The University of Oregon’s Lundquist College of Business is bringing back the Master of Science Management degree after a two-year hiatus. 

According to the Senior Associate Dean of Academic Programs of  the Lundquist College of Business, Angela Davis, the Master of Arts and Master of Science in Management were not previously tied to formal programs. These degrees were given to doctoral students who did not complete their PhD degree but have completed sufficient coursework to earn a master’s degree.

MSM’s newly-appointed Academic Director Emily Moore said, “It took a lot of planning, but not a lot of money. Since our initial cohort is small, we are utilizing graduate courses and systems that are already in place.”

This degree is a 10-month long program that totals to a minimum of 45 credits: 30 credits of core classes and 15 credits of electives.

The masters program offers a foundation in business without requiring prior experience. 

The program will begin with accepting a small cohort of only 15 students this upcoming fall, but are looking to build up to 50 and 60. 

According to Moore and Lundquist Admission Director Caitlin Biddulph, accepted students are then required to complete a module over the summer as a baseline and introduction to the business program. The summer module ensures the students get the preparation for the courseworks in accounting, finance and statistics.

Biddulph assures students that instructors and staff, as well as student services, will be readily accessible to support all interested undergraduates and masters students transition into the business school smoothly.

“(The faculty and staff understand) the well-roundedness of the students who are coming into this program  – everyone is going to have strengths and weaknesses based on their previous coursework. And (we’re) working together and working as a cohort and in that professional development class to make sure everyone’s really successful,” Biddulph said.

Biddulph also said that this degree will provide a strong foundational understanding of the business field, but there’s no “one-size fits all” approach when it comes to how students utilize this degree.

“From the interviews I’ve conducted with prospective students so far and the incoming students is that everyone has really different goals in what they’re looking to get out of the program, and that sort of matches why the program was developed,” Biddulph said.

According to Moore, one of the key benefits and values of this new degree is its ability to equip students with the skills they need to advance in a company or organization no matter what their undergraduate major is.

Both Biddulph and Moore described the program as rigorous since it’s only a 10-month program, with only three terms of full-time school. 

“Students will be taking five classes per term, so time management is really important. And just having students understand that they’re coming in finishing a master’s degree in 10 months. It’s amazing for students because they get to learn so much in such a short period of time,” Biddulph said.

Demitri Kritsepis, a journalism and business student who recently got accepted into the program, believes that his professional goals are now in grasp thanks to this new program.

“I’ve been looking at jobs at Cisco, and specifically internships at Apple for project managers and other communication based roles that I couldn’t ever expect to get a chance at without this program. So it kind of made me realize that these goals are now, now that I have this program, are very much in my grasp,” Kritsepis said.

Kritsepis said he is looking forward to the ample opportunities to network, take classes with other MBA students going along the same path and all the opportunities the program is offering about working with different companies.

Another upcoming MSM student is business major Hunter Voyles, who is attracted to the program’s innovative approach as well. He is looking forward to being part of the program’s first cohort of students.

“I think it’s awesome to be a part of something new. And I definitely think it’s going to be a little bumpy here and there, while they still iron some things out, but I’m overall, like, really excited about it,” Voyles said.

Voyles also thinks that a big proponent of the program’s success would be “the networking you can do and the real world experiences you try to emulate that maybe you didn’t necessarily get with your undergrad.”

After the completion of the program, Biddulph hopes for students to not only take away a wide variety of business knowledge, but also the professional development built in experiential learning. 

“I would want them to feel like, if they were in whatever field they go into, that they understand organizations and people and how to work in a team and how to lead a team,” Moore said.

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