Science in Business

[Jonathan Whatley]

[Update in July 2025: The Master of Science in Business landing page is now up, describing the first three concentrations noted below and accepting applications for courses starting in Fall 2025.]

The University of Maine at Presque Isle's proposal to add a Master of Science in Business (MSB) program by the YourPace competency-based education modailty is advancing through the University of Maine System. The proposal was approved by the Academic & Student Affairs Committee of the UMS Board of Trustees on December 16. The next step will be approval by the full UMS Board of Trustees on January 12-13. [Update: That approval was granted.]

A UMPI press release states these first three concentrations "are expected to be offered when MSB classes start in Fall 2025, and the remaining concentrations will roll out in future sessions:"

• Communication [name was changed at launch from the name during planning, Communication Management]
  
• Entrepreneurship
  
• Human Resource Management
  

In the December meeting, President Rice stated the remaining concentrations are expected to become available in the next 18 months after that:

• Business Intelligence
  
• Finance
  
• Supply Chain Management
  
• Corporate Social Responsibility
  
• Global Business Management
  
• Healthcare Management
  
• Project Management
  

[Edit: In a later meeting, one other future concentration was discussed:

• Artificial Intelligence Policy and Strategy (it seems likely the Master of Artificial Intelligence Management proposed separately earlier has been repositioned into an MSB concentration)]
  

All students would complete core courses in:

• Managerial Accounting and Finance
  
• Strategic Leadership
  
• Business Analytics and Decision Support Systems
  
• Sustainability, Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility
  
• Change Management and Organizational Adaptation 
  

The teaching staff will include existing faculty at UMPI and the University of Maine at Fort Kent, including two new full-time faculty at UMPI, one hired already, one hiring upcoming.

The proposal is available on pages 5 to 48 of the pdf pagination in this set of documents prepared for the December 16 meeting. Note that since preparation of that plan, the anticipated launch of the MSB was pushed to Fall 2025, not Spring 2025. The meeting is available on YouTube: the section discussing the MSB runs from 12:07 to 49:46 here.