MSOE receives federal funding to offer a “Mini-MBA”

Milwaukee School of Engineering’s Center for Professional Education (CPE) is launching a professional certificate in September that is designed to equip working professionals with fundamental business knowledge and skillsets.

The new Professional Certificate in Business Essentials­—referred to as the Mini-MBA—is a short-term, noncredit microcredential program that prepares individuals through targeted, skills-focused learning modules. It covers core business domains such as marketing, supervisory management, finance, budgeting, business operations, leadership and strategic management.

The Mini-MBA also incorporates input from industry partners to ensure skills are transferable across sectors and will address defined competency gaps within the regional workforce by offering flexible, accessible and industry-relevant learning experiences.

“Thanks to a grant from the Higher Education Regional Alliance, we were able to develop this program which delivers practical business skills and meets the real needs of today’s workforce,” said Dr. George Kroeninger, Executive Director of the MSOE CPE. “The Mini-MBA is a direct response to what our industry partners are telling us—they need people who can lead, think strategically, and adapt quickly. We’re proud to help close that gap.”

The program, which is backed by the Higher Education Regional Alliance (HERA), is tailored to individuals looking for career transitions as well as working professionals interested in upskilling and reskilling. It also provides an on-ramp to higher level credentials at MSOE, such as graduate certificate and degree programs, including MSOE’s Master of Business Administration.

The grant provides funding to develop the program and to offer all program participants a 50% reduction in cost during the pilot as well as financial need-based scholarships.

“HERA is proud to support its member institutions as they develop new microcredential offerings to help employees throughout our region build the skills they need to thrive in high-demand careers,” said HERA Program Director Vicki Turner. “MSOE’s new ‘Mini-MBA’ is an outstanding example of what is possible when HERA institutions leverage their expertise in new ways to serve a wider audience. This is another example of how HERA and its member institutions are adapting to benefit our region’s employers.”

More information is available at msoe.edu/mini-mba.

Funding is provided by U.S. Department of Education: Award P116Z24014917.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.