How Ohio State’s Fisher College Of Business Working Professional MBA Helps Military Leaders Build Their Next Mission

For many professionals, earning an MBA is about accelerating a career. For others, it is about creating an entirely new chapter.

For Chantel Fucci, a U.S. Army veteran, entrepreneur, software analyst and student in the Working Professional MBA (WPMBA) program at The Ohio State University Max M. Fisher College of Business, it is about both.

Recently recognized during Ohio State’s football season opener and featured on WBNS 10TV’s The Big Picture, Fucci represents a growing segment of MBA students: experienced professionals who are leveraging graduate business education to translate leadership, resilience and real-world experience into entrepreneurial and organizational impact.

Today’s professionals are not necessarily pursuing an MBA because they need a credential to advance. Many already have successful careers, significant leadership experience and established professional networks. Instead, they are seeking a program that can help them sharpen their strategic thinking, expand their leadership capabilities, and prepare them for the next phase of their careers.

That is exactly where Working Professional MBA program at Fisher College of Business stands apart.

The WPMBA is designed specifically for ambitious professionals who want to continue working while earning a nationally recognized MBA. Ranked No. 8 overall among part-time MBA programs in the United States, No. 5 among public universities, and No. 1 in Ohio by U.S. News & World Report, the program combines academic excellence with the flexibility today’s working professionals need.

Students earn the same MBA degree as Fisher’s highly regarded Full-Time MBA program while maintaining the flexibility to balance professional responsibilities, family commitments and personal goals. Whether attending classes on campus, online or through a combination of both, students receive access to the same distinguished faculty, rigorous curriculum, career resources and extensive alumni network.

For Fucci, the connection between military service, business education and entrepreneurship is remarkably clear.

“What I’ve learned through military service, entrepreneurship and my MBA experience is that growth never happens alone. Every opportunity I’ve pursued has been strengthened by mentors, teammates, and a community that challenges me to think bigger and lead with greater purpose,” Fucci said.

That team-oriented mindset is a hallmark of both military leadership and the Fisher MBA experience.

One of the defining strengths of the WPMBA is the diversity of its student body. Each classroom brings together professionals from industries including health care, technology, manufacturing, financial services, consulting, government, nonprofit organizations and entrepreneurship. Students exchange ideas, challenge assumptions and collaborate on real-world business challenges. Those interactions create an environment where learning extends well beyond textbooks and lectures.

For working professionals, this immediate application of knowledge is particularly valuable. Concepts discussed in class on a Tuesday evening can often be applied in the workplace on Wednesday morning. Whether managing organizational change, evaluating investments, improving supply chain performance, leading teams or launching new ventures, students are constantly connecting classroom insights to real-world business challenges.

This practical orientation has become increasingly important as organizations seek leaders who can navigate complexity, drive innovation and make decisions in rapidly changing environments. Fisher’s curriculum emphasizes experiential learning and problem-solving, helping students build the strategic perspective needed to lead organizations into the future.

The flexibility of the program is another reason it continues to attract high-performing professionals. Students can customize their schedules through evening, weekend, online and hybrid course options while maintaining the pace that best aligns with their careers and personal responsibilities. Many students complete the program in approximately two and a half to three years, although the structure allows for additional flexibility when life and career demands require it.

This adaptability is particularly appealing to professionals who are not willing to put successful careers on hold to pursue graduate education. Instead of choosing between work and school, WPMBA students can advance both simultaneously.

For veterans like Fucci, that flexibility also provides an opportunity to build upon years of leadership experience while exploring new professional pathways.

During her interview with 10TV, Fucci reflected on her journey from military service to higher education and entrepreneurship, highlighting the importance of mentorship, community and the confidence to pursue new opportunities. She also spoke about encouraging women to step beyond self-imposed limitations and pursue ambitions that may initially seem outside their comfort zones.

Those themes resonate strongly within Fisher’s WPMBA program.

