New master's program combines job experience, academics
Janel Shoun-Smith |
The 18 Master of Management students interviewed with 16 local companies to be matched for a year-long directed work experience.
Directed work experience, interdisciplinary courses make new Master of Management a valuable degree for non-business recent graduates
Imagine what a resume booster it would be to be able to earn a master’s degree and garner a year’s worth of business experience, all in the same year. Now imagine that appealing option is available to a recent college graduate. And on top of that, imagine that such an option is available to graduates outside of the business college.
It sounds like the perfect formula for creating a young, creative leader with the skills and the real-world experience to quickly move into management.
At Lipscomb, it’s not just a fantasy. Last year, when the College of Business began to consider developing a new graduate program, they discovered a way to fill a desperate need for employers, while also tapping into an often overlooked market for employees: non-business majors.
The result is the new Master of Management program, which combines a year of academic course work with 25 hours of directed work study at one of 15 Nashville companies. The program debuted this fall with 18 students, almost all from fields outside of business.
The program is designed specifically for non-business bachelor’s graduates who would like to move into management in their chosen field or into business.
“As College of Business faculty worked with local business leaders to develop the program, it became evident that organizations wanted employees with greater skills such as creativity, ability to manage people and critical thinking,” said Deborah Watts, management instructor and director of graduate student services. “In addition, we realized that non-business majors offer a source of untapped creativity and critical thinking to potential employers, but their undergraduate programs often do not include the academic content they need to capitalize on those skills in the workplace.”
In response, the Master of Management focuses on developing students from any field of study to more effectively manage processes and people.
Kayla Vaughan, for example, is a Lipscomb biology graduate who found she wasn’t really interested in medical school or a physician assistant program. She enrolled in the Master of Management program in hopes of eventually working in a hospital and working her way up to management in the health care field.
“No matter what field they end up working in, they will be part of an organization and they will be managing something. So a year of professional coaching is a great asset for them in any field,” said Laura Morrow, assistant professor of management who teaches in the program.
“Students lit up when we told them this program is only 12 months long and you will come out with a degree and 12 months of working experience in a local firm,” Watts said. “This is not just an internship. It is a directed work experience where the experience is integrated into their program curriculum.”
Keiana Hastings, a Lipscomb marketing graduate from Columbia, Tenn., was among the students drawn to the program by the promise of valuable work experience. “I think it's great that we will be able to directly apply the skills we are learning to our job,” she said. “I just really love how hands-on the program is because that’s more of my learning style.”
Earlier this semester, the students were matched up with their employers for the year. Companies participating in the program include Avenue Bank, Jackson National Life, LifePoint, HealthStream and the Second Harvest Food Bank.
April Britt (’13 MBA), senior vice president and chief people officer at Avenue Bank, said her company plans to design the work experience around the students’ interests.
“This program will give our student an opportunity to see a business that is growing,” said Britt. “These students are all entrepreneurs at heart and they will get a lot out of seeing our company at this life cycle.”
Jackson National Life will allow their master’s student to go through their own 11-month leadership program, said Watts.
The program also includes a global experience, in Singapore this year; a social entrepreneurship project; and interdisciplinary classes where students will holistically learn various management concepts through discussion, case studies and expert speakers.
The curriculum includes discussions on managing people, decision-making, global management, entrepreneurship and professional development, Morrow said. Students will also head out into the community to see how the concepts they are studying are applied in health care, banking, the nonprofit sector and other industries.
“I am essentially mastering the things I learned in my undergraduate education,” said Hastings. “In undergrad, they gave me the tools; now the master’s is teaching me how to use them.”
Another future advantage of the program is that Lipscomb Master of Management graduates can apply nine hours toward a future Lipscomb MBA degree if they enroll within seven years.
For more information on the Master of Management program, contact Deborah Watts at 615.966.5193 or log on to www.lipscomb.edu/business/mm.