The Mini MBA's Big Appeal

Tom McKinley first heard of the mini MBA offered at the University of St. Thomas while attending a job networking group for unemployed workers in the Twin Cities. The weeklong class at the school's Opus College of Business (St. Thomas Executive MBA Profile) sounded like the perfect fit for McKinley, 58, a former sales manager and father of two college-age children who has been job hunting since being laid off six months ago.

"There are just a tremendous amount of people looking for jobs, especially in my area, and I knew that I needed to enhance my background and credentials," says McKinley, who was able to get the $2,495 tuition for the program covered by a grant from Minnesota's Dislocated Workers Program.