The Eller Effect

Revolutionizing Graduate Business Education through Innovation & Technology

By Dave Perry

Artificial Intelligence is “the talk of the town,” according to The University of Arizona Eller College of Management Dean and Halle Chair in Leadership Karthik Kannan.

In fact, AI has been the talk of Tucson for 36 years, dating back to the founding of Eller’s Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in 1989 by U of A Regents’ Professor of MIS Hsinchun Chen. The visionary endeavor was the world’s first AI lab or center within a business school, and Eller remains at the forefront of AI business education with the recently launched Online Master of Science in AI for Business — one of four new Eller master’s degrees enrolling students for fall 2025.

“Eller is reinforcing its position as a leader in innovative business education,” Kannan said. “It is our ongoing mission to provide real-world education and present high-level opportunities for our students. We’re set up right for impacting society.”

Each of the four new programs —the Master of Science in AI for Business; the streamlined One-Year MBA; the Online Master of Science in Economics; and Online Master of Science in Marketing—offers immersive learning experiences with the U of A’s world-class faculty along with cutting-edge information, technology and research from the college rooted in more than a century of tradition. 

Graduate students, who can access one-on-one guidance and career management resources from Eller’s Graduate Professional Development Center and real-world industry experiences through Eller’s Partnerships Office, have six-figure earning potential. They also forge connections with a network of more than 300,000 alumni across 150 countries.

To accommodate busy people who need to keep earning while learning, three of the programs are 100% online and asynchronous, giving students flexible, high-quality options to attain their master’s degrees. 

“People don’t want to take time off from their careers and spend the number of hours they’re spending in the classroom,” Kannan said. “This is a way to get access to that degree without giving up that income stream or time with their kids, and to better their lives for the future.” 

A Strategy for Success: 

Meeting Students Where They Are

Eller is intentionally meeting students where they are, according to Patricia Prelock, provost and chief academic officer at the U of A.

“The expansion of Eller’s graduate portfolio exemplifies how the University of Arizona is reimagining professional education for the digital age. These programs…  represent a strategic expansion that aligns with workforce demands and student needs.”

The new programs reflect the realities of a fast-paced, remote-friendly world, according to Pamela Jorden, Ph.D., assistant dean of Eller graduate programs. 

“While accelerated and online degrees aren’t new, the decision to offer a condensed MBA alongside specialized online master’s programs signals a deeper institutional shift,” said Jorden. 

“It acknowledges that traditional, two-year, on-campus models no longer meet the needs of every learner—particularly working professionals and career changers. This move is also driven by a highly competitive graduate education landscape and the growing need for universities to respond more quickly to industry demands.”

The instructional design utilized in the new programming provides students with the highest quality of education—as demonstrated by Eller’s nationally recognized programming including the No. 3-ranked public Online Master’s in Cybersecurity; No. 3-ranked public Online MIS; and No. 7-ranked public Online MBA according to U.S. News & World Report.

“With today’s technological advancements, interactive platforms, and real-time faculty engagement, online programs can match—or even exceed—the engagement levels of traditional classrooms,” Jorden said. 

 The changes in education segue with innovation in industry, according to Susan Gray, CEO of Tucson Electric Power and chair of the board of The Chamber of Southern Arizona.

“Our industry is not the only one undergoing incredible transformation. Amid accelerating innovation, evolving customer expectations, the digital revolution and other factors, companies are reimagining traditional strategies and redefining what it means to deliver value.” 

Jill German, head of Roche Tissue Diagnostics in Oro Valley, called the four new degrees “super important. To be a successful business, you have to have a touch of each of those.”

Online Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence for Business

 “Every sector is going to be affected by AI,” said Kannan, making the Master’s in AI for Business appealing to those in commerce, finance, healthcare, manufacturing, technology, transportation and logistics, education and more. 

The STEM-designated degree is timely for a diverse group of prospective students, including ambitious professionals, recent graduates, and those considering career change.

Kannan said that Eller faculty “have been working on these AI topics for ages” and are poised to help students master health and security informatics, business intelligence, machine learning, algorithms, practical AI applications, AI ethics, generative AI, and knowledge management—all within a business-focused framework—in as few as 12 months.

The accelerated coursework also delves into the impact this rapidly evolving technology has on business, industry and society overall. 

“How do you manage and develop technology that allows you to scale very quickly?” Kannan said. “How does AI affect the work environment? What are the ethical impacts you need to be aware of?”

