Backstage With UMASS, Jack Welch, U of Denver & William & Mary’s Online MBA

Allen: Great thank you, thanks, everyone. So for this next question, Kenny we’ll, we’ll get you first on it. So, you know, one of the things that I think is a little bit different from the online MBA population versus the full-time residential MBA is they’re further along in their careers, but also further along in their lives. So they’ve got potentially more responsibilities at home with you know, additional family members, children, spouses, all that stuff. And so I think one of the big hesitancies is, is balancing work, life, and then school on top of all of that. So Kenny how do you advise students who might be hesitant about this aspect of balancing, juggling all these, all these things?

Metcalfe: Yeah flexibility was mentioned a little while ago. And we certainly embrace that, that philosophy, that approach. We, our students have a flex, we’re not a cohorted program, so students can go at their own pace. They can take two classes a quarter if they like or one, they can, they can take two in one quarter and one in the next, it really depends on how things are going for them and what other obligations they have going on. So we do have the ability, students have the ability rather to alter their pace at any time. We have a dedicated student success advisor for each of our students who can help that student with registration concerns or students getting overextended. Let’s take a step back and maybe scale back your pace at this current time. We also have a leave of absence policy. So if students do need to stop out of the program for a temporary period of time, they can go, go forward with that process. And so we, we do try to make sure students don’t get overextended, make sure they have the right balance. Our courses are rigorous. They usually require about eight to 10 hours a week per class plus a live session. So we are very aware and making sure students understand that, that time commitment.

Allen: Great. Traci, what about at UMass? What are some things that you help whenever you’re talking to students, potential applicants about this?

Hess: Right so I think what we have to offer is a lot of flexibility in our curriculum. So it’s deliberately more of a flat structure. Meaning that we don’t have a series of prerequisites that block students into specific steps. So they have the flexibility to take, say one class a semester, or several a semester. We offer classes fall spring, summer, and even in the short winter session. So we have a lot of different offerings and our advisors really work with each student to help them determine the best course for them and based on their, their lifestyle. And consistently in feedback we get from our students they talk about how their advisor really sat down with them and talked about the best path forward for them and their specific needs and their lifestyle. And so that is one way we definitely address the need for flexibility, given that a lot of our students are already immersed in a career, and they’re just trying to move the way up a little more.

Allen: Great thanks. And Mehgan, what about at Jack Welch? What are some things that you all suggest to your potential students?

Rodgers: Yeah, I mean, I think obviously program format. So like others, we have multiple intakes per year. We’re very flexible with allowing students to pace and most students will also take one to two courses. There’s no academic or financial penalty if they have to sit out. Obviously we are 100% online and we chatted a little bit about the asynchronous format, which really allows people to complete their coursework on their own schedule within our stated gates and guidelines. But I would say probably the biggest thing that we do is we understand the population, obviously, you know, that we’re serving. And what really helps us, I think be the most flexible is our faculty. And the way that we hire and train and sort of view the role of the faculty member as, you know, more of a coach and a mentor. Obviously they’re all academically qualified, so they all have a Ph.D.’s, but they’re also bringing, you know, real-world business experience into the classroom. But we really want our faculty to have that service-minded approach. So we don’t really see, you know, it’s really a one-to-one relationship between the student and the faculty member, not sort of the old traditional model where, you know, faculty’s kind of up here telling students what to do and, you know, you’re just kind of sitting back and lecturing. And so a great example of that is, you know, there’s no set office hours. So our faculty really know again how to create those one on one relationships, which is somewhat easy to do. Our student to faculty ratio is 19 to one in a class. So we’re not shoving a lot of people into big online virtual classrooms. And then we really give the faculty the flexibility to work with the student in the way that they need. So again, in sort of the old school world, you’d, you know, faculty member would have office hours on a Wednesday, you know, in a given time, you know, our faculty members are more than willing and understand that, you know, they’re on calls, video meetings, you know, written feedback, really try to work with the students the way that they want to be worked with. So some students don’t want to live call. They’re happy to take everything via email versus other students find themselves in a finance class and they really need to get that one on one attention. So we don’t really try to mandate how our faculty work with students, but we give them that broader platform. And again, just given the fact that we serve a global population and we serve working adults, you know, all of our operations are structured that way. So, you know, our offices are open to support students six days a week, 12 hours a day. And then obviously really relying on our faculty, which not to plug, but was rated ranked number one by Poets and Quants across all categories in the online MBA program for the past two years. So they really are, you know, I think a key differentiator in the student experience and helping us achieve flexibility.

