Graduates of California State University, Monterey Bay’s Online MBA program understand the relationship between responsibility and business. They take their educational experiences and use them to positively impact financial bottom lines and social good.
Class of 2016 graduate Christina Hannon shares how her CSUMB Online MBA has prepared her to affect both her career and the world.
How did you feel at the start of the online program vs. at the end? What were your expectations, and were they met, exceeded or changed?
At the start of the program, I was worried it would be difficult fitting in my MBA studies with my full-time job and other obligations, but the outline of courses helped me to plan and schedule my school workload.
I hoped the Online MBA program would give me exposure to a variety of business topics, and I left the program with a well-rounded understanding of business topics ranging from marketing to global considerations.
What are some skills you learned through the program that you now use in your professional career?
The Online MBA program helped expand my vantage point when making decisions. The ability to build upon my economics background helped me establish a more well-rounded business mindset. The projects completed in each course were highly relevant and easily applicable to my professional career.
Why would you recommend the CSUMB Online MBA program to someone?
The program offers a fast-paced dive into a host of business topics. You will leave each class with a completed project that can help display to future employers what you learned and what you are capable of. What you get out of the program is entirely dependent on what you put into the program.
The Online MBA program helped complement my professional experience and made me a well‑rounded candidate for progressively more responsible positions.
What project from your program are you most proud of?
Each course had a different project to complete. I found that the Balanced Scorecard project helped me conduct a more dimensional approach to planning and objective setting. The Balanced Scorecard’s layout of “Objectives, Measures, Targets and Initiatives” is a largely applicable way of moving personal or professional planning to successful and accountable execution.
What has earning a master’s degree from CSUMB truly meant to you?
Earning my Online MBA has helped me build up my resume. The Online MBA program helped complement my professional experience and made me a well-rounded candidate for progressively more responsible positions. Walking across the MBA graduation stage was a proud moment for me, symbolizing an immense amount of hard work.
As an alumna, what tips or advice would you give to someone who is coming in to the Online MBA program?
Get organized! Planning to complete your workload early in the week will help make sure you capitalize on what the program has to offer. Developing connections with your cohort and professors will help make your learning more dimensional.
Interested in earning an online MBA? Check out our tips on how to pick the right program for you.