By Sara Hinds
The saying ‘if you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together,’ needs a third option. Because students in Doane’s new daytime Master of Business Administration (MBA) program will go fast and go together.
Students in a traditional MBA program, which Doane will continue to offer, graduate in an average of one to two years. Students in the daytime MBA program, which starts in August 2026, will graduate within 11 months.
The new program is largely the brainchild of Daniel Bothe, who started at Doane in 2024 as Dean of the College of Business.
The two programs cater to two different groups of students. The professional program is meant for working professionals who are looking to use an MBA to pivot in their career or gain a promotion. The daytime program is ideal for recent graduates (less than three years removed from their bachelor’s degree) who want to gain skills and connections that will differentiate them among peers.
“They're going to probably have a better chance of getting hired, and then once they're in, their career trajectory will be faster,” Bothe said of daytime MBA students.
In designing the daytime program, Bothe looked at the unique needs of recent graduates.
While the traditional MBA offers two electives, so students can individualize their education based on interests, the daytime MBA will expose students to real business scenarios and people.
A field experience will involve a group of three to five students working with a C-level executive at a local business or nonprofit to solve a real organizational problem. Daytime students will also meet with an assigned mentor who are local industry professionals.
One thing that won’t change between the programs is the emphasis on theory and application. Professors aren’t purely professors, but current or former business leaders. And the content students learn is immediately applicable in the workplace, whether that’s at work the next day, or in a year when they land their first job.
