California State University, Channel Islands, officials aren't letting the state budget crisis keep them from expanding. The university will begin offering its first master's degree programs this year.

The two programs, a master's in business administration and a master's in education with an emphasis on principal leadership, are targeted to working professionals.

The MBA program will begin in the fall, while the master's in education could be offered this summer. Classes for both degrees will be held in the evenings year-round, so they can be completed quickly.

The two programs are in such demand in the region, the university is launching them even though there is no state money to support them, President Richard Rush said.

"There's a tremendous need," Rush said. "I hear it all the time, wherever I go."

Both programs will be run by the university's Extended Education Department. Students will foot nearly all of the bill for the programs, since the university won't get any money from the state to help with the costs.

University officials hope to attract 20 to 25 people to each program. Students will start the programs as cohorts, meaning they will take all of their classes together.

The 33-unit MBA program will cost $450 per unit, while the 34-unit master's in education will cost $295 per unit.

The Extended Education department will cover a portion of the master's in education costs because the program is so needed, said Gary Berg, director of the department.

"These two degrees were part of our master plan for the fall, with state money," Berg said. "Due to the state budget constraints, the only way we can do that now is on a self-supporting basis. Because we're a new institution, and the community is really asking us for these programs, we don't want to say no."

Self-supporting programs

CSU campuses around the state, hamstrung by budget cuts the past couple of years, are relying more and more on self-supporting programs to expand their course and degree offerings, Berg said. Many CSU schools offering MBA programs on both a self-supporting and state-supported basis, he said.

CSUCI's MBA program will begin in October. Students will take two 12-week modules at a time, so the program can be completed in about 18 months.

Students who don't have an undergraduate degree in business, or sufficient background in business, will have to take 16 units of prerequisite courses before starting the MBA, said Ashish Vaidya, an economics professor and director of the MBA program. The prerequisite, or foundation, courses are designed to be taken online.

Along with the "meat and potatoes" -- finance, management, ethics and other standard courses of study -- the MBA at CSUCI also will have a strong emphasis on entrepreneurship and the global business experience.

"They are two distinct elements that I think really reflect the community and region," Vaidya said. "We have to address the fact that we're living in a global environment."

The program also is designed for working professionals who already have experience in the business world, he said. Students will use those "real-world" experiences in the classroom, Vaidya said.

The university has formed a business advisory council to advise school officials about the curriculum and the needs of the community. The 13-member committee has representatives from a variety of industries, including banking, real estate development, media and Naval Base Ventura County. Community business leaders might also be asked to serve as guest professors in some classes, Vaidya said.

Accessible to teachers

The master's in education could begin this summer, if there is enough interest, said Joan Karp, a special education professor and chairwoman of the university's education program. Otherwise, the program will begin in the fall.

Classes will be held year-round in the evenings so they will be accessible to all teachers, even those teaching in year-round schools, she said. Students will take three classes in the summer, two each in the fall and spring, and will take two classes and start a research project the following summer.

The program emphasizes principal leadership because there is a need for qualified, well-trained principals around the country, Karp said. Students who complete the program will be eligible for the preliminary administrative services credential, which is required of principals and administrators in California schools.

In the program, students will combine practice and theory, while learning about the job of today's school principals, Karp said. The program also will emphasize collaborative and inclusive methods for working in a diverse community, so the prospective principals are "able to be successful with children and families, no matter what their background," Karp said.

Ventura County Superintendent of Schools Charles Weis has been a strong proponent of CSUCI starting a master's in education in principal leadership. CSU Northridge has offered education master's degrees in Ventura County for years, but is ending the local programs so as not to compete with CSUCI. It's important for CSUCI to continue those programs, so Ventura County continues to have a pool of trained school administrators, he said.

"We've been keeping this in front of them," Weis said of the CSUCI officials. "Because of the cost of housing in Ventura County, we have to grow our own administrators here."

For more information on the programs, call the university's Extended Education Department at 437-2748, or visit http://www.csuci.edu.