New MS in Commerce Program

[Globalist]

<p>For those who are graduating next year and want to get a Masters in Business right away rather than work for a couple of years before getting a MBA, the McIntire School of Commerce is creating a [MS</a> in Commerce](<a href=“http://www.commerce.virginia.edu/newsletter/2007_02/gradprogram.html]MS”>http://www.commerce.virginia.edu/newsletter/2007_02/gradprogram.html) degree.</p>

<p>According to the program…</p>

<p>

McIntire will expand its portfolio of world-class programs to a new group of students: recent college graduates who want a strong foundation in business before they enter the work force. Offering concentrations in Financial Services and Marketing & Management, the one-year, 36-credit-hour program is carefully crafted to help students develop the practical and analytical skill sets that today’s business world demands.

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<p>The thing I like the most about the program is the fact that you will spend your last term studying in a foreign country to get an international business perspective and experience.</p>

<p>

The third and final term will comprise a capstone project and a required period of international residency. McIntire is currently in conversation with its various international partner institutions to determine possible locations for the program’s overseas component.</p>

<p>“We want to make sure that students master the tools and frameworks associated with their chosen concentrations,” Harris says. “But we also want to make sure that they understand the global and cultural dynamics of working in and managing organizations around the world.”

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[cavalier302]

<p>Interesting program, but I don’t know that I’d consider it to be a replacement for an MBA. They’re different concepts. Comm school kids are probably better off taking hot finance jobs than sticking around for this program, but perhaps people with particularly soft majors who want to do something legit could benefit from the financial services concentration.</p>

[Globalist]

<p>Yeah, a Darden MBA and a McIntire MS Comm are quite different. Darden is all about management with their case-based curriculum, while McIntire is more finance/marketing focused. I wonder if they will ever join forces and even allow joint degrees? Would that be redundant? Do they consider the other UVA school a competitor? Questions, questions.</p>

[cavalier302]

<p>I don’t think there would be a point…the McIntire MS looks like it has a lot of very, very similar material. And let’s be honest, MBAs and programs like the commerce MS aren’t destination degrees, they’re about making money. I highly doubt that obtaining both degrees would result in fatter paychecks or more interesting career opportunities.</p>