The new cutting-edge concentrations and minors are designed to enhance student marketability in high-demand fields. Programming areas including:

• AI Literacy
• Game Development
• Nutrition
• Project Management
• Supply Chain Management

黑料专区 is also expanding its MBA program offerings to include specializations in Cybersecurity, Business Analytics, Finance, and Artificial Intelligence.

These programs are designed to meet industry needs and ensure students graduate with practical, job-ready skills that position them for long-term success in today鈥檚 competitive job market. With a focus on career preparation, courses will feature hands-on projects, industry collaboration, and flexible online components to support all student journeys.

鈥淲e are proud to expand 黑料专区鈥檚 academic offerings with these forward-thinking programs that directly align with high-growth industries,鈥� said Dr. Scott Bullard, President of 黑料专区. 鈥淭hese new, in-demand additions to our curriculum will prepare students for strong career outcomes, blended with our traditional offerings in the liberal arts, will ensure students have a competitive edge after graduation.鈥�

Developed by academic and industry experts, these new programs at 黑料专区 combine rigorous academic coursework with practical, real-world applications, ensuring that students are well-prepared to lead in their respective fields.

Prospective students interested in learning more about these hybrid programs are encouraged to visit Pfeiffer.edu/future or contact the admissions office.

About Rize Education Rize Education partners with colleges and universities to develop career-focused programs designed to meet industry demands. By working with leading institutions, Rize ensures students gain access to cutting-edge education that enhances their career prospects.

鈥淲e are excited to have ROTC students in our nursing program.  ROTC offers expansive career opportunities, and we are proud to be able to educate future military nurses. Nurses have, throughout history, valiantly served in the military in both times of peace and of war caring for soldiers and their families.  This agreement allows us to provide this opportunity to a growing number of students aspiring to serve their country as nurses,鈥� said Martha Bramlett, 黑料专区 Nursing Department Chair.

Students entering the program must meet GPA, pre-requisite, and admissions requirements for the nursing program. The Department of Nursing will grant elective credit to Army ROTC Nurse Cadets who have successfully completed the Nurse Summer Training Program (NSTP). NSTP is a 28-day ROTC clinical immersion experience designed to provide Army ROTC Nurse Cadets with hospital clinical experience while introducing them to the duties and expectations of an Army Nurse Corps Officer.

Pfeiffer鈥檚 nursing graduates in the Class of 2023 have a 100% first-time pass-rate on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), the nationwide examination for the licensing for registered nurses. The University has consistently placed among the best North Carolina BSN programs according to this measure. 鈥淧feiffer鈥檚 pass rate results are a credit to the hard work of our students, and to a dedicated faculty that supports them in ways that extend much deeper than quality lab and classroom experiences.鈥� Bramlett said.

Case in point is his service since 2018 as Director of the , a skilled nursing facility of Cone Health in Reidsville, N.C. that offers its patients everything from IV medications to rehabilitative services. In addition to supervising 100 employees, he has successfully exceeded budgeted revenue by $500k and achieved a net operating margin of 2 percent that made the center profitable.

Despite these and many similar accomplishments, Cooper felt he鈥檇 hit something of a 鈥済lass ceiling.鈥� Fortunately, he鈥檚 about to earn a Master of Health Administration (MHA) degree from 黑料专区. It鈥檚 a credential that 鈥渙pens additional opportunities for me to explore from a career standpoint,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 can now propel my career forward. I gain additional responsibilities and earning power. I鈥檝e removed any limitations on how far I can rise.鈥�

Of course, Pfeiffer isn鈥檛 the only university offering an MHA program that can help someone climb the ranks of healthcare administration. But Cooper made a strong case for colleagues with similar aspirations to consider enrolling in it.

When he decided to go with Pfeiffer鈥檚 MHA program, he did so with the understanding that he鈥檇 receive in-person instruction. COVID-19 put an end to that plan, forcing all classwork online. Cooper was apprehensive: He had last attended college 20-plus years earlier and wasn鈥檛 sure he would thrive in an online environment.