Veterans frequently find that MBA education helps translate military accomplishments into business experience while enhancing skills in strategy, finance, operations, innovation and organizational leadership. Just as importantly, they gain access to a professional community that understands the value of leadership under pressure, teamwork, accountability and mission-driven decision-making.

Fucci embodies that transition. Alongside her professional career and MBA studies, she is building entrepreneurial ventures while serving in the Major Lawrence Miller Military Community Advocate Program at Ohio State, helping fellow military-connected students navigate their educational and career journeys. The MCA program, supported by the National Veterans Leadership Foundation and headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, is a service scholarship initiative that empowers student leaders to build community, design supportive programs, advocate for military-connected students, and drive positive change across the university. Through this work, Fucci has expanded her leadership skills while helping create a stronger network of support for veterans, service members and military families at Ohio State.

Fucci credits the military-connected community at Ohio State with helping fuel her personal and professional growth. In addition to her MBA studies and MCA leadership role, she participated in From Service to Startup, an event hosted by university’s Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship, connecting veteran entrepreneurs. The experience strengthened her entrepreneurial mindset, expanded her professional network and reinforced the value of surrounding herself with fellow veterans who are building businesses, leading organizations and creating impact beyond their military service. These experiences illustrate how military-connected students at Ohio State can access a powerful network of mentorship, collaboration and innovation.

Her experience also highlights another important dimension of the Fisher MBA: the power of relationships.

Students entering the WPMBA join not only a cohort of accomplished professionals but also graduate into one of the largest alumni networks in the world. Ohio State’s global alumni community includes hundreds of thousands of graduates working across industries and leadership levels. Through networking events, mentorship opportunities, recruiting programs, speaker series and alumni engagement initiatives, students gain access to relationships that can shape their careers long after graduation.

The program’s location in Columbus further strengthens those opportunities. As one of the fastest-growing metropolitan regions in the country and home to a diverse collection of Fortune 1000 companies, startups, healthcare organizations, manufacturers, financial institutions and technology firms, Columbus provides students with unique access to business leaders and organizations across sectors.

For professionals pursuing career advancement, career transitions or entrepreneurial ambitions, that ecosystem becomes an extension of the classroom.

The curriculum itself is designed to support those goals. With a substantial number of elective courses available, students can tailor their MBA experience around areas including analytics, finance, marketing, leadership, operations and strategy. This flexibility allows students to build expertise aligned with their individual career aspirations while maintaining a broad understanding of business.

Perhaps most importantly, the Working Professional MBA attracts individuals who are committed to continuous growth.

Whether they are leading teams, launching companies, transitioning careers, managing organizations or pursuing executive leadership opportunities, students come to Fisher with a desire to challenge themselves and expand their impact. The classroom becomes a place where accomplished professionals learn from faculty experts, industry leaders and one another.

Fucci’s story serves as a compelling example of what happens when experience, determination, and education intersect.

Her journey demonstrates that leadership is not defined by a single role, title or chapter of life. It evolves through service, learning, resilience and the willingness to embrace new challenges. From military service to entrepreneurship, from advocacy to graduate education, she continues to build on a foundation of purpose while creating opportunities for herself and those around her.

For professionals considering their own next mission, her example offers an important reminder: growth does not stop when a career is established. In many cases, that is when the most meaningful transformation begins.

At Ohio State’s Fisher College of Business, the Working Professional MBA provides the tools, network, flexibility and nationally recognized education to help make that transformation possible. Whether the goal is career advancement, entrepreneurship, leadership development or personal growth, the program empowers professionals to turn experience into opportunity and leadership into lasting impact.

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The Ohio State University Max M. Fisher College of Business prepares the next generation of leaders through top-ranked graduate programs, distinguished faculty and a vast network of innovative partnerships that reaches from the surrounding business community — home to multiple Fortune 1000 companies — to multinationals, nonprofits and startups across the globe.

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