New graduate degree champions career advancement and economic growth for Maine and beyond through its flexible and affordable delivery model
With a focus on meeting state workforce needs and providing working adults with a direct, affordable, and entirely online pathway to a postgraduate degree and subsequent career advancement, the University of Maine at Presque Isle is establishing a Master of Science in Business (MSB) degree program. As UMPI’s second-ever master’s degree, the high-demand program includes 10 associated concentrations and serves as the newest addition to UMPI’s YourPace offerings.
The graduate program is slated to begin in September 2025 during the Fall 1 YourPace session; applications will be accepted starting in July. YourPace is an online competency-based education (CBE) platform that, through its asynchronous delivery model, allows students to progress through the program at their own speed while balancing their studies with work and family commitments.
“We have identified a growing need, both from adult learners and organizations seeking strong leaders, for business degrees that are high quality while prioritizing flexibility and affordability. With the success of our Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership degree, establishing our Master of Science in Business degree was a natural next step in meeting workforce needs,” UMPI President Ray Rice said. “These programs, along with the wide array of offerings within our YourPace modality, are allowing adults from Maine and throughout the world to complete their degrees quickly, so they can open doors to exciting new opportunities in their careers.”
The average starting salary for master’s degree graduates in business management and marketing is about $90,000 (for the Class of 2022), according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Students who complete the program in a year will pay less than a third of the cost of the average MSB program. Depending on their salary before earning an UMPI MSB, they potentially could pay for about half of the total program cost through immediate salary increases.
UMPI’s new MSB degree aims to develop both general management and leadership skills, bearing in mind the growing complexity of global business environments. The program, which received final approval by the University of Maine System Board of Trustees this week, emphasizes strategic business acumen, effective leadership, data-driven decision-making, and ethical practices, preparing graduates for advanced roles in various business domains. All students in the MSB program will complete a core curriculum that covers essential business disciplines, including: strategic management, financial analysis, marketing strategies, organizational behavior, operations management, and business ethics.
“The Master of Science in Business program at the University of Maine at Presque Isle reflects their deep commitment to fostering business leaders equipped for the challenges of tomorrow,” Bryan Thompson, Owner of Thompson Financial Group and UMPI Business Program Advisory Council member, said. “By collaborating with local and regional businesses, they’ve designed a program that not only addresses the current needs of the workforce but also anticipates the demands of future industries. With its customizable structure and specialized concentrations, this degree empowers students to tailor their education to their unique aspirations, ensuring they graduate ready to lead and innovate in a rapidly evolving business landscape.”
In addition to the core curriculum, students will be able to choose from 10 concentrations to gain targeted expertise: Business Intelligence, Finance, Supply Chain Management, Communication Management, Entrepreneurship, Corporate Social Responsibility, Global Business Management, Healthcare Management, Human Resource Management, and Project Management. Each concentration is designed to address specific industry needs, providing in-depth knowledge and practical skills that are directly applicable to the respective fields. Three concentrations—Communication Management, Entrepreneurship, and Human Resource Management—are expected to be offered when MSB classes start in Fall 2025, and the remaining concentrations will roll out in future sessions.
“We believe that UMPI’s MSB program will ensure that graduates are equipped to meet challenges, think flexibly and innovatively, and thrive in today’s business world,” UMPI Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Alana Margeson said. “This program underscores our university’s commitment to delivering flexible, high-quality education that meets the needs of both students and employers, ensuring graduates are prepared to make an immediate impact in their fields.”
UMPI YourPace programs provide a pathway that allows adult learners to earn their college degree 100% online, in as few as 12 months, for about $10,000 (undergraduate) and $14,000 (graduate). UMPI is the first public university in New England to offer accredited degrees through CBE. Unlike traditional degree plans, YourPace allows students to leverage prior work experience and college credit to quickly advance through what they already know, so they can concentrate on what they still need to learn.
UMPI’s YourPace programming, established in Fall 2017, is student-centered, offering built-in flexibility with no weekly course deadlines and a flat tuition rate of $2,350 per session for graduate degrees and $1,700 per session for undergraduate degrees regardless of course completion, as well as no hidden fees or textbook costs. There are six eight-week sessions per year. Each student works with a Success Coach to help them achieve their educational goals. All YourPace programs are financial aid eligible. For undergraduate YourPace offerings, participants must have the equivalent of a high school diploma; for graduate offerings, participants must have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution and a maximum of six graduate credits may be transferred in.
The University of Maine at Presque Isle is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). UMPI is also a member institution in the national Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN).
For more information about the Master of Science in Business degree, or any of UMPI’s YourPace degree programs, contact the YourPace Admissions team at umpi-yourpace@maine.edu or (207) 768-9433, or visit umpi.edu/yourpace/.