Fortunately, Dr. Jamal Nahavandi, an Associate Professor of Economics who serves as a principal instructor in Pfeiffer鈥檚 MHA program, always made himself available via Zoom meetings to answer the questions of students who had not fully grasped concepts that were initially introduced on Blackboard or in video lectures.

鈥淚 was reassured that I had made the best decision for me,鈥� Cooper said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not sure that would have been the case if I had attended another institution of higher learning.鈥�

Another aspect of Pfeiffer鈥檚 MHA program that Cooper found appealing was its tendency to encourage students to research topics that were 鈥渘ear and dear鈥� to them. Cooper鈥檚 research projects proved to be particularly relevant to his work experiences: One aimed to account for the many things that needed to be accomplished in order to transform an existing Novant Health-owned building into a facility that could meet the rehabilitative needs of elderly patients. Another research project explored the effects of COVID-19 on long-term care, enabling Cooper to gain a sounder understanding of the pandemic鈥檚 effects on crucial factors such as staffing and patient morbidity rates.

Cooper is an advocate of Pfeiffer鈥檚 MHA program for two additional reasons. First, instructors and guest experts 鈥渉ave hands-on knowledge of real-world issues that are vitally important to healthcare managers,鈥� from ways to drive revenue and decrease expenditures to the ramifications of emerging artificial intelligence.

鈥淚t鈥檚 rewarding to know that you had resources as a student that will help you navigate certain issues when they arise in your career path,鈥� Cooper said.

Second, he feels the program upholds the values of servant leadership that he (and Pfeiffer) hold dear. He applauded Dr. Elisa Melvin, Professor of Health Administration, for having 鈥渢apped into the hows and whys of what we wanted to be in healthcare and ways to serve in healthcare.鈥� For Cooper, her message reinforced the importance of servant leadership in his life and career: 鈥淎s a servant leader, you lead by example and serve all others, selflessly. Because of Pfeiffer, I feel even more strongly a call to serve my community, to help people have a better quality of life, better health outcomes, and increased life expectancy.鈥�

鈥淭he Graduate School of Business here at Pfeiffer showed the students that ecosystem through our eyes,鈥� said Dr. Susan Luck, the Program Director of the Graduate School of Business at Pfeiffer. 鈥淲e wanted them to understand the unique people and cultures that comprise business in the Greater Charlotte region.鈥�

BMI, which serves mainly European Union-based students, is headquartered in Vilnius, Lithuania, with a satellite campus in Brussels, Belgium. It鈥檚 one of the leading providers of executive MBA programs in Europe; their students are all upper-level or C-suite executives.

Dr. Christopher Boe, Dean of Pfeiffer鈥檚 Graduate School, said that Charlotte has grown into a city offering examples of 鈥渢ransformative development鈥� in banking, sport management, international business, and philanthropy. 鈥淧feiffer partners in all of these sectors helped welcome the BMI Executive Institute students to the Queen City and provided experiences to augment the learning they have been doing in their executive MBA program,鈥� he said.

Roger L. Dick, a Pfeiffer Trustee who is President and CEO of Uwharrie Capital Corporation, reinforced another intent of the conference in his keynote speech, which he delivered Sept. 11 at the Speedway Club in Charlotte. This was to explore 鈥淰irtuous Capitalism鈥� — the notion that business 鈥渃annot just be about money and profit; it must be about people and serving the public needs.鈥� To that end, Pfeiffer engaged Gretchen Carson from the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance to talk about how the area has grown and its many constituents.

Liz Babson 鈥�11 MBA, Assistant City Manager of Charlotte, described how the Queen City鈥檚 transportation decisions differed from those in Europe. For example, bicycle lanes to combat climate change are far more frequently prioritized in Europe; in Charlotte, by contrast, providing sidewalks and traffic signals takes precedence for citizens whose only access to grocery stores is on foot. 

A panel helped the BMI students understand the role of corporate philanthropy in the Charlotte region. Guests were Jerri Haigler, the Philanthropy Officer at the ; Denise G. Cubbedge, the CEO of ; and Autumn Keck, who owns , which provides grantwriting services for nonprofits. 

Pfeiffer professors led workshops on topics such as business agility (Luck) and global leadership (Dr. Jimmy Atkins, an Associate Professor of Organizational Development at Pfeiffer).

