Baker University is finding a new way to attract students.

It is launching its Early Career MBA program, a 15-month graduate program designed for recent undergraduates.

“We were looking for options for growth…and our conclusion was that we don’t really need another (generic) MBA program,” Kevin McCarthy, professor of business and economics, said. “What we identified as a possibility was an MBA program that was targeted and designed specifically for people without much experience.”

The 15 months are divided into a summer intensive “boot camp” followed by six modules. Each module concentrates on a different area of business, such as social and psychological development in module two and a management residency in module three.

Some of the highlights of the program include a service project, career planning and management, business residencies and a trip to China, where students will explore international businesses.

“(The students must be) really committed to doing this,” McCarthy said. “They’re not doing some sport (or extracurricular activities). This is what they’re doing. This is their life. The idea is that the intensity here is real.”

McCarthy said there are about a half dozen similar programs across the country experimenting with the accelerated, intense type of education.

Anderson University in Indiana is calling its program a Residential MBA. It can be completed in 10 months, admits 19 students and also includes a global business experience and a professional placement or residency.

Another similar program is at the University of the Pacific Eberhardt School of Business in California. The university’s website explains the program “has a global orientation and is designed around an intensive course consisting of applied business foundation modules and advanced integrated required and elective courses in management studies.”

McCarthy says he hopes there will be around 15 students in the program, and although right now the program is scheduled to start in June, it will depend on if enough students are enrolled in the program.

To help draw interest, informational meetings have been held for students to not only get details, but to ask questions about the different learning experience.

Senior Drew Clement, a business major, has attended informational meetings for the program and finds the intensity and fast track appealing.

“It is definitely a very interesting program,” Clement said. “It could be very intriguing for a Baker student, obviously, and other smaller university students across the country.”

The early application deadline is March 1, however there is not yet a cut off date for applicants.