Called the "star of 21st-century business education" by the Financial Times, the Master of Science in Management degree is emerging as an alternative option for prospective students who want to pursue a career in management but don’t have the work experience to enter a traditional MBA program.
The degree — which is popular in Europe but is just beginning to gain a foothold in the U.S. — is a good choice for recent bachelor's degree graduates (especially non-business majors), early career professionals and international students, says Ray Whittington, dean of the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business at DePaul University.
"For example, this degree is ideal for someone with a tech background who wants to gain leadership and management skills," says Whittington.
DePaul introduced its MS in Management in 2015. Students in the program gain an understanding of theory and real-world management techniques, gaining the interpersonal, analytical and strategic knowledge necessary to emerge as leaders. The program can be completed in two years or less, and the evening course schedule allows students to work while they pursue their degrees.
An Ideal MS in Management Program and Flexible Schedule
The program's focus and schedule were a perfect fit for student Nathan Hess, a naval officer who earned his bachelor's degree in telecommunications at Indiana University and now works at the U.S. Navy Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Ill.
Hess says he chose DePaul because of its "phenomenal business program" and the MS in Management because it would provide the knowledge he needed for career advancement in a flexible class schedule. "It allows for me to earn a master’s degree in one-and-a-half years before I head back to sea, and it isn't intrusive to my work schedule.
"A large amount of my job is to lead and manage sailors," Hess explains. "So far in my career, my leadership training has been demonstrated mostly by example, with minimal classroom training. The MS in Management program is providing me with the classroom training to help me develop as a better leader. The program has taught me a great deal about how different people can be managed, management techniques, and allowed for me to create career development plans for myself and my sailors."
Hess believes the degree will help him transition into a career in management after he retires from the Navy.
One other advantage of earning an MS in Management degree at DePaul, Whittington says, is that graduates can apply their MS credits toward a DePaul MBA later, after gaining some years of work experience.
Learn more about the DePaul MS in Management.