Lori Kelleher, MBA Class of 2013
Prior, as well as during my MBA, I was working in the Pharmaceutical Industry as a Sales Representative. I knew that if I wanted to move up within my company, or transfer to another, I needed my MBA, and an MBA specializing in Healthcare Administration would make me even more valuable. Today, most everyone has an undergraduate degree, so in order to make myself more marketable, as well as sharpen my business skills, pursuing my MBA was a necessity.
I selected UMASS Boston for five reasons:
(1) It’s one of the only programs in Boston, considered the hub of westernized medicine, to offer a program with a Healthcare Management track (2) The cost was appealing, especially as a state school, and even more so with tuition reimbursement, so I never had to pay out of pocket (3) The Professors were either Ivy League grads or successful business leaders in their respective fields (4) Convenience of the school; parking, location, accessibility (5) Ability to waive core courses I already (relatively) recently completed and excelled at, which saved a lot of time, money and frustration of repetition.
My experience at UMASS couldn’t have been any better! The professors were engaged and exceptional, and the courses challenging yet realistic. I found myself surrounded primarily around other students working full time and pursuing the MBA on the side, so they, as well as the Professors, understood this intense workload. I was able to network with others in similar industries, which is valuable for career progression and determining ways this could assist me with my current job. But, my most memorable experience was collaborating with a Professor on a paper that was actually published! This was something I never thought possible, but through the MBA program, became a reality.
After graduation, I continued working at my current company with the goal of transitioning to medical devices. One month post graduation, I was able to utilize my MBA to ‘move ahead’ of others in the interview process, and successfully land a job with Medtronic, the largest medical device company in the world. Within 2.5 years at Medtronic, I have been promoted, and incorporate the skills earned during my MBA to not only move to the next level, but to also excel in my current role, everyday.