Allen: Great thanks. Plugging anything about Poets and Quants is fine on a Poets and Quants webinar. It’s all good.

Rodgers: Sorry.

Allen: Kevin as the director of admissions at the Mason School, is this something that comes up very frequently? And if so, how do you all approach this conversation?

Holmes: Absolutely. Our program was designed for working professionals. And so you can graduate in as soon as 24 months, you can extend that out to 36 months if necessary. And really I tell candidates all the time that life will happen. As a working professional life will happen. You will have to take care of an ill loved one. You may have a new addition to your family. You may have to, you know, your children or your pets, you know, things happen and you have to manage and balance competing priorities. And from our standpoint, we are here to act and serve as a resource for our students. Every student that’s admitted to our program is assigned to a student success coordinator. So if alternate program plans do need to take effect, you simply raise your hand and let us know sooner rather than later, so that we can sit down and put our minds together to figure out how to serve the students and the necessary need that they have at that time. And so our program is an asynchronous program. So when students are entering, you’re dedicated, you’re telling yourself you’re going to dedicate at least 15 to 20 hours a week towards your academic pursuits. With the understanding that you will have competing priorities. Our schedule is designed in a manner where you’re taking one subject at a time every seven and a half weeks. We too also have three intakes a year, a fall, spring, as well as a summer intake, as far as new cohorts. And the way our program is structured, it’s based on a willed approach. And so within your first year of our program, you have a menu of courses that you can take within your first-year experience, and then a menu of courses that you can take within your second of experience. But, you know, William and Mary has been known for the level of faculty engagement that we provide our students, not only within the Mason School but across the university. And so from faculty, staff, and alums, students have the full support of the Raymond A. Mason School of Business in terms of ensuring that they have success in our program.

Allen: Great, thanks. And so this next question is going to kind of piggyback off of that one. And Traci, I’ll let you answer this one first. So, so say the applicants, you know, they, they know that your programs are flexible. They know that you all have all of these built-in things to help, but there’s still conversations they need to have with their employers, with their family members. What are some things that they should consider when going about those conversations?

Hess: So as far as how they decide, right, on the online MBA program that’s right for them. Well, we think looking at these rankings right, is that are provided by Poets and Quants and other, other organizations are, are one thing to definitely look at, right? You know, rankings across different facets of the program, the longevity of the program, the stability, the offerings, whether what they’re looking for in an online program, as far as curriculum goes, is provided by the institution. I think flexibility again and charting that path forward to degree completion is a big part of it. Whether the student is interested in focus areas and additional certificates that give them industry-specific information, that’s another facet I would consider. And then looking at, you know, some of the social media discussions, trying to talk with people that have been in the program, trying to determine whether their experience matches up with what you’re looking for.

Allen: And what about when they are getting ready to take this on in terms of conversations that they need to be having with their employers and their family members and their personal network. What are some things they should be thinking about there?

Hess: I think it’s to understand what time commitment, what time they have available to commit towards the program. Being reasonable about the time they have available with their employers. Talking about how the employer values this additional education, what support they will give to them as they pursue this degree, both financially and timewise. One of the things that we try to do in our program is offer different payment plans, timing-wise, so that if you’re getting reimbursed by your employer, there’s time for that payment to come through. We actively cultivate partnerships with employers, which makes it easier for groups of employees to move together into a program, and experience the process together, have a network of support there.

Allen: Great, thanks. And Mehgan, we’ll go to you next. What are some things that you think people might not be thinking about, but need to be thinking about whenever they’re having these conversations with their personal networks and employers before starting a program?

