“Interdisciplinarity, collaboration, hybrid learning, partnerships, and a high-performance culture are foundations of the MaineMBA and are key to our success to date”, says Norm O’Reilly, Dean of UMaine’s Graduate School of Business, which draws its faculty from the business schools of both the University of Southern Maine and the University of Maine.
“As part of the Maine Graduate and Professional Center (the Maine Center), a distinctive consortium of high-quality academic programs, including Maine Law, USM’s Muskie School of Public Service, and the new Maine College of Engineering and Computing, we are able to offer our students specialized options tailored to their career aspirations.”
The Harold Alfond Foundation continues to advance the success of the MaineMBA program through its generous support of the Maine Center, a signature initiative of its historic $240M investment in the University of Maine System. Located in the heart of Portland’s Old Port, at 300 Fore Street, the Maine Center prepares future leaders with the skills to solve the most pressing global and local challenges and to strengthen Maine’s economy. The Graduate School of Business is leading the way by developing cross-disciplinary, experiential, and market-driven programs answering the needs of Maine’s civic, non-profit, and business communities.
Thirteen unique concentrations provide students with the ability to think across disciplines and the skills to apply multiple perspectives to solve the complex problems facing businesses today. These concentrations align with employment sectors key to Maine’s economy and include business analytics, accounting, engineering management, the blue economy, outdoor industry management, nonprofit management, and healthcare systems management.
“These interdisciplinary concentrations draw expertise from across the University of Maine System,” says Jason Harkins, Executive Dean of the Maine Business School. “Faculty from other UMaine programs such as engineering and global policy, as well as from Maine Law and USM’s Muskie School of Public Service, allow students to focus on topics of interest to their career goals.”
In 2023, the MaineMBA online program earned national recognition by U.S. News & World Report (#51) and Fortune (#26) as well as global accolades by CEO Magazine (#31), each marking an improvement from the 2022 rankings. “While most of our MBA students choose our flexible online degree program, having a brick-and-mortar home base in Portland is important for industry collaboration, our partnerships and access to Maine’s largest city,” says Dean O’Reilly.
This May, the UMaine Graduate School of Business welcomed 22 students to Portland as the first MaineMBA Academy cohort. Students across the country ended their capstone course with a week of in-person learning and networking in southern Maine. The students met with business leaders, presenting real-world business solutions to L.L.Bean, NASA, and New England Ocean Cluster executives.
Enrollments are strong with continued growth projected. Today, there are 432 active MBA students, mostly talented working professionals, from all across the country and around the world in the MaineMBA.
With growing enrollments, a distinctive interdisciplinary curriculum, and rising online MBA rankings, the Graduate School of Business is making its mark in Portland, across the state and beyond
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