William Paterson University’s MBA Program Enrollment Sees Rapid Growth, Climbs to No. 2 in New Jersey


Faculty from WP's Cotsakos College of Business meet in the Global Business Finance Institute on campus. From left: Robert Laud (management), Fuan Li (marketing), Bahar Ashnai (sales), Alexandros Panayides (finance and economics), Ana Cristina Siqueira (management), and Rahi Abouk (economics).

Flexible scheduling options and innovative degree concentrations have fueled William Paterson University’s MBA enrollment growth by 75 percent in the past four years, making it the second largest MBA program in New Jersey, according to the latest figures from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). William Paterson’s current MBA enrollment of 670 trails only Rutgers-Newark with Montclair State the third highest.

“We have successfully grown our MBA program very rapidly with momentum that is attracting great attention from prospective students,” says Joshua Powers, William Paterson University provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “In recent years, we have successfully implemented programs that enable MBA students to fit robust graduate education into their busy and complex lives.”

William Paterson’s Cotsakos College of Business offers both online and on-campus MBA programs—taught by the same University faculty—with multiple start times available and accelerated, seven-week sessions designed with working professionals in mind.

Enrollment via the University’s online programs, known as WP Online, has grown rapidly in the past four years.  A recent survey of similar online programs, including William Paterson’s, indicated that graduates averaged salary increases of nearly $14,000 in their first year after earning their new graduate degrees, allowing them to cover the cost of their education in just over one year.

“Today’s students are mostly working adults, and they are coming to us to advance or change their careers knowing that we will support their ability to balance graduate studies, career, and family commitments,” adds Anthony “Tony” Bowrin, dean of William Paterson’s Cotsakos College of Business.

Students choose from a general MBA degree or a concentration in accounting, applied business analytics, entrepreneurship, finance, healthcare economics and management, human resource management, marketing, or sales strategy.

The Cotsakos College of Business is accredited by AACSB, the gold standard for business school accreditation.

12/12/24