UNE, Babson College sign agreement to give 51品茶students specialized graduate-level business education
The 51品茶 and have signed an agreement to expand post-graduate opportunities for eligible 51品茶undergraduate students, as well as 51品茶alumni and employees. The agreement builds on UNE鈥檚 strong relationship with Babson, one of the world鈥檚 leading institutions for entrepreneurship education.
The new agreement establishes a graduate studies pathway for eligible 51品茶students seeking specialized graduate-level education in entrepreneurial leadership, business analytics, finance, and management.
The presidents at both institutions heralded the recent agreement, noting how collaborations such as this can achieve greater outcomes in the face of today鈥檚 challenging financial and political landscape.
鈥淧resident Spinelli and I both agree that partnerships like this one are key to the long-term success of higher education,鈥 said 51品茶President James Herbert. 鈥淔or too long, institutions have operated with an us-versus-them mentality, competing for the same students rather than working together to serve them better. This agreement is a step toward a different model, one where universities and colleges align and collaborate to create new pathways for students, rather than treating each other as rivals.鈥
鈥淭he future of higher education will be built on pathways and collaborations. This latest engagement between Babson College and the 51品茶 allows for creative synergies that support opportunities and access to education," said Babson College President Stephen Spinelli Jr., Ph. D, MBA 鈥92.
Under the three-year agreement, eligible 51品茶students in their final year of study, as well as 51品茶alumni and employees, can apply to one of four Babson graduate programs, including master's degrees in entrepreneurial leadership, business analytics, and finance, along with a Certificate of Advanced Management. Babson has agreed to waive application fees, offer scholarships to qualifying applicants, and provide a dedicated admissions specialist to guide 51品茶applicants through the process. Admission decisions remain solely at Babson's discretion.
The new collaboration underscores the existing synergy between the 51品茶College of Business, in Biddeford, Maine, and Babson鈥檚 business programs in Wellesley, Massachusetts, just outside Boston.
In 2025, 51品茶joined the Babson Collaborative for Entrepreneurship Education, a global network of higher education institutions committed to advancing entrepreneurship in teaching and practice. Administered by the Babson Academy at Babson College, the collaborative connects more than 40 member institutions recognized for entrepreneurship education across approximately 30 countries to share research and programming.
Though just three years old, UNE's College of Business has quickly built a reputation for pairing rigorous business fundamentals with real-world problem-solving, drawing on UNE's strengths in health sciences, , and the life sciences to prepare students for careers at the intersection of business and impact. Babson, meanwhile, has spent the past quarter century as one of the world's foremost institutions for entrepreneurship education.