To understand why business works the way it does in Charlotte, Pfeiffer wanted BMI students to be immersed in the Greater Charlotte community. So, the conference offered the students numerous tours of businesses, providing them with what Boe called 鈥渁n opportunity to compare their business practices and norms to those of the organizations in the United States.鈥�

Boe said the tours showcased companies that 鈥渂oth do great work and good for the communities in which they are situated.鈥� These included , , , , and in Charlotte; the (S.C.); and in neighboring Stanly County.

Atkins led the BMI students on a visit to TIAA. During their time at the company, they met with senior leaders and executives from TIAA to discuss how the company is advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion across their enterprise. This included learning about TIAA鈥檚 early talent program, which seeks to attract diverse talent from underrepresented groups by partnering with HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions.

Stephanie Hinrichs 鈥�05 MBA arranged the Grant Thornton site visit, which took place at Grant Thornton鈥檚 new office space in Charlotte鈥檚 Upper South End. With views overlooking Bank of America Stadium and most of uptown, this office space uses a hotelier approach, designed for a post pandemic hybrid work experience.

Mike Burgess, Grant Thornton鈥榮 Managing Director of the Charlotte office, spoke to the students about the changing needs of business in a post pandemic world. Sharon Whittle, Grant Thornton鈥檚 Vice President for Human Capital, stressed the need for hard business skills in young college graduates in nearly every field; even those in healthcare and nursing, she stated, need a sound background in accounting and finance. This statement was reinforced by Grant Thornton鈥榮 Managing Advisor of Transportation and Supply Chain, Hayden Little, who stated that while the number of accounting majors has declined dramatically in the past 10 years, the need for them has more than quadrupled.

Charlotte Pipe and Foundry鈥檚 Cast Iron Division was a favorite site for the BMI students as they got to don hardhats and orange vests and experience what working in the factory was like. Charlotte Pipe鈥檚 Senior Vice President Mike Hall took them through all phases of production, giving them insight into labor practices in the United States.

The visit to Culp Lumber also made quite a favorable impression on the BMI students. Culp鈥檚 culture of multi generations working for the company was something many of the Europeans noted did not happen in their countries. They were also quite impressed with the company鈥檚 technology. One BMI student, who works in the European lumber industry, stated he had been in the top factories in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, but Culp Lumber had the finest machinery and the best efficiency he had ever seen.

Nicole Baird 鈥�03, SCOR鈥檚 VP of Human Resources, and Natasha Ashe-Suber, a member of Pfeiffer鈥檚 Board of Trustees and the VP, Head of Global Marketing, Life & Health at SCOR, organized the conference鈥檚 SCOR visit.

J.C. Brueckner, the CEO & President – Americas at SCOR Global Life, talked about his evolution as a servant-leader, and SCOR executives led the students through an overview of the re-insurance industry. SCOR, which is headquartered in Paris, France, offers its clients a diversified and innovative range of reinsurance and insurance solutions and services to control and manage risk.

The SCOR executives revealed ways in which they are applying current scholarship on leading teams to enhance morale. For example, Al Mele, SVP, Global Agile Coach at SCOR, introduced on the importance of feeling 鈥減sychologically safe鈥� at work. Edmondson, the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School, proposes that individuals who feel free to share a dissenting opinion, or to even share a personal challenge that they are experiencing in other areas of their lives, are more productive team members at work. For her, 鈥減sychological safety鈥� is the number one predictor of a productive team. 

Dr. Scott Bullard, Pfeiffer鈥檚 President, visited SCOR along with the BMI students. He described the experience as a great opportunity for the students, many of whom are working at major corporations while completing their MBAs.

鈥淚 am personally grateful to SCOR executives and all of the conference presenters for taking the time to be transparent, discussing with us the ways in which they have evolved as individuals and as a team, and giving us concrete examples of the practices of top-flight teams,鈥� he said.

Luck said that hosting global conferences has a lot of value for Pfeiffer.

鈥淭hey help establish our Master of Business Administration program as the one of choice in the international business community of Charlotte,鈥� she said.