Graduate E-Business Program Design and Evaluation.

There has been a surging demand for graduates with e-business skills. Some schools have taken the lead and pioneered the development of e-business programs and curriculum. However, they have not had the benefit of a body of knowledge and history collected from other programs to help in the design. This paper describes the efforts of a state university in the Midwest United States that went through this process. The process included the consideration of major issues such as market identification, degree to be offered, program and course content, and program length. The evolution of the program based on changes recommended by a focus group of e-business executives and student feedback is discussed. The paper also presents the results of a fairly extensive survey of existing e-business programs. The immediate and long-term implications of such programs vis-a-vis content, resources and industry requirements are also discussed.