Rodgers: So I think on the personal side, the point was made, but you know, if you’re married or you have other significant other, it really, it is really a significant time commitment to get a degree. Online does not mean, you know, there’s a lack of rigor. And I think sometimes people think, well, it’s just going to be so much easier online. And that’s not the case. Our program requires 10 to 15 hours. So I think really understanding, you know, what that commitment is. And then, you know, on the flip side, what are you going to get out of it? So, you know, we always encourage people to do their research on sort of, the graduate outcomes and results. I know if I was having the conversation with my significant other and trying to say, here’s why I’m doing this, you know, at the end of the day, it’s really to make more money and, you know, see an advancement in your career. So, you know, from that perspective, 71% of our students are getting raises and promotions while they’re enrolled. And, you know, because they’re also working while they’re going back to school, it’s a relatively quick payback period for the investment. So it takes about two years to pay off the MBA when they see those, those salary increases. And we’re seeing about a 30% 10-year return. So kind of understanding those metrics and, you know, kind of putting the financial value that you’re going to get from the degree. And then I would also, you know, obviously want to have that conversation with your employer as well. I think Traci, you know, highlighted some really important things and perhaps opportunities for them, you know, to fund the program if they don’t offer tuition assistance. But, you know, again, we’ve all said it, one of the biggest benefits about going to school and working is if you’re going to the right program, you know, you should be able to take what you’re learning in the classroom and put it right back into your company. We call it, you know, learn today apply tomorrow. So, you know, if I’m, you know, if somebody on my team came and said, yeah, I want to go get my MBA. You know, I would think it would be great because, you know, they’re getting up-skilled and I’m getting the benefit of that, you know, as an employer and in particular to our company or our school as well, you know, we are really for career professionals. So we are not, you know, trying not, we don’t really serve career switchers, although that obviously does happen. But we really want people to be able to give back the value their companies. And that’s why we partner with hundreds of companies to offer a special tuition pricing. So yeah, I would say it’s really the time commitment. And then translating that commitment into both the personal value that you’re going to see on a, on a family basis or an income basis, understanding the debt that’s associated with it, how quickly you’re going to pay it off. And then from the employer, you know, all the great things that you’re going to be able to do as a result of the degree and how you’re going to help your company also grow.

Allen: Great thanks. Great points. Kevin, how about you anything to add to that?

Holmes: Well, I certainly second everything my colleagues have said today. It is a network decision. If you have a family, it is a family decision. You know, though all of our programs have kind of similar time commitments that 10 to 20 hour a week commitment that you need to make, you know, is it, is it reasonable to put all of your work off until the weekend? If that is the case, then you know, your family may be upset with you if you have academic pursuits and do it every single weekend. And so these are the conversations that you have to have now because it truly is a joint decision. From an employer standpoint, as it relates to funding, you should certainly give yourself ample amount of time to understand your organization’s tuition assistance process, knowing whether or not they have tuition remission. Where they will pay as a third party to your, to your university, versus a tuition reimbursement. When you have to pay yourself and then get reimbursed for your, the credits that you’ve taken in a given semester. Are there any academic constraints around that as well? And so these are questions that you have to have and give yourself ample amount of time prior to you even applying to just ensure that you have the necessary support that you’re going to need, because not only do you have to have a support structure in place, but you’re gonna also have to have some passion as well, some passion to learn some passion to really getting a gainful return on your investment. And it’s within that passion that’s going to help you have a breakthrough versus a breakdown. But you don’t know what skills and tools that you have at your disposal unless you have those conversations with your, your support network or your counsel if you will.

Allen: Great, thanks. Kenny these have been some very thorough answers, and this is part of the problem with going last, but we’ll get you first on one of these next ones. Any, anything else you want to add?

Metcalfe: I think my colleagues covered it really well. I would just, just add two quick things, the time commitment, of course. For us, we do have a unique structure with the live sessions and the immersions. It’s really, really important to make sure that we are communicating to our, our prospective students that you indeed do have these required live sessions on a weekly basis. Two of the immersions are required in order to graduate. So you might be traveling to campus here in Denver for an immersion, or you might be going somewhere else in the continental United States. We also have international immersions as options. So just making sure that students really understand the structure of the program and what kind of commitment they’re facing. And then the other part is I mentioned this a little while ago, just students need to know that that they’ll be supported in an MBA program. You know, we have the student success support myself as the economic advisor. We want to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to make their experience the best it can be. And again, if that means they need to stop out for a period of time to focus on other things, we have that flexibility. But they, they have a robust support network and that white-glove service, if you will. And we want students to know that coming in.

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