Lizabeth Stuck knew exactly what she wanted when she began seeking an MBA program in 2014. After two years as a deputy director in the Office of Advisory Committees and External Outreach at the U.S. Department of Commerce, a presidential appointment, Stuck wanted to transition out of government work into the private sector.
Her specifications were precise:
- She wanted flexibility. Stuck wanted to keep working, so a traditional full-time day MBA program wasn't applicable.
- She wanted professional relationships. Seeking to enrich her learning experience, she sought a program that would match her with other professionals who also had several years of work experience.
- She wanted a real-world experience in the classroom. Stuck would be starting anew in the private sector and wanted to learn skills that she could immediately apply to advance her career.
- She wanted to move to Chicago. Growing up in Champaign, Ill., Stuck knew Chicago was a world-class business center.
For Stuck, there was only one MBA program option in the country that fit all her requirements: DePaul's Evening Cohort MBA.
"It was a perfect match," says Stuck, now a Lockheed Martin Fellow at UI LABS in Chicago. "DePaul's Evening Cohort MBA experience has exceeded all my expectations."
The DePaul MBA: Flexibility and Collaboration
DePaul was one of the first business schools to cater to working professionals when it began its graduate business programs more than 60 years ago. This innovative tradition continues with the Evening Cohort MBA.
Combining the best features of full- and part-time MBA programs, students in DePaul's Evening Cohort MBA study together during the two-year program, but in a flexible after-work class schedule. It's an educational experience that no other evening MBA program in Chicago offers.
"Most MBA programs in Chicago and around the country focus just on flexibility," says Michael Murphy, director of recruitment for the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. "What they're missing is the relationship-building of a cohort class. At DePaul we know how important that collaborative experience can be for some students, especially those with more senior work experience. That's why we created the Evening Cohort MBA.
The DePaul MBA: Build Relationships with Professional Peers
Stuck says she loves the program. She's impressed with DePaul's business professors and their ability to transform her courses into real-world case studies. She said her learning experience is enhanced by her fellow students, most of whom have senior work experience in a variety of industries.
"My cohort colleagues have helped me learn in ways that I didn't anticipate," Stuck says. "There have been a number of courses in which everyone's unique professional background has really enhanced the learning experience."
For Stuck, learning with the same group of professionals is a career booster as well.
"Moving halfway across the country, I was looking for a way to network and build relationships," says Stuck. "The course load can be intense, but going through this program with the cohort has made it more manageable and more fulfilling. I hope and expect that I will continue to run into my cohort colleagues, or possibly even work with them, after graduation."
Learn more about the DePaul MBA.