Muhlenberg’s new graduate programs target employers’ needs

Muhlenberg College in Allentown is offering two new graduate programs this fall with a goal to build knowledge in skills that are increasingly in demand by employers.

These skills include how to use data to make effective decisions and how to think holistically as a leader. The two new graduate programs in applied analytics and organizational leadership aim to fill a void that college officials say is lacking in some traditional MBA programs.

In addition, the college changed the name of its Wescoe School of Continuing Education to the Muhlenberg College School of Continuing Studies, to provide better clarity to the school’s function in the community, said A.J. Lemheney, vice president and executive director of Muhlenberg’s Division of Graduate and Continuing Education.

Furthermore, Uppinder Mehan, the dean of graduate studies, will lead the newly established Muhlenberg College School of Graduate Studies.

Muhlenberg decided to offer these graduate programs in response to employer feedback, but it was also a decision driven by the college’s goal to expand its adult education offerings.

“It was certainly part of the college’s strategic plan established in 2016 to expand upon the school’s already established work in adult education,” Lemheney said.

The move allows the college to encompass graduate studies and identify with the mission of the college better, he added.

The programs add courses in topics that employers see as major issues, such as the impact of technology and automation on the workplace and how it changes the nature of work, as well as the importance of cultural diversity and thinking globally.

As the nature of work evolves, employers need people who can adapt and reinvent themselves, Lemheney said. To that end, the college targeted these programs at people who are at the mid-career level or might be considering a new path.

“We are looking at reaching the mid-career constituency as well as those switching careers,” Lemheney said.

The graduate programs reflect the college’s focus on a liberal arts education while providing mixed offerings, said Mehan.

“We are looking for the balance between what the marketplace is demanding and also what we as an institution value as liberal arts educators,” Mehan said.

Each program has 12 courses and each course is in a blended format, offering a mix of in-person and online classes. Each course is eight weeks, with two courses offered in the fall, spring and summer, Mehan said.

“When we reached out to people who represent our workforce, we asked them, ‘what is it you are really looking for?’” Lemheney said.

Mehan said one of the things they would hear back from people is that often, students who received MBA degrees were not really prepared for senior leadership positions.

By focusing on key employer concerns of globalization, data intensive decision-making and technology and automation, Lemheney said the college designed these programs to fit their needs based on research.

Over the past three years, the college saw employer demand go up 91% for the organizational leadership program and 111% for the applied analytics program. The college looked at the number of job postings over those years from some of the companies showing interest. These firms included Air Products, Lehigh Valley Health Network, Johnson & Johnson, and Vanguard.

“For applied analytics, there were local companies that expressed demand in that very high range,” Lemheney said.

The college also analyzed job postings in these fields.

Overall, Lemheney said he is seeing a shift in the workforce where technical skills are in demand but creativity is also highly valued.

“We want to absolutely be sure they have technical knowledge, but frame it in a liberal arts school,” Lemheney said.