In The AI Era, What Should You Seek In A Master’s Program?

AI is ushering in a wave of change across industries, with nearly four in five SMEs across APAC already using at least one AI tool. For most professionals, the question is no longer “Should I use AI?” but rather, “How can I apply AI effectively while adding value that technology can’t replace?” 

Increasingly, this question is a key motivation for many professionals pursuing Specialized Master’s programs at Nanyang Business School (NBS).  Beyond technical training, they’re seeking to build a strong foundation in applying technology to business challenges, while developing skills that AI cannot easily replicate – from cultural intelligence and critical thinking to strategic problem-solving. 

Here, three NBS students from different disciplines reflect on how their master’s journey has helped them become more future-ready, and share advice for those hoping to do the same. 

Business and technology: Why the future demands both AI is rapidly reshaping the skills that young professionals need to succeed. Rather than being adept in either technical knowledge or business thinking, those who want to remain relevant will need to combine the best of both worlds. 

As a business analyst, MSc Business Analytics (MSBA) alumnus Apoorva Bhatnagar has seen AI transform many aspects of data science – from writing code to uncovering data patterns. 

“AI can produce an answer quickly, but a data scientist still needs to determine whether the answer is right,” she says. “To remain relevant, we need a strong grasp of statistics, data quality, and models. At the same time, we also need business knowledge, critical thinking, and the ability to explain complex findings in simple language. The MSBA program at NBS offered a systematic foundation to bring the two together.” 

This trend is taking shape across different functions. As AI automates the routine coordination tasks traditionally handled by managers, Master in Management (MiM) participant Maks Grzesiak is recognizing the importance of building skills in both technology and business strategy. 

“Demand seems to be moving to both ends: high-skill work like strategy, and hands-on work that models can’t do. Even there, people are now expected to use AI well,” he reflects. “It’s convinced me that I need to be specific about what I’m good at, rather than assume a generic ‘manager’ title will carry me.” 

Learning AI in a real-world business context. These shifts mean simply learning to use AI may not be enough. To prepare professionals for the future, a master’s program must introduce AI within the context of real-world business needs, while providing hands-on opportunities to tackle “messy” problems that require critical thinking. 

Just ask MSc Marketing Science (MMS) alumnus Soledad Sanchez. Soledad graduated from the MMS program in 2024, as AI adoption among businesses was accelerating. Her master’s journey offered early lessons on how AI and technology could be applied to marketing strategy, preparing her to combine AI tools with genuine consumer understanding and storytelling instinct. 

As technologies and trends evolve, NBS continually updates the Specialized Master’s Program to reflect real business needs. For example, the MiM curriculum weaves AI into business fundamentals such as marketing strategy and sustainable innovation, culminating in a live capstone project focused on AI and sustainability. 

“Teaching AI inside strategy changes my understanding from ‘What can this tool do?’ to ‘What does it do for the business?’” says Maks. “I’d have missed that framing completely in a standalone technical course.” 

For Apoorva, the MSBA curriculum has equipped her with extensive technical skills: data visualization, machine learning, AI, robotic process automation, and more. But more importantly, the program’s hands-on analytics projects have taught her to critically evaluate business problems rather than jump straight to a technical solution. 

“A strong program should give students opportunities to work with messy, real-world data and complete the full journey from defining the problem to presenting a recommendation,” she shares. “My MSBA projects have helped me develop this understanding. I learnt to assess a model’s performance, explain why I had selected a method, and consider whether the output actually addressed the business problem.” 

HONING THE HUMAN SKILLS THAT MATTER MORE THAN EVER 

AI hasn’t reduced the value of people skills such as communication, cultural intelligence, and leadership in the workplace. In anything, these skills are becoming increasingly important. 

As Maks puts it: “The more the tools take over the analysis, the more our role becomes the human stuff: identifying what’s worth doing, getting people to want to do it, and owning it when the answer’s wrong.” 

The Specialized Master’s program at NBS provides structured opportunities to develop these skills. For instance, the MiM curriculum features modules on cultural intelligence, talent management, and leading sustainable change. 

Coming from Switzerland, Maks’ cultural intelligence classes have been an eye-opening experience. “I’m used to information being communicated directly – but here, it often isn’t,” he explains. “In one group project, everyone agreed to a plan I’d pitched. Only later on did I learn that someone had wanted an entirely different part of the work. It taught me that a manager who only hears what’s said out loud will keep misallocating their team.” 

Every master’s cohort at NBS brings together students from diverse cultures and nationalities. This global exposure has sharpened Soledad’s understanding of different consumer behaviors and cultural perspectives as a marketer. 

“Marketing is contextual, and a technical concept that makes sense for one market doesn’t automatically translate to another,” she explains. “Learning this in real-time from classmates of different backgrounds, and actually living it, was more valuable than any single case study. The multicultural environment at NBS truly opened my eyes.” 

HOW A SPECIALIZED MASTER’S OPENS DOORS TO THE FUTURE 

In a fast-changing world, the right master’s program can create new pathways to career success. For Maks, Apoorva, and Soledad, the future-ready skills they gained at NBS have helped them explore opportunities that may not have been open to them before. After graduation, Apoorva has secured a Business Analyst role at EY Singapore. In this role, she acts as a bridge between business needs and technical implementation – a challenge the MSBA program has prepared her to tackle with confidence. “The computing and data science skills I gained enable me to investigate data, work on databases, and understand different systems, while my business capabilities help me to communicate effectively with technical teams,” Apoorva says. 

This combination of skills can support her as her role evolves. “Over time, this combination could allow me to contribute to areas such as AI-enabled process improvement, intelligent automation, and technology strategy,” she adds. “I’m not limited to being purely a business specialist or technical specialist.” 

Maks is still completing the MiM program but his insights across AI transformation, business thinking, and cultural intelligence are preparing him to explore a future career in innovation or corporate strategy in Asia.

Several years after her MMS journey, Soledad reflects on the lessons she has gained that remain useful in a constantly changing industry. 

“Look for a program that treats change as a constant,” is her advice to other young professionals. “In marketing, this means a strong grounding in consumer psychology or strategy, paired with genuine exposure to the technologies reshaping the industry. Also, be curious about who you’ll be learning from and with. The right people will shape how you keep learning, long after the course is done.” 

Planning to future-proof your career in the age of AI? Nanyang Business School offers scholarships for eligible professionals to support your growth and development. Explore our Specialized Master’s Program today.  

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A premier business school within a leading technological university, Nanyang Business School (NBS) is the nexus of world-class innovation, research, and business education. At NBS, we innovate through interdisciplinarity, lead with cultural dexterity, and transform for sustainability. 

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