Native American Hospitality Leadership Program

Overview
The purpose of the Native American Leadership Program is to provide advanced business and leadership education to individuals who serve Native American communities. The particular focus is on Communities that are involved in hospitality industries (hotels, restaurants, tourism, gaming, etc.). The program provides admission to the HospitalityFocused MBA program offered by The W.A. Franke College of Business (FCB) at Northern Arizona University. This is a two-year, executive-style, limited residency program that accommodates the needs of working adults.

Program Description
The Hospitality-Focused MBA in Applied Management (HMBA) follows the same curriculum as FCBs full-time MBA, which is offered on our Flagstaff campus. The MBA is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) (aacsb.edu/). The HMBA is designed so that students can complete the program while maintaining full-time employment. The program is built around a series of short, oncampus residencies (typically three or four days). The HMBA is a cohort program, which means that all students start together and remain as a group for the duration of the program. The program is completed over two years, and consists of 45 credit hours of graduate coursework. Courses use the context of the hospitality industry to help students learn key business concepts and skills. Although the program is focused on the hospitality industry, the learning is applicable to other industries. The HMBA uses a collaborative, project-based learning approach. This highly-effective approach involves considerable teamwork, built around projects and case studies. Many students will find that they can apply what they learn almost immediately to their current jobs. The basic approach for a course involves pre-work (readings, videos, etc.) that is completed before the relevant residency. During the first residency, students interact with each other and faculty to reinforce and apply material covered in the pre-work. Students are given projects that apply key concepts. Following the first residency, students work on their projects and engage in other learning activities online. Faculty is available for consultation during this period. During the second residency, students present their projects and receive feedback from faculty and industry professionals. Most courses are taught by teams consisting of traditional and industry experts. Residencies are held either at NAUs Flagstaff Mountain Campus or Phoenix North Valley campus, depending on the time of the year.

Costs and Funding

The total cost of the program is $51,000, which includes tuition, fees and course materials (such as books and case studies). While breakfast and lunch are provided during the residencies, lodging and travel costs are NOT included in the program fee and are the responsibility of the student. Payment is spread over the two years of the program. Students accepted into the Native American Leadership Program receive $25,000 in scholarship funding, which is applied on a prorated basis. Satisfactory progress is required to maintain funding. Although not required, we expect employers or Communities to provide students with the remainder of the funding required to complete the program. For more information see: franke.nau.edu/graduateprograms/. (Individual programs are listed on the left-hand side of the page.)

Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for funding through this program, the applicant must meet all regular admissions requirements for the Hospitality-Focused MBA. Note: Anyone with an interest in serving Native American Communities may apply for funding through this program, regardless of their race, or ethnicity. The program is NOT limited to enrolled members of Native American Communities.

Admissions Requirements
Students must meet the admissions requirements of the program. A Bachelors degree is required, but it does NOT have to be a business-related degree. The GMAT or GRE is required, but a waiver may be requested for those with significant work experience.

Application Process
In addition to the regular admissions materials, applicants for the Native American Leadership Program must submit the following to fcb-gradprog@nau.edu. (Please include Native American Leadership Program application in the subject line of your email.) One to two page statement of how the applicant will serve one or more Native American Communities, and how the HMBA will help you provide that service. Current resume or curriculum vitae Letter of support from a Native American Community enterprise or governmental official.

Please direct questions to our Graduate Programs Office at 928-523-7942 or fcb-gradprog@nau.edu.