Meet The Michigan Ross MBA Class Of 2027

MAP Project at Subaru

P&Q: How does your program integrate other disciplines, such as the liberal arts and STEM, across your curriculum to provide students with a more interdisciplinary experience in business school?

Ganderson: “The curriculum both requires and encourages an interdisciplinary experience. The hallmark Multidisciplinary Action Project experience is required for every first-year student to work with a team of classmates on a real-world project for sponsoring companies. These projects draw on what students learn in the core classroom, but are purposefully multidisciplinary, just like any real project is once students graduate. All projects incorporate several business disciplines like finance, marketing, and strategy, and can come from any industry or functional area, so that students can get exposure to non-profit organizations, engineering firms, tech companies, start-ups, and anything in between.

At Michigan Ross, we also encourage students to take courses that are not typically considered “business-forward.” The university has over 110 programs ranked in the top 10 across 19 different colleges, and Ross students can access this interdisciplinary expertise by taking up to 10 credits outside of the business school. We have many students who earn dual degrees. On average, 15% of our graduates receive two diplomas.”

University of Michigan

P&Q: What are two ways that your program is incorporating Artificial Intelligence into your programming? How do they better prepare students for the future world of work?

Ganderson: “Michigan Ross and the University of Michigan are leading the way in incorporating AI into programming. This year, Ross launched a new AI concentration that will unlock students’ understanding of different technologies and explore their impact on business and society. We have leading faculty and researchers in this area who integrate AI into their coursework and are designing new courses that are relevant to today’s opportunities and challenges. In addition, all students at the university have free access to customized AI tools. The only way to prepare students for the future world of work with AI is to encourage them to use the tools, understand the strengths and limitations, and grapple with ethical considerations.”

P&Q: What types of educational and career support do you provide to alumni after graduation? How does it make them more valuable to employers during their careers?

Ganderson: “At Michigan Ross, our alumni receive lifetime career coaching support. This includes everything from helping them make sense of where they’ve been and figuring out where they want to go from here, to resume reviews, LinkedIn reviews, search strategy advice, mock interviews, and negotiating assistance. We also offer group coaching to help alumni build a supportive community during their search process. From an education perspective, our alumni can also take advantage of tuition-free executive education courses, digital tools such as Michigan Online classes and certificate programs, and Coursera-type offerings. All of these elements combined help people continue to enhance their skills and value propositions throughout their careers.”

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