April 1, 2011—Students interested in pursuing careers in business, snorkeling or vacationing have a new option in St. Thomas with the new St. Thomas St. Thomas campus. The Opus College of Business announced today that it is opening a new graduate campus in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
“We decided it would be best to capitalize on the demand for Caribbean business education—and the confusion in the marketplace—and open a St. Thomas campus in St. Thomas,” said Chris Puto, Ph.D., dean of the Opus College of Business.
The St. Thomas St. Thomas campus (to be known as the UST South campus) will allow the college to continue to meet the demands of the job market in the Caribbean for highly principled global business leaders.
The campus will be located in downtown Charlotte Amalie, giving students the same access to businesses and opportunity they find at UST’s downtown Minneapolis campus. Though without skyways, students will have to get used to walking outside.
“Winters at UST will never be a problem again,” said Dustin Cornwell, program director for the Full-time UST MBA. “We’re moving all of our admissions staff to the St. Thomas St. Thomas campus as soon as possible.”
The university conducted months of market research and found that many prospective students don’t realize that St. Thomas’ campuses are located in St. Paul and downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, but instead believe the university is located in sunny Charlotte Amalie in the Caribbean. The research, conducted by a team of students in the UST MBA Applied Business Research class, also found that this is a major opportunity for the university.
“The snorkeling, t-shirt and parasailing sectors are constantly evolving and employers in these fields look for candidates with both the credentials and the practical abilities to do the job,” said Corey Eakins, program director for the Evening UST MBA. “UST MBA graduates have been consistently successful in meeting and exceeding employer demands within these sectors.”
The St. Thomas St. Thomas campus is scheduled to open for classes this fall. Applications for the UST MBA programs there are currently being accepted. Courses will include, among others:
- Ethics and Beach Volleyball
- Parasailing Management
- Financial Management for Snorkelers
- Sustainable Tanning
With a vision to educate highly principled global business leaders, the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business offers undergraduate concentrations in 13 fields and master’s degrees in seven programs, including day and evening MBA programs. The school enrolls another 4,300 participants annually in executive education classes.
Learn more about AACSB accreditation and St. Thomas.
