UC Davis Becomes First University Of California School To Launch A MiM

UC Davis students in Gallagher Hall

In yet another first for a University of California system school, UC Davis Graduate School of Management has launched a master’s in management program. Davis, also the first UC system school to do an online MBA in 2019,  expects to enroll its first online MiM cohort in April of next year, while an on-campus version of the program will welcome students in the fall of 2024.

Both the 15-month online and nine-month in-person versions of the master’s program will cost $50,000. Dean H. Rao Unnava says he expects the online option to enroll between 200 and 250 students a year, while the on-campus version would take in up to 50 students.

While more U.S. schools are entering the U.S. market, including the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, Unnava views the school’s MiM launch in an unusual way: as an alternative vehicle to specialized business master’s in a wide variety of fields. Besides its MBA programs, the school currently boasts a master’s in accounting, with a CPA requirement, and a master’s in business analytics. By offering different sets of electives in the MiM, however, Unnava expects to offer three-course concentrations in highly topical disciplines based on market demand. Among the first possibilities are concentrations in healthcare analytics and generative artificial intelligence.

THE NEW MIM REPRESENTS A  NIMBLE AND INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO MEET MARKET DEMANDS

“We looked around and found that the schools that went after these one-year specialty master’s programs often found it was very difficult to get 40 to 50 students to make economic sense,” says Unnava. “Many found the numbers for a program like a master’s in entrepreneurship and innovation or blockchain first went up to about 50 students and then fell into the 20s. They are struggling trying to keep those programs on the books. We’re starting with a general management master’s in management as a nimble, responsive program so we have infinite possibilities. If AI becomes more important, I can add a concentration into the program. If there is demand for healthcare analytics, I can add a concentration of courses in that field. I can run eight programs in one program. That is an advantage especially when you need to respond quickly to the market. A few years ago, cybersecurity and blockchain were big for three years and then went away. I can put three classes in as electives and when the market cools off, I can put another set of classes into the elective offerings and do something else. That nimbleness is important to take advantage of market trends.”

That flexibility is especially important within the University of California system because new degree programs go through a time-consuming approval process. By adopting the master’s in management for specific fields, Davis would avoid the need to navigate the UC bureaucracy to take a new program to market.

Unnava says he expects the new degree to appeal to multiple segments. “There are a lot of people from other parts of our campus who are getting a liberal arts or engineering degree and want to supplement that with a management degree to get a job,” he says. “The undergraduate biology major who want to become a lab manager instead of merely working in a lab would find this degree useful. So would an engineering major who wants to manage other people instead of working only as an engineer. The program would give that engineer a basic understanding of the functions of management.”

NO WORK EXPERIENCE REQUIRED FOR THE MIM PROGRAMS

The MM@UCDavis curriculum includes nine courses that cover the functional areas of business, such as accounting, economics, finance, marketing, and strategy. During the program, students will also collaborate with the school’s career development team to create a personalized career plan. The part-time online program offers start dates in the spring and fall, with applications assessed on a rolling basis.

Work experience is not required to enter the program, though Unnava expects a slightly older student will enroll in the online MiM. GMAT and GRE scores are also optional, but not required. “We think the online will attract people with work experience of about three to four years, while the on-campus version will be more appealing to recent undergraduates,” he says. “You can take the online MiM  on a part-time basis over five quarters instead of three in person.”

The new MiM program, moreover, will leverage the school’s existing MBA core. “This means the curriculum is also time tested,” adds Unnava. ” So you get the best curriculum without going through a total reinvention of what is taught.”

DON’T MISS: THE TOP MASTER IN MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS IN THE U.S. or THE QUIET REVOLUTION AT A UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BUSINESS SCHOOL