The California Lutheran University School of Management this fall will launch a new MBA program tailored to experienced professionals.

The MBA for Experienced Professionals program is designed for people with at least five years of progressive managerial or professional experience. With a focus on leadership, it will prepare students for top positions in public and private organizations. Small class sizes, skills workshops, and personalized assessments and coaching sessions will help students identify and achieve their next big goals.

The 18-month program will be delivered in a hybrid format with seven courses offered online and eight classes taught in person on the Thousand Oaks campus. Each on-campus course will be presented in a compressed format over two weekends. Classes will be offered year-round in terms lasting eight weeks each.

Students will advance through the program in a cohort as they work toward a master’s degree in business administration. This will allow them to connect and collaborate with, as well as learn from, other professionals with diverse backgrounds.

The interdisciplinary, experience-driven curriculum is organized around five key areas: leading operations, managing processes, leading people, leading strategy, and professional and personal development.

Cal Lutheran will continue to offer its traditional MBA with a newly revised curriculum for students with limited work experience as well as an online MBA, an MBA in financial planning, and an MBA in Europe.

The first cohort of the new MBA program will begin classes Oct. 17. The deadline for applications is Aug. 1. New cohorts will begin each October.

Vlad Vaiman, associate dean of the School of Management, is the MBA program director.

The university launched its first MBA program in the early 1970s. Cal Lutheran has awarded more than 4,000 graduate business degrees as the School of Management has made its mark on the region through education, research and outreach.

For more information, call 805-493-3325.