Bible school gets down to business with MBA.

• Position: Triad

The state's newest MBA program will teach students how to balance two sets of books--one financial, the other scriptural. Not that the practice would be condoned at Laurel University, a Bible school in High Point that until January went by the name John Wesley College, but its administrators say the $15,000 total cost will be a steal for students, particularly when compared with $100,000 and up for similar degrees at some universities. On the other hand, a degree from a startup program at a little-known school that recently rebranded itself can't match the cachet of an MBA from Duke, whose graduates started at a median annual salary of about $100,000 in 2009.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Laurel's online program was patterned after those at larger MBA schools, President Larry McCullough says, and content will be similar, with three concentrations--management, human resources and nonprofit leadership. "We expect some to use the degree in a ministry setting, but the vast majority will probably move into corporate settings in managerial positions." Sixteen students enrolled in the charter class, and 40 to 50 more will be added by May. The 25-acre campus has more than 150 resident students, which McCullough expects to grow to 200 or more this year.

The MBA program last spring became the first at a Bible college to be licensed by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors, which credentials private colleges--the school website says it's the first traditional Bible college in the U.S. to offer an approved...