One-year MBA

The streamlined One-year MBA, which replaces the traditional two-year MBA, is “an exciting evolution” for Eller, according to Kannan. 

“People don’t want to give up their lives” for a two-year MBA, Kannan said. “There’s an opportunity cost. The one-year MBA solves that issue for them.”

 In this accelerated program, students spend 10 months on campus, spanning two full semesters and the summer. They’ll find value in being “fully immersed in all aspects of the education system on campus,” Kannan said. 

Equipped with comprehensive business knowledge, hands-on experience and practical skills, graduates can re-enter the job market “quickly and effectively.”

The One-year MBA has widespread appeal for students and employers alike. Candidates might be undergraduates yearning to “continue what they’ve done, to continue their immersion,” Kannan said. They could be engineers or scientists who “may have the technical knowledge” in their disciplines, but need to “add the business domain to their way of thinking.” Or they may be students “who want to take a break,” perhaps pondering new career directions.

Regardless, “we’ve created an accelerated program that meets the needs of ambitious professionals who want to fast-track their careers,” Kannan said.

Online Master of Science in Economics

 Kannan describes the Online Master’s in Economics as “a revolutionary approach to advanced economics education designed for today’s data-driven world.”

“We are enthusiastic about presenting a program that is accessible to students from various educational backgrounds. The program provides a rigorous analytical approach to the study of data economics, digital markets, and policy analysis, and does not require the students to have previous economic training.” said Justin Jarvis, senior lecturer in economics at Eller. 

“Digital markets are where today’s jobs are. Our students will gain expertise in analyzing data, experimental methods, and applied economic analysis, preparing them for decision-making in digital and policy-driven environments.”

Those are the skills today’s professionals need to navigate “the complex, dynamic intersection of economics, technology, and policy,” Kannan said.

Economics is “always about marginal decisions” based on data, he continued. Marginal changes in product, price or placement can impact demand, sales volume, cash flow, operating costs, and supply chains. Understanding the costs and benefits is imperative. 

“Each of these decisions may be independently made, but as a system, these are all interrelated,” Kannan said. Students in the program will “understand the economic aspect of decision-making,” developing “a powerful competitive advantage” in big tech, finance, consulting, and regulation.

Kannan said it is a great degree for professionals across the spectrum, from school teachers to those in banking and finance. They’ll learn “cutting-edge economic analysis with courses in microeconomic theory, quantitative methods, and econometrics, all powerful tools in the digital marketplace.”

Again, the convenient online platform, so students don’t need to “press pause on their current roles,” Kannan said.

Online Master of Science in Marketing

The Online Master’s in Marketing degree, which can be completed in as few as 16 months, offers two specialized tracks: Marketing Analytics and Brand Management.

“We are preparing professionals to excel in both data-driven decision-making and strategic brand leadership,” said Jesper Nielsen, head of the marketing department. 

Eller faculty are at the forefront of digital transformation and consumer behavior research. They’ll help today’s product managers and designers understand the customers: who they are, what they want, and how to reach them.

“We want to teach them how to understand the instinctual behaviors of individuals,” Kannan said.

The Bottom Line: Advanced Skills Net A Competitive Advantage

The fast-track Eller programs are also designed to prepare master’s graduates to meet employer expectations for “proficiency in every technology you can think of,” according to Gray Hunter, a senior lecturer of business analytics and assistant director of Eller’s HSLopez School of Business Analytics.

“Employers want students to know how to leverage tools more effectively,” said Hunter, a professor in the One-year MBA program. 

“Most of the master’s degrees are much more targeted, and with business analytics or MIS, economics, marketing, or AI, you are super deep on one topic at a very advanced level for 10 to 16 months. You are much more of a specialist and are up to date with the most recent developments in business in that area, so less initial start-up training is needed.”

Students can also stack specializations and many recognize the appeal of multiple credentials to boost their marketability and “bridge the gaps” between business and other disciplines. 

In an increasingly specialized workforce and progressively complex world, the many Eller options for advanced degrees are designed to fulfill the needs of students and employers alike. Utilizing curriculums designed to effectively build foundational and tech skills in fast-track courses, Hunter said the ultimate goal is for graduates to enter the workforce “ready to hit the ground running.”

“We want students to walk into interviews and full-time positions understanding the corporate structure. . .realistically, employers expect less time on the training component and more advanced skills.”

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